National Jewish Democratic Council

Last updated
National Jewish Democratic Council
AbbreviationNJDC
Successor Jewish Democratic Council of America (de facto) [1] [2]
Formation1990
Dissolved2016 (functional, except for remaining litigation and debt payment processes) [3]
TypePolitical, Pro-Israel
Headquarters Washington, D.C.
Location
  • United States
Website www.njdc.org/

The National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) was a political lobbying organization that advocated within the Democratic Party for viewpoints aligned with the American Jewish community and in support of the state of Israel, and within the political process generally, between 1990 and about 2016.

Contents

Issues and activities

The NJDC's main issues were the U.S.-Israel relationship, separation of church and state (in the US), [4] and reproductive rights. [5]

The NJDC engaged in voter education efforts, and worked with secular and Jewish media to promote the Democratic Party and its ideals.

The organization also served as a resource to Democratic candidates nationally, educating them on issues of importance to the Jewish community. The NJDC served as a liberal watchdog on the lawful activities of the religious portion of the Right, acting to raise public awareness about efforts to undermine the wall between church and state.

In 2007, its Annual Washington Conference attracted every major Democratic candidate for president, [6] the Israeli Ambassador to the United States, and several party leaders, including Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. [7]

NJDC worked on the national level to help turn out Jewish voters in the 2004 elections, 2008 elections, and 2012 elections. NJDC also worked to send voter guides and direct mail to targeted Jewish households. In 2004, NJDC targeted 250,000 Jewish households in swing states with an intensive direct mail campaign.

Demise

Accumulating debts, a declining number of donors, outsourcing of functions, and a defamation lawsuit filed by Republican donor Sheldon Adelson against the NJDC (against which the group was ultimately successful [3] ) led to the organization's decline between about 2014 and 2016. [8] [1]

It effectively disappeared from the political scene prior to the 2016 presidential election, and in legal pleadings, stated that it continued to exist only to pay its bills and because of the continuing litigation against Adelson. [3] Some of its leadership campaigned for the 2016 Clinton presidential campaign under the Jews for Progress PAC banner. [2]

The group was replaced on a de facto basis in 2017 by the Jewish Democratic Council of America, which began its activities three months ahead of schedule because of President Donald Trump’s perceived equivocal response to the 2017 Charlottesville march and violence. [1]

Mission

The National Jewish Democratic Council was founded in 1990 as the national voice of Jewish Democrats. Its stated priorities included: [9]

NJDC leadership

2008 election

In October 2008, the NJDC held a conference in Washington, D. C., at which then vice presidential candidate Joe Biden was the keynote speaker. Other notable speakers included Al Franken and Governor Howard Dean.

It was noted that "In 2008, the NJDC trained nearly 100 surrogates to speak around country, according to [executive director Ira] Forman, ran newspaper ad campaigns in pivotal swing states, sent 350,000 targeted pieces of mail to Jewish households, dropped 35,000 pieces of literature in key Jewish neighborhoods, and ran Internet and Google word search campaigns". [10]

In an article written on November 9, 2008, it was mentioned that "American Jewish voters have once again overwhelmingly supported the Democratic presidential nominee", and that "with Obama's victory, we selected a candidate who shares the values of the vast majority of American Jews, including the separation of church and state, a strong U.S.-Israel relationship, and reproductive freedom". [11]

During the final days of the 2008 presidential campaign, an article came out explaining that the "National Jewish Democratic Council is sending out more than 350,000 mailers to Jewish households in key swing states, re-asserting the Democratic nominees stance on a number of issues". This article includes many fliers put out by the NJDC in order to inform voters about Barack Obama and Joe Biden's positions on Israel. [12]

Marc Stanley, chairman of the NJDC, wrote an op-ed in the JTA entitled "Why Jews Voted for Obama". In the article, he gave two explanations: "First, Obama’s performance in the debates belied the GOP narrative that he could not be trusted, while McCain’s pick of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate undermined his Jewish support. Second, Jewish Democrats - the National Jewish Democratic Council, along with the Obama campaign and other independent efforts - were better organized than ever." [13] In 2008, exit polls showed that Barack Obama received 78% of the Jewish vote. [14]

Barack Obama presidency

The NJDC approved of the Obama administration's policies such as the 2009 stimulus package, [15] and the president's decision to pull out of Durban II, [16] the UN conference against racism which has been known to be a forum for anti-Israel agitation. The NJDC also declared its trust in Obama's support for Israel, and charged other organizations like the Republican Jewish Coalition of distorting information about Barack Obama and his support for Israel. [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Lieberman</span> American politician and attorney (born 1942)

Joseph Isadore Lieberman is an American politician, lobbyist, and attorney who served as a United States senator from Connecticut from 1989 to 2013. A former member of the Democratic Party, he was its nominee for vice president of the United States in the 2000 U.S. presidential election. During his final term in office, he was officially listed as an independent Democrat and caucused with and chaired committees for the Democratic Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reagan Democrat</span> Political ideology

A Reagan Democrat is a traditionally Democratic voter in the United States, referring to working class residents who supported Republican presidential candidates Ronald Reagan in the 1980 and the 1984 presidential elections, and George H. W. Bush during the 1988 presidential election. The term Reagan Democrat remains part of the lexicon in American political jargon because of Reagan's continued widespread popularity among a large segment of the electorate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 United States presidential election</span> 56th quadrennial U.S. presidential election

The 2008 United States presidential election was the 56th quadrennial presidential election, held on November 4, 2008. The Democratic ticket of Barack Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, and Joe Biden, the senior senator from Delaware, defeated the Republican ticket of John McCain, the senior senator from Arizona, and Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska. Obama became the first African American to be elected to the presidency, as well as being only the third sitting United States senator elected president, joining Warren G. Harding and John F. Kennedy. Meanwhile, this was only the second successful all-senator ticket since the 1960 election and is the only election where both major party nominees were sitting senators. This was the first election since 1952 in which neither the incumbent president nor vice president was on the ballot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Hodes</span> American politician (born 1951)

Paul William Hodes is an American lawyer, musician, and former U.S. representative for New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district, serving from 2007 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party, and was New Hampshire's first Jewish representative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republican Jewish Coalition</span> American political lobbying group

The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), formerly the National Jewish Coalition, founded in 1985, is a political group in the United States that supports Jewish Republicans. The organization has more than 47 chapters throughout the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Iowa Democratic presidential caucuses</span> Democratic caucus in the 2008 election

The 2008 Iowa Democratic presidential caucus occurred on January 3, and was the state caucuses of the Iowa Democratic Party. It was the first election for the Democrats of the 2008 presidential election. Also referred to as "the First in the Nation Caucus," it was the first election of the primary season on both the Democratic and Republican sides. Of the eight major Democratic presidential candidates, then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama of Illinois received the most votes and was ultimately declared the winner of the Iowa Democratic Caucus of 2008, making him the first African American to win the caucus and the first African American to win a primary state since Jesse Jackson in 1988. Former U.S. Senator John Edwards of North Carolina came in second place and then-U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton of New York finished third, though Clinton received more delegates than Edwards. Campaigning had begun as early as two years before the event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Oregon Democratic presidential primary</span>

The 2008 Oregon Democratic presidential primary was a mail-only primary in the U.S. state of Oregon. Ballots were mailed to registered Democratic voters between May 2 and May 6, 2008. To be counted, all ballots had to have been received by county elections offices by 8:00 p.m. PDT on May 20, 2008. It was a closed primary and voters had to have registered as Democrats by April 29, 2008 to be eligible to vote in any of the partisan races. Barack Obama won the presidential primary with 58% of the vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barack Obama 2008 presidential campaign</span>

Barack Obama, then junior United States senator from Illinois, announced his candidacy for President of the United States on February 10, 2007, in Springfield, Illinois. After winning a majority of delegates in the Democratic primaries of 2008, on August 23, leading up to the convention, the campaign announced that Senator Joe Biden of Delaware would be the vice presidential nominee. At the 2008 Democratic National Convention on August 27, Barack Obama was formally selected as the Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States in 2008. He was the first African American in history to be nominated on a major party ticket.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 United States presidential election in Illinois</span>

The 2008 United States presidential election in Illinois took place on November 4, 2008, and was part of the 2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose 21 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 United States presidential election in Virginia</span> Election in Virginia

The 2008 United States presidential election in Virginia took place on November 4, 2008, which was part of the 2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose 13 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 United States presidential election in Florida</span> Election in Florida

The 2008 United States presidential election in Florida took place on November 4, 2008, and was part of the 2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose 27 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

In United States politics, Jews have changed political positions multiple times. Many early American German-Jewish immigrants to the United States tended to be politically conservative, but the wave of Eastern European Jews, starting in the early 1880s, were generally more liberal or left-wing, and eventually became the political majority. Many of the latter moved to America having had experience in the socialist, anarchist, and communist movements as well as the Labor Bund emanating from Eastern Europe. Many Jews rose to leadership positions in the early 20th century American labor movement, and founded unions that played a major role in left-wing politics and, after 1936, inside the Democratic Party politics. For most of the 20th century since 1936, the vast majority of Jews in the United States have been aligned with the Democratic Party. During the 20th and 21st centuries, the Republican Party has launched initiatives to persuade American Jews to support their political policies, with relatively little success.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 New York's 9th congressional district special election</span> Special election for New Yorks 9th congressional district

A 2011 special election in New York's 9th congressional district was held on September 13, 2011 to fill a seat in the U.S. Congress for New York's 9th congressional district, after Representative Anthony Weiner resigned from the seat on June 21, 2011 due to his sexting scandal. Democratic Party nominee David Weprin, a member of the New York State Assembly, faced Republican and Conservative Party nominee Bob Turner, a businessman who had unsuccessfully sought the seat in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 United States presidential election in Nevada</span>

The 2012 United States presidential election in Nevada took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. State voters chose six electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 United States presidential election in New Hampshire</span> Election in New Hampshire

The 2008 United States presidential election in New Hampshire took place on November 4, 2008, as part of the 2008 United States presidential election throughout all 50 states and D.C. Voters chose four representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elan Carr</span> U.S. lawyer and politician

Elan Sherod Carr is the incoming CEO of the Israeli American Council. Previously, he was an American attorney and politician who served as the Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating anti-Semitism under President Donald Trump from 2019 to 2021.

The Israeli-American Council is an American nonprofit organization to represent and serve the approximately 125,000 Israeli-Americans. Its mission is to preserve and strengthen the Israeli and Jewish identities of future generations, strengthen the American Jewish community, and strengthen the relationship between citizens of the United States and the State of Israel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Rabinowitz</span> American political activist (born 1957)

Steven M. Rabinowitz is a political image maker, media strategist, publicist, and event planner whose primary work is for progressive, Democratic, and Jewish causes. He is frequently quoted in U.S., Israeli and Jewish news media, and has had opinion pieces appear in numerous outlets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jewish Democratic Council of America</span> U.S. political nonprofit organization

The Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA), also known as "Jewish Dems", is an organization that defines itself as "the voice for Jewish Democrats and socially progressive, pro-Israel, and Jewish values". It was announced in August 2017, and officially launched in November 2017. JDCA was incorporated in Washington, D.C., in June 2017. JDCA has 15 chapters across the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Democratic Majority for Israel</span> Lobbying group advocating pro-Israel policies in the United States

Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) is an American advocacy group that supports pro-Israel policies within the United States Democratic Party.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kampeas, Ron (June 15, 2018). "Meet the national security expert who is leading the charge to keep Jews voting Democratic". Jewish Telegraphic Agency . Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  2. 1 2 Wilner, Michael (August 23, 2018). "Jewish Democrats hit refresh with new action group". The Jerusalem Post . Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 Kampeas, Ron (September 27, 2018). "Jewish Democratic group sues Sheldon Adelson for 'legal sadism'". Jewish Telegraphic Agency . Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Separation of Church and State". National Jewish Democratic Council. Archived from the original on 2014-06-18. Retrieved 2014-08-26.
  5. ↑ "NJDC Welcomes Defeat of Senate Amendment Restricting Abortion Coverage". National Jewish Democratic Council. 2009-12-08. Archived from the original on 2013-09-15. Retrieved 2014-08-26.
  6. ↑ "All major Dems to appear at NJDC con". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 2007-04-13. Retrieved 2014-08-26.
  7. ↑ "NJDC's First Annual Conference". The Philadelphia Jewish Voice. 2007-05-23. Retrieved 2014-08-26.
  8. ↑ Guttman, Nathan (July 24, 2018). "What Role Do Jewish Democrats Have in the Coming Election?". Moment Magazine . Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  9. ↑ NJDC website
  10. ↑ Kredo, Adam (November 12, 2008). "Jews remain true blue: Despite concerns, voters flock to Obama". Washington Jewish Week. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Dem groups claim Obama win". Politico .
  12. ↑ "Jewish Democrats Make Last Push For Obama". Huffington Post. 2008-10-29.
  13. ↑ Stanley, Marc (November 6, 2008). "OP-ED: Why Jews voted for Obama". JTA.
  14. ↑ "2008 Jewish Vote for Obama Exceeds All Expectations". National Jewish Democratic Council (Press release). November 5, 2008. Archived from the original on 2009-06-25. Retrieved 2009-03-24.
  15. ↑ http://www.njdc.org/media/entry/NJDC_praises_eco
  16. ↑ http://www.njdc.org/blog/post/ThankYouObamaDurban030309
  17. ↑ "Petition: Tell RJC to Stop Promoting Falsehoods About the Obama Administration | NJDC Blog". Archived from the original on 2009-06-27. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.