Primary elections like the one coming up on Tuesday can feel overwhelming. Hundreds of races appear on ballots across the state — and most eligible voters don’t bother to show up.
But a grassroots group of volunteers decided the stakes for the Jewish community are too high to sit this one out.
That sentiment gave rise to a voter guide compiled by Bay Area Jewish Coalition-Action. More than 100 volunteers in 10 Northern California counties spent months researching hundreds of candidates across local, state and federal races, from Sonoma to Santa Cruz.
The nonpartisan guide, which went online in early May, allows people to input their home address or the name of a race they’re interested in. Candidates appear with a green check or a red X, along with notes on statements they’ve made and actions they’ve taken on issues affecting the Jewish community.
Tali Klima, a mother of three in Santa Clara County and the volunteer spokesperson for the group, explained the motivation behind the initiative.
“Post Oct. 7, a lot of us, myself included, had a whole list of important issues, which have whittled down to this one issue that matters more than anything,” Klima said.
That issue: whether elected officials will keep her family and the local Jewish community safe, seen and included.
The guide’s recommendations reflect BAJC-Action’s pro-Israel values and its views on combating antisemitism. Candidates win endorsements for expressing support for Israel, opposing the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement or taking concrete action against antisemitism. They are flagged with a red X for using rhetoric the group considers antisemitic, including accusations of Israeli genocide, singling out pro-Israel lobbying groups like AIPAC or endorsing organizations the group views as hostile to the Jewish community.
The guide, for example, flags U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon, a Democrat, in the race for the 12th Congressional District in the East Bay for using rhetoric accusing Israel of genocide, and Democrat Tom Steyer in the governor’s race for singling out AIPAC as “dark money.” At the local level, it recommends Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen while flagging challenger Daniel Chung for his endorsement by Democrats for Palestinian Rights and participation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
BAJC-Action’s concerns are rooted in what it describes as a surge of antisemitism in Bay Area institutions since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. It’s a political advocacy offshoot of a group that became known for tracking incidents in K-12 schools, including teachers showing anti-Israel videos during Holocaust lessons and Jewish students facing antisemitic harassment from classmates. Beyond schools, the group has also pushed back against city councils that it says have passed one-sided resolutions on the war in Gaza.
Building the guide meant going beyond what was available online. For local races, volunteers reached out directly to candidates, sent detailed questionnaires tailored to each type of government position and followed up with in-person interviews conducted by at least three trained community members. The responses were then shared with committees of additional volunteers, who weighed in before finalizing recommendations.
For state races, volunteers compiled extensive online research.
The guide was built in collaboration with grassroots groups from the Hindu, Iranian and Asian communities across the Bay Area. While the recommendations largely overlap, the communities published guides under their own name and branding, tailored to their own audience. There’s also a general version not tagged to any single community.
Oded Shekel, BAJC-Action’s executive director, said building those alliances became a priority in recent years, amid a surge in antisemitic attacks and anti-Israel sentiment.
“What we learned during the last two and a half years is that if someone fights antisemitism, very likely that person will fight all types of hate,” Shekel said. “There is very strong alignment of values with the community, very strong alignment of goals for what we’re trying to achieve.”
The guide is not meant to be a voter’s only resource, said Ido Josef, the Israeli American volunteer who served as the guide’s technical director.
“We don’t cover your housing agenda or education agenda, or gun control or LGBTQ issues,” Josef said. “We are focusing on antisemitism and the U.S.-Israel relationship. If people feel strongly that they have other topics that are as important, or maybe more important to them, they should do complementary research.”