The modern-day question “What does it mean to be Jewish in an open society?” isn’t too different from the driving question that followed Jewish immigration to the United States — “How does one become an American while still being Jewish?” noted Rubin, who stopped in San Francisco last week on his way from New York to an Oregon speaking engagement.
The balancing act of maintaining dual identities is just as problematic for Jews today as it was before World War I. That’s why the JCPA, comprised of 135 member agencies, has been steadfast in analyzing both Jewish and American public policy concerns to help direct the right response for each. The JCPA was previously known as the National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council.
Of course, what’s good for Americans is not necessarily good for the Jews. JCPA members came face to face with that paradox this year while re-evaluating their position on school vouchers.
Advocates of vouchers want the federal government to turn over education dollars to private schools, saying that those families lose tax dollars to public schools.
While a voucher system would make Jewish day-school education more affordable for families, some argue that the siphoning of dollars from public schools would sabotage education for the neediest Americans. And many Jews are loyal to the public-school system, which educated their immigrant forebears.
The voucher system could also compromise the separation of church and state by giving government undue influence on private schools.
Committed to the merits of public education, the JCPA has historically opposed vouchers. But with growing sentiment that the day school is one of the best cures for assimilation, the group decided to re-evaluate its position, Rubin said.
The analysis brought to light more complexities on the topic than were previously considered. But in the end, the JCPA reaffirmed its opposition to school vouchers. The members agreed that they could be devoted to advancing Jewish education while keeping national interests intact.
Though the circumstances surrounding the voucher issue had evolved, the group discovered that the premise of its initial stance was still relevant.
“The Jewish values driving [our mission] remain the same,” even though the focus of the JCPA has changed from generation to generation, Rubin said.
Most JCPA positions are sent to U.S. and Israeli policy-makers in hope of having some impact.
Nevertheless, Rubin said, “there is more of a sense today that the federal government is not necessarily the solution to our society’s problem.”
Members of the JCPA have had more success effecting change from local initiatives, public-private partnerships and working with local municipalities, he said.
On the group’s plate for the next two years will be one of the biggest endeavors of the organization’s public-policy efforts.
“We will be looking at issues of race, gender and public policy,” he said. “We’ve had a number of national meetings” that have included representatives from the White House and academia.
Polls taken in the Bay Area indicate that the Jewish community is not as unified as it was once was on affirmative action. Reports of ambivalence on the merits of race-based preference programs prompted JCPA leaders to take up the subject for discussion.
“As long as we keep talking about it, that’s good,” Rubin said. “That’s a Jewish discussion.”