New to JCRC? E-mail Sign Up > Receive action alerts, JCRC news,event updates, e-newsletter and more. Enter your e-mail address: Email: Required Yes, I would like to receive e-mail from The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington Yes, I would like to receive postal mail from The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington Remember me. What's this? Spam Control Text:   Please leave this field empty     JCRC Member Login >      Take Action Now >      Donate Now >      Help Support JCRC          Site Search

We must think differently, look at things in a different way. Peace requires a world of new concepts, new definitions. (Yitzhak Rabin) The JCRC is proud to announce the launch of our new Israel Action Center! Click HERE to learn more.  UPCOMING EVENTS     The Israel Action Center at the JCRC Presents:  Israel@65  A Panel Discussion on the Achievements and Challenges Facing Israel on her 65th birthday Featuring Experts on Israel's  foreign policy, security and economy who will address the successes Israel has achieved over the last 65 years while outlining the challenges Israel is facing in a changing Middle East. Tuesday, May 21, 2013 • 7:30 PM JCC GW • 6125 Montrose Road • Rockville, MD   Seating is limited. RSVPs taken on a first come first serve basis A Suggested Donation of $5 is Appreciated            Sunday June 9, 2013 Noon - 5pm Union Market, Washington, DC Sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington RSVP HERE RECENT EVENTS   "Israel: Building A Shared Society" An Issue Forum on Israeli Arabs On January 27, The Center for Israel Studies at American University hosted a forum on Israeli Arab issues. The event's keynote speech was entitled "Building a Shared Society" and was jointly delivered by Professor Elie Rekhess, Visiting Crown Chair in Middle East Studies at Northwestern University, and Forsan Husein, CEO at Jerusalem International YMCA. Why Israeli Arabs Are A Jewish Issue Our latest Middle East Forum was held on the evening of April 18 at the JCC of Greater Washington and was entitled "Why Israeli Arabs Are A Jewish Issue". The event was headlined by Rabbi Naftali Rothenberg, and he addressed the moral and halakhic perspectives on equality in the Jewish state. Following his prepared remarks, Rabbi Rothenberg answered questions on a wide variety of topics. Brown Bag Lunch: New Middle East  The latest event in our Brown Bag Lunch Series was held on April 10 and was entitled "Israel, A New Middle East, and the Role of Western Democracies". The event featured a two-person panel consisting of Major General Noam Tibon (active), Head of Northern Command, Israel Defense Forces, and Colonel Richard Kemp (Ret.), former Commander of British Forces in Afghanistan. The panel was moderated by Sgt. Benjamin Anthony, (IDF, Res.).    Legislation We're Watching   We are carefully watching bills in both the Senate and the House of Representatives pertaining to preventing the Islamic Republic of Iran from achieving a nuclear capability and to strengthening U.S.-Israel strategic cooperation.   Senate House of Representatives Preventing a Nuclear Iran (S. Res. 65) Nuclear Iran Prevention Act of 2013 (H.R. 850) Strengthening the U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2013 (S. 462)  United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2013 (H.R. 938)   Israel Action Center Conference Call Series   In May, we were joined by Andrew Tabler (Pictured Left), Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute's Program for Arab Politics. Amidst news of Israeli airstrikes on Syrian targets, Mr. Tabler updated our community on the Syrian crisis and the threat it presents to America and Israel.         In February, we were joined by MK Rabbi Dov Lipman (Pictured Left), a Maryland native and the Knesset's only American-born member. Rabbi Lipman discussed the meteoric rise of Yesh Atid, the prospects for religious-secular reconciliation in Israel, and the needs of English-speaking Israelis.        Before Israelis took to the polls in January, Professor Reuven Hazan (Pictured Left), Chair of the Department of Political Science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, briefed us on the election process and explained the implications of the vote on U.S.-Israel relations. Listen to a recording of the conversation HERE.               Following President Obama's first official visit to Israel this March, we were joined by Ambassador Itamar Rabinovich (Pictured Left), Israel's former Ambassador to the United States. Ambassador Rabinovich gave his insights on President Obama's trip and the next steps in the U.S.- Israel relationship. Listen to a recording of our call HERE.          After the Bulgarian Government belatedly acknowledged in February that Hezbollah was behind the July 2012 attack that killed five Israeli tourists in Burgas, we were briefed by Matthew Levitt (Pictured Left), Director of The Washington Institute's Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence. Listening to a recording of the call HERE.           In January, we were joined by Michael Eisenstadt (Pictured Left), Director of Military & Security Studies Program at The Washington Institute. Mr. Eisenstadt addressed the evolving crisis in Syria and its implications for Israel and the Middle East. Hear a recording of the call HERE.        Upon the selection of Pope Francis in March, we hosted a call with Rabbi Noam Marans, the American Jewish Committee's Director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations. Rabbi Marans discussed the new Pope's views on the Jewish community, anti-Semitism, and Israel as well as his history with the Jewish community in Argentina. Hear our conversation HERE.   Click to learn more about Israel     To submit an upcoming Israel related program or event to be listed on our Web site, click here. For more information on these or any other of our Israel advocacy activities, contact Arielle Farber Poleg at apoleg@jcouncil.org or (301) 770-0881.