October 11, 2023
JCRC and ADL DC Demand More from All Local School Districts
JCRC of Greater Washington
Over the last 72 hours, JCRC and ADL DC staff have worked tirelessly to communicate to local school systems the importance of acknowledging the horrific attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists and the profound trauma being experienced by Jewish students, parents, and employees. We thank the several school districts that have released some public statement. We wish to especially recognize Dr. Michelle Reid, Superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools, the largest school system in our region, for speaking with JCRC staff several times and for responding personally to parents as she can.
October 9, 2023
DC Jewish community holds vigil for Israel
DC News Now
The Jewish community in D.C. is mourning the hundreds of people killed in Israel. On Monday night, dozens came together at Washington Hebrew Congregation in Cathedral Heights for a vigil. Through prayer and song, people stood together in solidarity with the people of Israel.
October 4, 2023
JCRC of Greater Washington Expands Into DC Community
Washington Jewish Week
Over the past few months, the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington (JCRC) has been allocating more resources into servicing the Washington D.C. area to reflect the city’s growing Jewish community.
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September 13, 2023
JCRC of Greater Washington
The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington (JCRC) recognizes that fighting to protect American democracy is no less than a fight for Jewish security and prosperity in the United States. A More Perfect Union (AMPU) in its 2022 paper, “The Jewish Imperative to Protect and Strengthen American Democracy,” put this bluntly: “As Jews, we have a vested—indeed, existential—interest in the preservation of American democracy, and we ignore the warning signs of its decline at our peril.”
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August 28, 2023
Statement on Hate-Motivated Deadly Shooting in Jacksonville This Weekend
JCRC of Greater Washington
The JCRC of Greater Washington is saddened and outraged that yet another instance of hate-fueled gun violence on Saturday shattered numerous lives in Jacksonville, where the Black community was once again targeted.
August 11, 2023
Religion literacy course is an eye opener for educators
Maryland Matters
Maryland’s nearly 900,000 public school students will soon be heading back to school. Over the summer, teachers in every jurisdiction have taken courses to help them face the many challenges in the classroom. Thirty-five signed up for Religion Literacy for Educators, a five-day bus tour through the religion landscape of Montgomery County.
July 5, 2023
Local leaders show their support for the Jewish community
Bethesda Magazine
Walt Whitman High School choral director Michelle Kim was just getting off the bus following the music department’s spring trip to Florida when Principal Robby Dodd called her over. He’d been awaiting the group’s arrival with a time-sensitive request: Would Kim and the school’s chamber choir perform at an upcoming event to support the Jewish community in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Yom HaShoah?
June 15, 2023
Cardin: ‘One of my missions’ is to help young lawmakers understand the U.S.-Israel relationship
Jewish Insider
Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) reflected on Wednesday night on his career and his work supporting Israel and combating antisemitism in remarks to the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington.
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May 25, 2023
You Should Know...Adam Odesser
Washington Jewish Week
Jerusalem-born Adam Odesser is director of the Dr. Stuart Lessans Israel Action Center at the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington. Odesser, 32, lives in Silver Spring and is a member of B’nai Israel Congregation in Rockville.
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May 25, 2023
JCRC of Greater Washington
The JCRC of Greater Washington is grateful that the Fiscal Year 2024 operating budget approved today by the Montgomery County Council increases security funding for all faith-based nonprofits at risk for hate crimes by $100,000 to a total of $900.000.
May 9, 2023
Virginia Adopts Leading Antisemitism Definition as State Launches New Efforts to Combat Jew Hatred
The Algemeiner
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin on Monday signed a bill adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism (IHRA) during a ceremony at the Executive Mansion in Richmond.
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May 8, 2023
Virginia Jewish Communities Statement Upon Governor Youngkin’s Signing of IHRA Legislation
JCRC of Greater Washington
With today’s ceremonial bill signing, Virginia joins 29 other states and the District of Columbia in adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism as an educational tool to identify and combat antisemitism. The Virginia Jewish Communities of Northern Virginia, the Peninsula, Richmond and Tidewater are grateful for the partnerships that unified our communities as we educated our elected representatives about Jewish identity, antisemitism, and the value of the IHRA definition as a tool for combating the hatred of Jews. These partnerships will continue to benefit our communities for years.
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May 1, 2023
Statement upon Senator Ben Cardin’s announcement that he will not seek reelection in 2024
JCRC of Greater Washington
For more than 55 years, Ben Cardin has devoted his life to public service to improve the lives of all Marylanders, first in the State House and then on Capitol Hill. He has been an extraordinarily effective leader, legislator, and unapologetic consensus builder who embodies Jewish values. Through unyielding moral clarity on the issues that mattered most to him and the constituents he served -- voting rights, access to health care, human rights, the environment and, of course, a strong and prosperous Israel – he has worked across party lines to pass meaningful legislation that benefits all Americans.
March 31, 2023
FCPS addresses the rise in antisemitism
Fairfax County Times
March 24, 2023
Antisemitic incidents spike 261% across Montgomery County, ADL reports
Moco360 Media
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March 9, 2023
Statement on Minister Smotrich's Visit
JCRC of Greater Washington
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s upcoming visit to the United States has galvanized opposition across the American political spectrum and the U.S. Jewish community. The hateful views long expressed by Minister Smotrich are abhorrent, are opposed by a majority of Israeli citizens, and run contrary to Jewish values. No public servant should ever condone or incite hatred or hate-motivated violence, and when they do, they will be fiercely condemned by a wide swath of American Jewry.
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March 3, 2023
Children of Holocaust survivors recount parents’ experiences to MCPS students
Moco360 Media
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February 28, 2023
JCRC of Greater Washington
The Virginia Jewish Communities thank the General Assembly for their bipartisan work in adopting – by overwhelming majority – the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism as a guide and tool for training, education, understanding and combatting antisemitism. Thank you to Delegates and Senators from both sides of the aisle, as well as the Governor and Attorney General, for engaging in the discussion and finding consensus – a process that, in and of itself, highlighted the alarming rise in antisemitism and provided an opportunity to discuss the many forms that antisemitism can take.
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February 22, 2023
JCRC Responds to Dr. McKnight Remarks
JCRC of Greater Washington
The JCRC is gratified that Dr. McKnight’s remarks today about the cascade of recent antisemitic incidents within MCPS included specific measures being taken to ensure greater accountability for perpetrators of these incidents. Students and their parents must know that there will be serious consequences for the propagation of ugly hatred that deeply, tangibly harms our Jewish students, families and employees and those of other marginalized groups. Suspensions come and go, but hopefully the mandatory involvement of parents and the threat of incidents appearing on students’ permanent records will serve as a deterrent and a strong statement about our school system’s values and priorities.
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February 14, 2023
More fentanyl forums, training at MCPS planned in response to drug overdoses, antisemitic acts
Moco360 Media
January 24, 2023
Reward offered in antisemitic vandalism incidents in Montgomery Co.
WTOP News
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January 21, 2023
Swastikas drawn this week at three MCPS schools, district announces
Bethesda Magazine
December 18, 2022
Antisemitism casts darkness amid Hanukkah lights
The Washington Post
December 18, 2022
Jewish groups condemn series of antisemitic incidents in Washington, DC area
The Jerusalem Post
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December 17, 2022
Joint response to new antisemitic incidents
JCRC of Greater Washington
The JCRC of Greater Washington, ADL DC, AJC DC, and The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington are angered and disgusted by the additional acts of antisemitic graffiti and vandalism in our region this weekend. Antisemitic symbols were found yesterday at a bus stop bench at Montgomery Mall. This morning, horrific antisemitic statements were found spray painted on the Walt Whitman High School sign. These incidents come on the heels of the graphic hateful graffiti found on the Bethesda Trolley trail just weeks ago. Antisemitic vandalism and graffiti were also recently reported at the Rock Creek Park trail in Washington, DC.
