407-645-5933 ext. 236 marisa.west@shalomorlando.org

Your Voice

Jewish Community Relations Council

 JEWISH COMMUNITY RELATIONS COUNCIL

The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC)  is the leading advocate for the Greater Orlando  Jewish community, engaging in important public policy discussions and ensuring that our voices are amplified. We are one of 125 JCRCs in the nation that form the grassroots of the national umbrella organization, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs.

what we do

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Community Relations

We work to promote mutual understanding among all groups in the Greater Orlando area and to advance democratic pluralism and respect for human dignity and individual rights across religious, racial and ethnic lines. We’re committed to building bridges between the Jewish community and the community at large.

Issues Advocacy

JCRC insists that governmental actions neither endorse nor unduly inhibit religious practice. We enlist governmental and public support on behalf of Israel and oppressed communities throughout the world and advocate on human services and social legislation affecting the Jewish community.

Issues education

We regularly sponsor and organize community forums, expert discussions and other events open to the community and intended to help you make informed decisions about key issues of the day.

Social Action

We embrace the mitzvah of Tikkun Olam, or repairing the world, by addressing challenges in the local community as well as issues that affect us globally. We offer and support educational programming and community activities

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Rapid Response

We sustain a rapid response team that is available to advocate on behalf of victims of anti-Semitism or other forms of hate and discrimination.

Israel Advocacy

JCRC submits media releases, letters and columns to important news and resource outlets to offer opinions on Israel-related issues.

Sound off: Get in touch with your elected representatives!

news and resources

JCRC statement on the overturning of Roe v Wade:

For 50 years, Roe v. Wade has been the “settled law” of the United States. Today, in its decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Center, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, revoking the Constitutional right of a woman to terminate a pregnancy and sending the authority to regulate reproductive rights back to the states.

Judaism cherishes human life, requiring Jews to set aside all ritual and religious obligations to preserve it. At the same time, Judaism recognizes that a fetus is not an independent individual, and the life and welfare of a pregnant woman takes precedence. Today’s Supreme Court decision strips women of the Constitutional protection to a crucial aspect of self-determination for their own lives and welfare, opening the door for even further restrictions by the states.

The Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando includes rabbis from different denominations and backgrounds. They may disagree on some points of halakhah (Jewish religious law), but they fully concur that access to safe and legal pregnancy termination stands fully within the boundaries of Judaism’s legal framework.

Those who remember the pre-Roe v. Wade era are painfully aware that laws curtailing reproductive rights forced women to put their health and lives at risk to terminate a pregnancy. This alone flies in the face of tenets of Judaism.

Roe v. Wade allowed women to make their own choice – a highly personal, emotional, and difficult choice – regarding a pregnancy. The Supreme Court’s action today takes away that choice, with the very real possibility of causing devastating physical and emotional damage. At no time and in no way did Roe v. Wade ever interfere with a woman’s reproductive choice. Overturning Roe v. Wade most certainly does.

While the motivation for this Supreme Court ruling is not expressly a religious one, it would be naïve to think religious belief was not at all a factor. Overturning Roe v. Wade now allows states to restrict or deny Jewish women – as well as those of other faith traditions and worldviews – access to health care that is permissible under halakhah, through the passage of laws influenced by a particular religious ideology.

There is serious concern that the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling may not only embolden more restrictive state laws but result in targeting other aspects of reproductive health. We stand with the majority of Americans, who support a woman’s right to choose.

News of note

April 9: Airbnb will cancel its ban on West Bank settlement listings

In a reversal of a 2018 policy announcement, Airbnb will not remove West Bank settlement listings from its website.

 

April 9: Israel to host Florida Cabinet meeting at embassy in May

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that the next Florida Cabinet meeting will take place at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem at the end of May.

 

March 12: Florida bill defining anti-Semitism as racism advances

HB 741, sponsored by Rep. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay, next goes to the House Judiciary and Education committees before reaching chamber floors for adoption.

 

Learn more

Israel Action Network

The Israel Action Network builds a strong base of support for Israel and counters delegitimization in the context of two states for two peoples.

AJC Global Jewish Advocacy

AJC is the leading global Jewish advocacy organization, with unparalleled access to government officials, diplomats, and other world leaders

Take action against anti-Semitism

Learn what you can do to recognize, report and respond to incidents of hate.

your jcrc is making a difference

Israel Crisis: Federation is providing support

  The conflict in southern Israel has continued into a second day. The Jewish Federations of North America's Israel office has prepared a comprehensive update that we are sharing.   In addition, the following articles detail how our partners at the Jewish Agency...

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JFGO statement on Chabad of Poway attack

The Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando and the Central Florida Jewish Community are heartbroken by the hateful anti-Semitic violence perpetrated against the Jewish community of Poway, Calif., on Saturday. Like people of all faiths, Jews have the right to feel safe...

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Statement on New Zealand mosque attack

In Judaism, after the loss of a loved one, we say, זכרונו לברכה (zikhrono/zikhronah livrakha), “may his/her memory be a blessing.” The Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando and the Central Florida Jewish Community are heartbroken by the hateful violence perpetrated...

read more

Israel Crisis: Federation is providing support

  The conflict in southern Israel has continued into a second day. The Jewish Federations of North America's Israel office has prepared a comprehensive update that we are sharing.   In addition, the following articles detail how our partners at the Jewish Agency...

read more

JFGO statement on Chabad of Poway attack

The Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando and the Central Florida Jewish Community are heartbroken by the hateful anti-Semitic violence perpetrated against the Jewish community of Poway, Calif., on Saturday. Like people of all faiths, Jews have the right to feel safe...

read more

Statement on New Zealand mosque attack

In Judaism, after the loss of a loved one, we say, זכרונו לברכה (zikhrono/zikhronah livrakha), “may his/her memory be a blessing.” The Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando and the Central Florida Jewish Community are heartbroken by the hateful violence perpetrated...

read more

Community event Oct. 30: Stop the Hate

Please join us at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30, for “Stop The Hate: Remembering the Victims in Pittsburgh,” an interfaith and multicultural memorial service, coordinated by Central Florida Jewish organizations and the Greater Orlando Board of Rabbis. This community event,...

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JCRC statement on Pittsburgh shooting and gun violence

The Jewish Community has long been a member of the extended family of gun violence victims, and today that family grew tragically once again. As Jews around the United States participated in observance of Shabbat at their local synagogue this morning, we were...

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Advocate for your Jewish child in school

The Jewish Community Relations Council is pleased to share the following resources for parents: Calendar of Major Jewish Holidays and Religious Observances (through 2023) Brochure: 5 Effective Ways to Advocate for Your Jewish Child in School JCRC "Chain of Command"...

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