JCRC: Jewish Community Relations Council

JCRC policy statements directly guide our advocacy efforts. These statements are the result of deliberation of oftentimes widely divergent views and seek to represent the consensus of the organized Jewish community.

Issues are continuously brought to the attention of JCRC in a variety of ways. An issue:

may gain importance in the broader community and thus reach our council
may arise from the legislative affairs committee, the Middle East Policy committee, the education committee, or others, after a review of current legislation

Once an issue is brought to the Metropolitan Council, it is up to the Council to decide whether or not it warrants a policy statement and action plan.

Process for Drafting a JCRC Policy Statement:

Create a sub-committee or task force or assign policy statement to a standing committee:
Once it is decided that an issue warrants a policy statement a subcommittee is created to draft it or it assigned to a standing committee. The committee is made up of members with the broadest possible range of opinions on the issue- so as represent as many segments of the organized Jewish community as possible.
The committee reviews the issue and drafts the policy statement in four steps:
1. There is education and shared learning about the issue
2. There is a consensus building process -finding common ground, brainstorming creative ideas, listening and learning
3. There is a "testing" process where a draft statement is brought to the group and discussed and debated until agreement is reached
4. Finalizing the document- making sure everyone at the table is satisfied with the document.
The draft policy position is reviewed by the Regional Boards.
They have the opportunity to provide input on the draft.
Metropolitan Council reviews the draft policy position.
The members suggest amendments and/or changes.
The Metropolitan Council votes on the policy statement.
When the amendment is complete, the Metropolitan Council votes to approve or reject the policy statement. 75 percent of the vote is necessary to pass a policy statement in the Metropolitan Council. If the approval is between 75-85 percent a motion can be made for the dissenting opinion to be recorded. If more than 15 percent of those present support the motion, then the dissenting opinion is recorded.