Five Things You Should Know About Your Jewish Community

Five Things You Should Know

Who Jews Are

Jews are a diverse, multiethnic, multiracial people.
Jewish identity and pride is based on culture, food, music, land, language, religion, and much more. For many, being part of the Jewish people is core to their identity, separate from the religion.
We are a tiny community, only 0.2% of the population globally and 2.4% of the U.S. population.

Our Core Values

Do Not Stand Idly By | Lo Ta’amod Al Dam Rey’echa – We commit to improving the lives of the marginalized and downtrodden, living our values through action, and voicing our community’s concern on critical issues in the public sphere.
Repair of the World | Tikkun Olam – We work to improve the world, one relationship at a time. Each connection expands our consciousness and compassion, enlarges our capacity for inclusion, helps us reach out to others with greater empathy and concern.
All in the House of Israel are Responsible for One Another – We mobilize our community when Jews anywhere are in need of our support. We are many Jewish communities bound together by shared values, history, religion, and culture.
If I Am Not For Myself, Who Will Be For Me? If I Am Only For Myself, What Am I? And If Not Now, When? – We advocate for Jewish community interests while collaborating with other faith, ethnic, and emerging communities with shared goals.

Learn more about our values, goals, and principles here.

What's Impacting Us Today

Many Jews do not feel safe. More antisemitic incidents happened last year than any year since 1979, and have been experienced by all ages and in all parts of society.
In 2023 (the most recent data) the number of antisemitic incidents expressing Jewish hate, including vandalism, harassment, and assaults, nearly tripled in Washington compared to the year prior.
Contemporary antisemitism is anti-Jew, not anti-Judaism. Many think that antisemitism is about religion, but Jews are usually attacked for who we are, not how we pray.

Explore resources and support for countering antisemitism here.

What You Can Do

Support policy solutions to better understand, prevent, combat, and respond to incidents of antisemitism in schools and other public entities.
Listen and learn. To be an ally, understanding is key. Schedule a meeting with the Jewish Federation’s JCRC to learn more about the local Jewish experience or to be connected to an antisemitism workshop for you and your team.
Speak out. When incidents of antisemitism occur, use your position of leadership – on social media, on official platforms, and to traditional media – to make clear that anti-Jewish harm is dangerous to our communities.

Sign on to the Elected and Civic Leader Pledge Against Antisemitism here.

Funding for nonprofit security grants to help ensure the physical safety of organizations that face threats based on the community they serve.
Funding for Holocaust and genocide awareness education.
Ensuring all immigrants are able to access affordable healthcare.

See our full legislative agenda here.