The Jewish Community Relations Committee is comprised of four outreach areas and subcommittees:
Our five-part plan is undergirded by a proactive approach to relationship-building. Together with local and national partner agencies and community institutions and elected officials, Federation seeks to address the need in the Richmond Jewish community to identify and confront antisemitism, anti-Jewish, and anti-Israel bias using a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach. As Federation looks ahead to engaging key audiences like educators and the next generation, we are organizing and executing new programming and training based on five core areas of focus:
The Federation will work with partners locally, regionally and nationally to advocate and support policies and legislation which combats racism and antisemitism and supports Israel and counters delegitimization in the context of two states for two peoples.
JCFR/JCRC will use our collective voice to foster a strong relationship between the United States and Israel – on the municipal, state and federal levels. We encourage public officials to speak out against BDS and deepen the alliance between the U.S. and Israel. We will expose efforts to delegitimize the state of Israel.
Israel education provides a positive connection with one’s Jewish heritage, culture, religion and language. It can build a sense of collective Jewish responsibility and enduring relationships between learners and the land, state, and people of Israel. While Israel education involves the acquisition of knowledge (i.e. learning about Israel), it also involves asking some of the challenging questions about contemporary Jewish existence. For example, the tensions between the Jewish and Demoractic character of Israel, the authority of the Rabbanut and their command over the country, and the role that Palestinian Citizens of Israel (or Arab-Israelis) play in society.
One of the best approaches to Israel education offers authentic encounters with Israelis and the land of Israel, most commonly presented as travel to Israel and personal interactions with Israelis.
In order to build upon relationships with the Christian, Muslim and Black communities around issues of mutual interest, and those related to fighting racism, anti-semitism and Islamaphobia and supporting Israel, the Jewish Community must stand together with our friends of others faiths while also building meaningful relationships based on dialogue, coexistence and understanding. This will build coalitions and understanding and further our mission of strengthening our world.
In partnership, the Israel and Overseas department and JCRC will showcase the "intersectional" nature of Jewish history and highlight the story of our people beyond the Ashkenazi narrative that is so pervasive. This will address important growth that needs to occur within the Jewish community to recognize the Arab, Latino, and Black Jews in our midst, while also educating inter-cultural and inter-religious groups about the multi-layered Jewish story and building trust with other minority communities as a result. This is essential in combating the narrative that Israel is a colonial state, and is a teaching opportunity about the ethnic diversity within the Jewish community.
In 2020, The Jewish Community Federation of Richmond partnered with Secure Community Network (SCN) to enhance our community’s safety, security, and preparedness posture. SCN, a nonprofit 501(c)(3), is the official safety and security organization of the Jewish community in North America. SCN works on behalf of 146 federations, the 50 largest Jewish nonprofit organizations in North America, and over 300 independent communities as well as with other partners in the public, private, nonprofit, and academic sectors to ensure the safety, security, and resiliency of the Jewish people.