ATLANTA, Georgia (Press Release)– Maryland’s Susan W. Turnbull was elected chair of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs Tuesday, March 11, at the JCPA’s Plenum in Atlanta. Turnbull will succeed outgoing chair, Larry Gold.
“I have had the honor of working with Susan for many years in multiple capacities – as a member of our own leadership, in her capacity as immediate past chair of Jewish Women International, through her involvement with other Jewish organizations, and in her years of political advocacy,” said JCPA President Rabbi Steve Gutow. “The JCPA and the Jewish community relations field are sure to benefit from her experience and dedication to Tikun Olam, repairing the world. Susan’s energy and passion are unmatched and we are excited to welcome her as our new chair.”
Susan W. Turnbull, of Bethesda, Md., is a life-long community activist who is involved with a myriad of social justice activities. A former Jewish Women International (JWI) Woman to Watch, Turnbull has devoted countless hours to philanthropic causes. In addition to her involvement with the JCPA and as Chair of JWI’s Board of Trustees from June 2009-June 2013, Turnbull, a former Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee and Chair of the Maryland Democratic Party, has served in leadership roles with EMERGE Maryland, the University of Maryland Institute for Citizenship and Politics, Hillel and the Jewish Social Service Agency of Metropolitan Washington.
“JCPA’s role in convening the ‘common table’ both within and outside the Jewish community on issues to protect, preserve and promote a just society is a unique opportunity. Building on JCPA’s strong foundation, I am excited by this challenge. I am hopeful that working with my friend Rabbi Steve Gutow and our talented staff and lay leaders we can continue to move JCPA forward in the years ahead,” said Susan Turnbull.
JCPA, the public affairs arm of the organized Jewish community, serves as the national coordinating and advisory body for the 14 national and 125 local agencies comprising the field of Jewish community relations.
*
Preceding provided by the Jewish Council for Public Affairs
*
San Diego Jewish World seeks sponsorships to be placed, as this notice is, just below articles that appear on our site. This is an ideal opportunity for your corporate message or to personally remember a loved one’s contributions to our community. To inquire, call editor Donald H. Harrison at (619) 265-0808 or contact him via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com
My measured opinion here is that this organization, the JCPA, should be completely defunded by all those entities other than their OWN individual donors.
We have the JFNA – the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and many other umbrella and specifically-dedicated organizations engaged in public, including non-Jewish issues.
An analysis of the composition of this organization indicates that the JCPA could be folded into to National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC), which dwarfs the RJC (Republican Jewish Coalition) anyway, as a result of a far greater Jewish tendency to intermarry than to vote Republican. This is not meant to be “cute,”, but observational. (“Jews like to live like Episcopalians, but vote like Puerto Ricans.”)
We need more funding for genuinely Jewish communal and social causes. JCPA cannot be defining Jewish Americans as the “Democratic Party with a few holidays thrown in.”
It is healthier for the other organizations to engage in their own public affairs advocacy for Israel, social services and the like free of so obviously a partisan approach.
We all understand Jewish voting patterns and which side is a Jewish minority, but an organization engaged in one-sided debates on domestic issues should NOT be funded by other communal entities to which Jews on both sides contribute.
Jeffrey S. Wiesenfeld