2021-2025

STRATEGIC
PLAN
FOR THE JEWISH
COMMUNITY TO THRIVE,
we must work together with our neighbors
to build a more pluralistic, equitable, and
educated democratic society. But when the
fabric of our democratic society is strained,
Jewish and other minority communities are
threatened. JCRC effectively advocates on
issues of vital importance of mutual concern
to our community and our neighbors.

We envision a strong and vibrant future

for Jews and our neighbors where we are
empowered to realize our shared values in
the public arena.
DEAR FRIENDS
AND SUPPORTERS,

On behalf of the Jewish Community Relations Council’s (JCRC)

Strategic Planning Committee, board of directors, and staff, we are
excited to share this overview of the JCRC 2021-2025 Strategic Plan.

JCRC’s 74-year legacy is about bringing our community together to

address problems that are bigger than any one of us — or any one of our
institutions. This legacy serves as the foundation upon which we build our
work. Yet we see clear trend lines emerging, for example the changing
fabric of Bay Area Jewish life, growing political headwinds, and how we
engage with technology and social media. These trends compelled JCRC
to develop new, forward-thinking strategies.

In this booklet, you will find a summary of JCRC’s plan to proactively:

(1) address antisemitism and the lack of understanding about Jews and
Israel by celebrating, promoting, and protecting our Jewish identity;
(2) solidify our unique role as the trusted Jewish organization that
convenes communities, builds coalitions, and mobilizes the Jewish
community and our neighbors; (3) and build long-lasting relationships
to increase JCRC’s capacity and skills to solve vital issues.

Thank you to our Strategic Planning Committee — Chair Jennifer Wolfe,

David Newman, Sue Ann Schiff, Christina Jefferson, Jerilyn Gelt and Paul
Resnick — who spent nine months developing this bold new vision for
JCRC’s community relations work, both within and beyond the Jewish
community in an era of growing uncertainty and division.

In 2023, JCRC will celebrate its 75th anniversary in stronger shape than
ever before, thanks to your partnership and commitment to this work.
We are so grateful for your continued support and look forward to
celebrating our vibrant community together.

JENNIFER WOLFE TYLER GREGORY BRITON CAMPHOUSE

Board President and Chief Executive Officer Development Director
Strategic Planning
Committee Chair

J C RC 202 1 -202 5 STR ATEG I C PL AN | PAG E 1

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
THE JCRC 2021-2025 STRATEGIC PLAN HAS THREE CORE STRATEGIC PRIORITIES:

1. CREATE an organizational 2. SOLIDIFY our unique role as the 3. BUILD our capacity by building
culture centering diversity and trusted Bay Area Jewish organization deep relationships with our
inclusion that celebrates and that convenes communities, builds neighbors. Only together can
empowers people. coalitions and mobilizes the Jewish we truly solve the most vital
community and our neighbors. issues facing the Bay Area.

These priorities are built on the premise that the two flanks disparities. These are challenges with consequences for Jewish,
of JCRC’s mission statement — “building a just society and a Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI), African American,
secure Jewish future” — are more than just complementary: Latino, and LGBTQ+ allies alike, and we cannot solve them by
they are interdependent. working alone. JCRC will deepen our legislative and advocacy
partnerships with interfaith and ethnic communities, elected
The Bay Area will not truly be just until our Jewish community officials, and single-issue interest groups to build a more just
feels seen, included, and secure. JCRC will strengthen our and secure society, together.
relationship-building work, expand our civic-leadership
trips to Israel and facilitate professional trainings for elected Our advocacy priorities will be driven not only by our Jewish
officials, ethnic and interfaith community partners, and values, but also with direct input and decision-making from
leaders in education. Through these efforts, we seek to uproot members of our community who for too long have been
antisemitism and the delegitimization of Israel and celebrate underrepresented in Jewish life and in leadership
and lift up our community as Jewish Americans, in all the roles — in particular Jews of Color, LGBTQ+ Jews and
complexities of our identities, and to demonstrate clearly: we economically disadvantaged Jews.
belong here.
Together, we are building a culture of belonging, in which
Yet our community’s true safety and belonging cannot be we seek to be fully representative of the diversity of the
realized until we address the fundamental, underlying injustices communities we aim to serve.
in our society that so often spur rising hate and perpetuate

PAG E 2 | J C RC 202 1 -202 5 STR ATEG I C PL AN

STRATEGIC
PRIORITY #1
Create an organizational
culture centering diversity
and inclusion that celebrates
and empowers people.

All of our work will be pursued with a commitment

to celebrating and empowering the many voices and
backgrounds heard throughout our community. Our SUCCESS WILL LOOK LIKE:
diversity and inclusion commitments are integrated
ENSURING JCRC community leaders, supporters,
throughout our second and third strategic priorities.
partners, and volunteers feel like they have a voice, and
We seek to engage young and unaffiliated Jews
are empowered in our organization.
with our work and cultivate them as leaders, and to
make concerted efforts to engage segments of the BUILDING a future at JCRC that is representative of
community underrepresented in Jewish life, such as the full diversity of the fabric of the Bay Area Jewish
LGBTQ Jews, Jews of Color, and interfaith families, community.
among others.
EXPANDING JCRC lay leaders’ skills and knowledge to
Therefore, in order to support our richly diverse better strengthen relationships, conduct trainings with
Bay Area, we will work internally to recruit the best diverse audiences, advocate messaging effectively,
candidates for our staff, board, and council to best and mobilize a more inclusive community on issues of
represent our community. Over the next four years, concern.
we will build activities, policies, and best practices
into our culture to strengthen our commitment to an
open, welcoming, and inclusive work place.

“JCRC UNDERSTANDS
COALITION-BUILDING.
Jewish leaders have consistently
spoken out about rising AAPI
hate, and have always generously
provided their counsel and support.”

— DENNIS WU
CHAIR, SFCAUSE AND AAPI LEADER

J C RC 202 1 -202 5 STR ATEG I C PL AN | PAG E 3

STRATEGIC
PRIORITY #2
Solidify our unique role
as the trusted Jewish
organization that convenes
communities, builds
coalitions, and mobilizes the
Jewish community and our
neighbors.

“JCRC IS AN ESSENTIAL
PART OF THE GREATER
JEWISH COMMUNITY.
The organization brings
people together to solve
issues and address the
many challenges the Jewish
community faces. I’m proud to
have JCRC as a partner.”

— RABBI JACQUELINE MATES-MUCHIN

SENIOR RABBI
TEMPLE SINAI, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA
To build up JCRC’s effectiveness as a public, proactive, vocal advocate in the
Jewish and civic communities, we must strengthen our work in two key areas:
our digital and media presence and our convening assembly body built from
more than 50 Bay Area Jewish institutions.

Recognizing many of the challenges and attacks on our community now

#HEREIAM is our new
originate on social media, we will ensure that JCRC’s thought leadership and
digital community relations
priorities are clearly projected online.
initiative. This project combats
Following a two-year fight to remove antisemitic and anti-Israel content antisemitism while celebrating
from California’s Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum, as well as a surge in Jewish identity through the
antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment JCRC recognizes the need for more personal stories of influential
active lay ambassadors in our community relations work. We will reimagine and Jewish and civic leaders across
strengthen the JCRC Assembly, our representative policy and advocacy body, the Bay Area.
by convening, educating, training, and empowering diverse lay leaders to take
FIND OUT MORE AT
collective, proactive action around JCRC’s agenda.
HEREIAMSTORIES.ORG.

J C RC 202 1 -202 5 STR ATEG I C PL AN | PAG E 5

STRATEGIC
PRIORITY #3
Build deep relationships and
increase JCRC’s capacity and
skills to solve the most vital
issues in the Bay Area.

A. Build an extensive relationship-building

initiative to ensure that we have trusted civic
partners and the necessary awareness to
increase our capacity and skills to solve the
most vital local issues.
Our education and advocacy work on antisemitism,
Jewish identity, the delegitimization of Israel,
public education, social justice, democracy, and
other issues is pivotal to the strength and safety
of our community. The relationships we build with
diverse ethnic, faith, political, and civic communities
establish JCRC as a trusted resource. This leads to
strong partnerships and seats—often leadership
roles—in coalitions working to achieve specific goals.

SUCCESS WILL LOOK LIKE:

STRENGTHENING our relationships with civic and

community leaders, who support and partner with JCRC
on key issues, across all Bay Area counties.

FORMING strong alliances and partnerships in faith,

ethnic, and civic organizations, who help us positively
impact public policy on issues of common concern, and
who recognize JCRC as a trusted ally that “shows up.”
 “JCRC IS A GO-TO RESOURCE FOR
COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND ELECTED
OFFICIALS to build community, promote social
equity, and combat bigotry of all kinds. When a
colleague or community leader needs to connect with
the Jewish community, I immediately urge them to
reach out to JCRC.”

— DAN KALB
CITY COUNCILMEMBER, OAKLAND

B. Develop and implement a new public C. Align JCRC Israel Seminars (participant
framework for celebrating the richness and recruitment, itinerary, and post-trip outcomes)
complexities of Jewish identity. with the strategic plan and launch an initiative
By fostering a stronger public understanding of Jewish that cultivates alumni as advocates for JCRC’s
identity, recognizing and celebrating all of who we work in their leadership roles and ensures their
are, we will better position our neighbors to recognize ongoing engagement and partnership with JCRC.
and address the various forms of antisemitism that Since the 1990s, JCRC has brought hundreds of
undermine our safety, inclusion, and representation in influential Bay Area elected officials and civic leaders to
civic life. Israel with the goal of helping them better understand
Jews, Judaism and Israel through an immersive, 10-
day journey. JCRC’s annual Israel Seminars are critical
SUCCESS WILL LOOK LIKE: pathways to cultivating deeper relationships with
diverse constituencies, exposing them to Jewish values
ENSURING that leaders and organizations in the Jewish and aspirations. To ensure the long-lasting success
community and across Bay Area civic life are more fluent of the trip and strengthen relationships with past
about Jews, Jewish identity, antisemitism, and Israel as a participants, JCRC will build a new Alumni Initiative.
result of JCRC trainings and workshops.

SECURING JCRC as a sought-after provider of trainings

on Jewish identity, and ensuring that Jewish identity SUCCESS WILL LOOK LIKE:
and antisemitism are more regularly included in DEI and
GUARANTEEING trip participants continue to have a
diversity trainings across different areas of Bay Area civic
relationship with Israel and JCRC’s agenda, consider JCRC
life.
their “go-to” Jewish organization for partnerships and
CULTIVATING strong contacts in Bay Area school districts to concerns, and engage with JCRC on issues of concern in
assure they turn to us when issues related to Jews, Judaism, times of crisis.
Jewish identity, and Israel arise and to assure that Jewish
inclusion in ethnic studies courses becomes the norm.

J C RC 202 1 -202 5 STR ATEG I C PL AN | PAG E 7

FINANCIAL OUTLOOK
JCRC’s strategic priorities strengthen, empower,
and celebrate our Jewish community through
coalition building, partnerships, and proactive 6.910M
work to combat antisemitism. With these
ambitious goals comes the need for greater
funding. We count on your support to help us
build a strong community, together. 6.655M

720K

6.207M 706K
GROWTH OF
CURRENT ACTIVITIES

STRATEGIC
EXPANSION
487K
690K
450K
220K
5.5M
FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25
JCRC FISCAL YEAR IS JULY 1 - JUNE 30

PAG E 8 | J C RC 202 1 -202 5 STR ATEG I C PL AN

BOARD OF DIRECTORS | FY22
OFFICERS
Jan Reicher Karen Kronick Paul Resnick*
Jennifer Wolfe* Vice President Secretary Immediate Past President
President Governance Co-Chair Development Committee Co-Chair Governance Co-Chair
Mill Valley San Francisco Palo Alto Mountain View

Russell Cohen William Schwartz Sandi Bragar

Vice President Vice President Treasurer
San Francisco San Francisco Mill Valley

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD

Laurie Beijen Natasha Kehimkar Emily Scheinman Neil Tuch

At-Large At-Large At-Large At-Large

JCRC BOARD
San Francisco Foster City Los Altos Hills Los Altos

Bruce Fisher David Newman* Sue Ann Levin Schiff* Peter Yolles
At-Large Public Policy Chair At-Large At-Large
San Francisco San Francisco San Francisco Belvedere

AND STAFF
Col. Peter Gleichenhaus Michael Pappas Karen Schiller Gregory Zale
At-Large At-Large At-Large At-Large
San Francisco San Francisco San Francisco San Francisco

Christina Jefferson Joshua Reynolds Roselyne Chroman Swig

At-Large Development Vice Chair At-Large
San Francisco San Francisco San Francisco

*Strategic Planning Committee

PROFESSIONAL TEAM | FY22

Tyler Gregory Tanya Avrutin Carole-Anne Elliott Lisa Peckler

Chief Executive Officer Director of Finance and Grants Manager and Writer Jewish Coalition for Literacy Bay
Administration Area Director
Hallie Baron Serena Zhen
Chief Operating Officer Jeremy Russell Development Program Associate Corinne Jaffe-Gellman
Director of Marketing and Jewish Coalition for Literacy Senior
Karen Stiller Communications Julia Abramson Program Manager
Senior Director of Jewish Affairs Community Relations Associate
Adriana Lombard Judy Pam-Bycel
Jessica Trubowitch Director of Public Education Joey Greaber Senior Program Manager, East Bay
Director of Policy and Outreach Digital Marketing and
Partnerships Communications Associate Nieema Galloway
Briton Camphouse Jewish Coalition for Literacy
Jonathan Mintzer Director of Development Carlos Martinez Program and Communications
Director of External Relations Programs and Operations Assistant Manager
Elina Sterkina
Staff Accountant

J C RC 202 1 -202 5 STR ATEG I C PL AN | PAG E 9

“JCRC HAS AN
UNPARALLELED ABILITY
TO BUILD BRIDGES
WITHIN OUR DIVERSE
BAY AREA, and I was drawn
to serve on the board because I
believe that we must all support
each other to ensure that Jewish
and other communities are
never fighting hate alone.

— JOSH REYNOLDS
JCRC BOARD MEMBER

JEWISH COMMUNITY RELATIONS COUNCIL

121 Steuart Street, #301 | San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 957-1551 | [email protected] | WWW.JCRC.ORG

@SFJCRC