JAC was founded after the 1980 election when many friends of Israel in the Congress were defeated by organized right wing political groups that opposed US support for Israel and the pluralistic values of mainstream American Jewry. Concerned Jewish activists reached out to their networks across the country to spread the message that they could support Israel and fight political extremists by becoming meaningfully involved in the political process. In the decades that followed, JAC remained committed to the US-Israel relationship as its core issue, while protecting reproductive rights and separation of religion and state.
Joint Action Committee is a nonpartisan advocacy group (501c4) that promotes the United States-Israel relationship, separation of religion and state, reproductive freedom and social policies in keeping with the core values of American Jewry. To promote this agenda, JAC enlists Jewish community participation in advocacy with elected officials; this includes trips to Washington, DC that feature legislative briefings by high-level experts and private meetings with members of Congress.
The JAC Education Foundation, a tax exempt organization (501c3), educates and engages the Jewish community in electoral politics and issues of Jewish concern. The foundation publishes the nonpartisan Jewish Community Voter Guide, an educational resource that identifies and explains legislative issues of interest to the Jewish community; it contains an index of the voting records of the entire Congress on these issues and suggestions for advocacy. The Foundation conducts voter registration drives and education sessions.
JAC Leadership:
Gail Garber Yammer, President
Gail Garber Yammer, President
Barbara Bluhm-Kaul, Immediate Past President
Joan Canel, Treasurer
Debby Greenberg, Vice President Finance
Marcia Balonick, Executive Director
Linda Rae Sher, Founder and Director of Special Projects
Joy Malkus, Research Director
Katherine Gurvey, Communications Director
