One of the most influential Jewish nonprofits in the Bay Area will be trying its hand at political advocacy.
A new organization launched Friday from the nest of the Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area aims to level-up Jewish political organizing in the region, focusing tightly on local elections and mobilizing voters on behalf of politicians who take a strong line against antisemitism.
Called Bay Area Jewish Action, or BAJA, the new nonprofit is an offshoot of JCRC, but it’s different in a few key ways. The name is pronounced “Ba-ha, like Baja, California,” confirmed Tye Gregory, CEO of JCRC and also executive director of the new offshoot.
Unlike JCRC, BAJA is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit. That designation allows for political advocacy and lobbying in a way that a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, like JCRC, does not.
A 501(c)(3) must focus on charitable, religious or educational goals. A 501(c)(4), by contrast, can lobby and take political stances, with some limitations. Donations to a 501(c)(4) are not tax deductible.
BAJA’s policy priorities include combating antisemitism, supporting a democratic Israel and advocating for social justice issues that are important to the Bay Area Jewish community, including LGBTQ rights, abortion rights, immigrant rights and racial justice.
JCRC was already deeply steeped in local politics, interfacing mostly with politicians who had already been elected. The organization has a government affairs branch, where staffers work with local officials to build strong relationships. JCRC also regularly takes civic and political leaders on trips to Israel, including S.F. Mayor London Breed last year and Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris back in 2004 when she was San Francisco’s district attorney.
Since the Oct. 7 massacre that started the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and a global spike in antisemitism, JCRC has ramped up its government relations work and stepped into a role as a supporter and enabler of grassroots Jewish groups. It has worked with groups, for example, that have sprung up in response to conflicts in schools or to cease-fire resolutions in front of city councils. JCRC has provided those groups with best practices about how to organize, communicate and advocate.
But that was only part of JCRC’s mission. BAJA will put politics first.
“This is about elections,” Gregory said.
For all those who felt let down by their school board, their city council member, their mayor, this is how we can step up to the plate. Tye Gregory, CEO of JCRC
BAJA is not a political action committee and won’t itself officially endorse candidates or write checks, he said. But BAJA staffers will train people on how to get involved in political efforts, including as campaign workers or even as candidates. It will also lobby for policies. It won’t itself fundraise for candidates, but it will help individuals who want to organize that.
“There’s going to be a lot of house parties. There’s going to be a lot of fundraisers for people who had our back,” Gregory said. Other politicians, he added, “let us down.” BAJA might support their opponents, in that case.
Some people working for BAJA will be employees of JCRC who will now split their time. At least one board member is also taking on a new role. Attorney Neal Rubin, who is currently vice president of JCRC’s board, will serve as president of BAJA.
Asked about funding, Gregory noted that BAJA will be distinct from JCRC, although many people may give to both.
“It will be separately funded,” he said. “There will be overlap in funders.”
Gregory said this kind of branching out into advocacy work is fairly normal, offering the example of Planned Parenthood, which is a 501(c)(3) organization but also has a 501(c)(4) advocacy arm that works on reproductive rights.
Jeremy Russell, JCRC’s director of communications, said that as far as JCRC leaders know, there are no other JCRCs across the country with 501(c)(4) arms right now.
It’s been a summer of change for the JCRC. Two of its programs underwent significant changes on July 1: The Jewish Coalition for Literacy ceased to exist after 25 years, while the Institute for Curriculum Services, which fights antisemitism in textbooks and classrooms, was spun off as its own nonprofit. The same day, the JCRC of Silicon Valley merged with JCRC Bay Area to form a larger group that now covers all nine Bay Area counties.
Although BAJA is just kicking off and the Nov. 5 election is right around the corner, Gregory said he hopes this new organization will make an impact where it counts locally by supporting politicians who support the Jewish community.
“For all those who felt let down by their school board, their city council member, their mayor, this is how we can step up to the plate,” Gregory said.