A STRATEGIC VISION FOR A CHANGING WORLD
The Bay Area Jewish community is facing a profoundly changed world, one marked by rising antisemitism, deepening divisions, political uncertainty, and war. While domestic threats against civil rights and democratic institutions have continued to grow and metastasize, the aftermath of October 7th frayed some of our historic partnerships and kept us in a reactive posture. These challenges came coupled with strong growth in our reach and impact, and the structural changes prompted by such growth, as over the past three years our geographic coverage area has expanded to 10 counties and our community relations work has been augmented by a new 501(c)(4) affiliate, Bay Area Jewish Action (BAJA). In order to cultivate the next generation of Jewish leaders and advocates, JCRC Bay Area must adapt to the external realities we’re facing now as an organization and community as we more fully integrate its internal transformations.
JCRC’s 2027-2029 Strategic Plan charts a clear path toward a more proactive and unified JCRC. While this new plan does not alter the organization’s foundational mission and ongoing responsibilities, the achievement of the objectives and strategic shifts outlined below will enable us to sustain our reputation and maintain the trusted voice we have established over our nearly 80 years of service to the Bay Area Jewish community.
THE STRATEGIC VISION
JCRC has a significant opportunity in the next three years to amplify the voice of the Bay Area Jewish community in public and political life across Northern California, to:
- Empower Bay Area Jews to proudly and safely express their Jewish identities, including deep connections to Israel, in all the places where we live, work, study, and build community.
- Ensure Jews have representation, allies, and a strong voice where decisions are made about the issues impacting our lives.
Advance and safeguard Jewish communal issues and causes that reflect shared Jewish values at the local, regional, and state levels. - Strengthen understanding of Jewish identity, antisemitism, and our deep bond with Israel.
- Remain outward-looking and engaged with the broader community, strengthening relationships and building bridges rather than retreating into isolation in the face of hate.
ORGANIZATIONAL OBJECTIVES
To move us toward the above vision, JCRC set forth five core objectives. Each establishes the priorities and desired outcomes that make our aspirations actionable.
1) Build deep relationships with local and statewide elected officials, community and issue leaders, and K-12 administrators and educators.
JCRC Bay Area is a trusted community resource, a partner to political and faith-based allies, and a catalyst for advocacy. JCRC achieves this through fostering partnerships, building consensus, and creating meaningful opportunities for education and engagement in pursuit of justice across the Bay Area. In order to both strengthen existing collaborations and build critical new relationships, especially in those areas into which we’ve recently expanded, JCRC will make it a priority to engage a growing number of elected officials, civic leaders, and community partners through new positive Jewish experiences, building on the success of our Freedom Seders. We will also continue to act as the go-to Jewish organization for key faith, K-12 education, and civic leaders throughout the Bay Area, while embracing legislative priorities that align with allies on issues of shared concern.
2) Inspire a groundswell of Jewish leadership and advocacy with cohesive networks, cohorts of Jewish civic leaders, and organizational partnerships throughout the broader community.
The aftermath of the October 7th attacks led to an unprecedented surge of Jewish engagement across the Bay Area. JCRC intends to harness this energy through Jewish leadership cohorts to amplify our community relations work. We will also strengthen existing and launch new successful professional networks, with the success of Bay Area Network of Jewish Officials (BANJO) and Teachers United Bay Area (TUBA) as a model. We will also evolve the JCRC Council with a regional focus to strengthen our on-the-ground engagement with local Jewish organizations and leaders, while maintaining our role as a convener and consensus builder. Finally, we will strengthen and formalize partnerships with the recently founded Jewish grassroots organizations who sit outside our council to ensure stronger coordination between legacy and emerging advocacy efforts.
3) Refocus on our unique strengths to address antisemitism and support Israel as a Jewish and democratic homeland.
Antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment has risen significantly across the Bay Area and our country, affecting Jews in all areas of public life. To respond, JCRC is creating a new department for Strategic Initiatives to respond to the critical challenges of Jewish community polarization about Israel and increasing hostility toward Israeli identity and Zionism. Following a period of research, we intend to develop new initiatives focused on the key areas where we can add the most value to the field. We will continue investment in our Here I Am: Jewish Identity and Antisemitism Training initiative. And as the situation on the ground permits, we will also continue to lead Israel trips and seminars, and engage our Israel-trip alumni to raise awareness of ongoing developments and build understanding of Israel, Israelis and Jewish identity.
4) Strengthen coalitions beyond the Jewish community, with allies who share our values of civil rights, social justice, and protecting our democracy.
The Jewish community shares experiences, history, and values with a spectrum of other, often marginalized communities. Recognizing that many in our community have felt a sense of abandonment since October 7th, JCRC believes there is an urgent need for our community to reengage in coalition work and for our organization to broadcast our community’s commitment to social justice in ways that generate greater alliances. After launching API-Jewish and Hindu-Jewish Roundtables in our previous strategic plan, we will continue this work throughout the Bay Area with new and existing allies who share our values. Building on the recent success of our API-Jewish cultural trips to New York City, we will lead intercommunal trips that have a personal, lasting impact for local leaders. Moving beyond Passover, we will also establish new opportunities to share Jewish culture and rituals with the broader community in ways that are inspirational and inclusive.
5) Impact the political and legislative process at the local, county, and state levels.
In 2024, JCRC Bay Area joined with community leaders to launch Bay Area Jewish Action (BAJA), our new affiliated 501(c)(4) political advocacy organization. As part of this strategic plan, we intend to build out an organizational culture that reflects the full integration of JCRC and BAJA as a singular effort, albeit with separate strategies and lay leadership. JCRC’s mission, vision, and roles as a convener, educator, and actor will remain unchanged, and our structure will be enhanced to enable maximum impact as our work is bolstered by BAJA’s political and advocacy work.
STRATEGY SHIFTS
The following institutional shifts are a roadmap of how JCRC will adapt its operations to meet the present moment, ensuring our continued effectiveness.
Hub-and-Spoke Model
Regionalize JCRC’s work to serve our ten-county catchment area. Moving forward, dedicated personnel will support the distinct needs and local partners in four distinct regions (‘spokes’) – the East Bay (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties), the North Bay (Marin, Napa, Sonoma, and Solano Counties), San Francisco, and Silicon Valley (San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz Counties). JCRC’s ‘hub’ will provide strategy support and centralized expertise across policy, advocacy, consensus building, messaging, coalitions, trips, and relationships.
Proactive Prioritization
In a return to our core mission, prioritize those activities, initiatives, relationships, policies, and coalitions that align with our shared Jewish values. Rapid response will continue to be a necessary component of our work, but as we return effort to long term, systemic challenges we will seek on-the-ground partnerships for incident response.
Leadership Development and Networks
Initiate leadership development programs and Jewish leadership networks, creating a pipeline of advocates equipped to lead in public and civic life.
Unique Value and Positive Jewish Identity
Focus JCRC’s antisemitism and Israel efforts on areas of unique value, positive Jewish identity, and convening partners to more cohesively address key issues through collaboration.
STRATEGIC PLANNING TASKFORCE
We thank the Taskforce for its leadership and guidance in developing this plan.
Board Members
Arthur Slepian, President and Strategic Planning Committee Chair
Susie Sorkin, Vice President
Natasha Kehimkar
Arlene Noodleman
Michael Pappas
Jerry Yanowitz
Community Leaders
Rafael Burde
Melissa Cohen
Ruth Fletcher
Ariel Kelley
Jason Porth
Executive Team
Tyler Gregory, CEO
Briton Camphouse, Senior Director of Development
Laura Cherner, Chief Community Relations Officer
Jonathan Mintzer, Managing Director, Bay Area Jewish Action (BAJA)
Nym Raske, Chief Operating and Finance Officer
Karen Stiller, Senior Director of Jewish Affairs
Questions? Contact JCRC Senior Director of Development Briton Camphouse at bcamphouse@jcrc.org.
