Finding Jewish Joy in Our Nation’s Capital

A few weeks ago, on the eve of our nation’s 250th birthday, I described my hometown of Washington, D.C. as a democracy warzone that Donald Trump has tried to reshape in his image. While Trump’s massive face still adorns the facade of federal buildings, his smirk may be fading as it now feels like we’ve approached an inflection point in the lead-up to the midterms. Nearly 100 days before Election Day, Democrats have an advantage with voters, but winning is not something we can take for granted. In this fight for the future of our democracy, building community is key, and we at JDCA are building it across generations.

This week, JDCA convened more than 100 Jewish young people in our nation’s capital. Interns and young professionals came together representing 59 different universities and 73 organizations, focusing on what unites us, and the Jewish joy in the room was palpable. We encouraged them to find light in each other and community, to stay involved in politics, and to take action to make a difference, including in the midterms.

We need the activism and engagement of this next generation – certainly we need them to vote – and JDCA is proud to create this community because we believe in l’dor v’dor, from one generation to the next. We are continuing to invest in growing this community of young Jewish Democrats, which includes our college fellowship program across the country with more than 24 fellows, because we know the youth vote will play a key role in taking back control of Congress this November.

Young people have had enough of Trump’s corruption, with 17% of American voters recently citing it as the “biggest issue facing the country,” up from just 8% in December 2024. While “cost of living” still ranks as the number one issue for voters, corruption is second, followed by the state of democracy and immigration. On all these issues, and more, Democrats have a distinct advantage with voters heading into the midterms, because Trump and the GOP’s policies have made things worse for everyday Americans. 102 days until the midterms, Trump’s approval rating continues to plummet, including with his political base and young people.

For Jewish voters in particular, this moment feels especially fraught. While we prioritize issues such as the future of democracy and the cost of living, Israel and antisemitism are being used by the right and the left to divide us. Last week, House Republicans forced a vote on aid to Israel to highlight the growing divide among Democrats on U.S. military aid for Israel. This week, Mayor Mamdani discussed his desire, while acknowledging his inability, to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in his most-watched video ever, which now has nearly 100 million views. Whether or not one agrees with his views on the war in Gaza, we have significant concerns about the mayor’s focus on Israel given rising antisemitism, including in New York.

Amid this darkness, we at JDCA are choosing to find light in community, and to bring about political change consistent with our values. JDCA is the only national organization focused on mobilizing Jewish voters in support of Democrats, and our organizing work continues to grow as we close in on 100 days before the midterms. We are advocating and organizing, and we are choosing to do so in community – virtually and in-person – alongside other like-minded Jewish voters, including young people.

Our focus is to ensure that Jewish voters, including younger voters, show up in record numbers to impact the outcome of these midterms, especially in states and districts where it will make the biggest difference for Democrats. We are cognizant of the rising voices within the Democratic Party with whom we may not agree, and are choosing to support and rally behind those Democrats who share our values. JDCA has endorsed more than 140 Democrats, and it’s these candidates who will be the key to ensuring Democrats win back control of Congress in November.

We are stronger in these efforts together, and they must be cross-generational. That’s why we’re convening phone banks – including those led by younger voters – nearly every night of the week, and we encourage you to join us every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and/or Thursday until November. We also have weekly training sessions for Reach, our relational organizing app similar to text banking, which you can learn to use by signing up here. If you can’t join us but want to support our efforts in other ways, consider contributing to JDCA PAC to help us grow our community, impact, and youth voter engagement program even further. Each dollar helps us do even more ahead of the midterms.

In the lead-up to the August 4 primaries in Michigan and Missouri, we are hosting phone banks and canvasses in support of Reps. Haley Stevens and Wesley Bell. No matter where you live, you can join us for Haley Stevens phone banks and Wesley Bell phone banks, as well as a Haley Stevens canvass and Wesley Bell canvasses for those in Michigan and Missouri.

We hope you’ll join our community and organizing efforts – including those led by the next generation of voters – and deeply appreciate your partnership and support.

Shabbat Shalom,

Halie Soifer,
CEO, Jewish Democratic Council of America