CRC on the Front Lines

by David Lentz, Chair, Community Relations Committee of MetroWest NJ

When I agreed to be the Chair of the Community Relations Committee, I did not fully appreciate the tremendous reach of the Committee’s work. Sure I had heard about the important issues our community addresses and I knew that CRC represents UJC to government officials. As the new Chair of the Community Relations Committee of UJC, I have discovered a thriving operation staffed with committed lay volunteers and staff working tirelessly on important matters.

The CRC is the public face and the advocate for UJC. What does this mean? It means that we represent the Jewish community to government officials at all levels: international, national, state, and local. We work to ensure that public policy works for the good of our beneficiary agencies, and that we bring available government dollars into our system. For example, as this goes out, we are announcing that UJC has received $100,000 from Congress for our “Aging in Place” program, while at the same time we are strategizing on how to ensure a strong connection to the new administration in Trenton.

The CRC is also the front line for Israel Hasbarah. We work in support of Israel on many fronts: combating Israel bias in the media and on college campuses, education and outreach, programs, advocating on behalf of Israel with elected officials, educating the non-Jewish community about Israel and the threats presented by Iran, ensuring that children in High School are ready to handle anti Israel propaganda when they are on college campus, and fighting Israel divestment, boycott and sanction efforts. We work nationally with the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) which is a tremendous resource to us and at the grassroots where we created sub-committees such as the Jewish Faculty Network among interested faculty members at colleges and universities in our area.

Our CRC has taken a nationwide lead to create and promote the "Stop Iran Now Campaign," where we are currently encouraging Congress to pass stronger sanctions legislation. We are also sponsoring outreach to and the support of our local pro-Israel evangelical community so that our legislators understand the broad base of support Israel maintains. We also foster grassroots advocacy. One of our members recently produced a No Nukes for Iran banner that was lauded by Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren, when he attended our Super Sunday. That effort is now being launched nationwide.

One of my personal areas of concern is the U.N. Human Rights Council. The U.S. has recently become a member of the UN Human Rights Council, a body that is ironically dominated by countries with reprehensible human rights records. Nevertheless, countries such as North Korea, Iran, Egypt, and Libya manage to devote an inordinate amount of time and resources to “investigate” Israel’s defense of its homeland and its people. To ensure that the number one priority of the U.S. is to successfully stop this culture, I have had the honor to invite Felice Gaer to speak to the CRC, meet with Senator Menendez, get input from advocates that monitor this body and engaged with human rights advocates as we prepare to present an action strategy to the community.

And there is so much more.

The CRC is also going through a transition. While we have to handle reduced staff, we are increasing our power and influence by joining with the CRCs of UJA Northern NJ and the CRC of Central Federation. The process is on-going throughout this year. I want to take the opportunity to thank all the lay leaders who are engaged in CRCs for their incredible knowledge, commitment, and leadership on behalf of federations. I am awed by their knowledge, and their willingness to be on the frontlines on behalf of the Jewish community. Often, their work is not widely known, and yet they continue with passion and perseverance.

While we are proud of our work as an advocacy body, we are also tremendously important to our UJA Campaign. We provides substantive programming, represent the values and issues of major concern to the public, bring in government dollars, defend Israel, stop genocide abroad in Darfur, etc. We also have many volunteer opportunities available for UJC donors. The CRC is the essence of why we give to UJC.

I hope that I have helped to make visible to you an important component of UJC’s work, one that should be highly valued. I hope that you will look out for and engage in our CRC programs and action alerts. In the CRC world, like in Campaign, numbers matter. The CRC is a great resource for the whole community.

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