The Jewish Partnership for Democracy

The Jewish Partnership for Democracy is a growing cross-partisan network of 200 Jewish organizations working to protect and strengthen democracy in the United States.

Launched in January 2022, the network has inspired and supported Jewish organizations across the country to mobilize their communities to uphold democracy.

Strategic Priorities

Our partners understand that a thriving American democracy is essential to a thriving Jewish community, and each organization in our network has made commitments to take meaningful action to support democracy in their communities. These commitments align with our three nonpartisan, proven-effective strategic priorities:

  • Expand opportunities for civic learning

  • Promote ideological pluralism

  • Ensure free, fair, safe, and accessible elections

These strategic priorities sit at the intersection between critical needs as identified by pro-democracy experts and the unique strengths of the Jewish community to address those needs.

Learn more about each of these strategic priorities below, and how our partners are turning them into reality in their communities.

The Jewish Partnership for Democracy is actively accepting new partners. Ready to join this vibrant community?

Ideological
Pluralism

Civic
Learning

Free & Fair
Elections

Back
Forward

Expand opportunities for civic learning

Citizens with the knowledge, skills, and inclination to participate fully in the democratic process are the backbone of a stronger, safer, more democratic future. As legendary lovers of learning, Jewish communities are well-positioned to imagine new and innovative ways to expand opportunities for civic learning and equip people of all ages to be informed and effective participants in civic life.

  • We break our primary work on this strategic priority into two categories:

    • Teach civics in Jewish spaces

    • Promote digital, news, and media literacy

    We welcome commitments that explore these categories in the unique context of each partner. Here are some examples of what this can look like in practice:

    • Develop, adapt, or implement ready-made civics curriculum for Jewish day school students or camp participants

    • Create or distribute media literacy resources with other printed materials to members, clients, etc.

    • Run programs for members about information literacy using resources from A More Perfect Union partners

    • Have Jewish educators attend News Literacy Project’s News Lit Camp to learn directly from journalists and media literacy trainers

    • Institute a civic service learning requirement into school or b’nei mitzvah curriculums

    We also welcome unique approaches to the subject matter. Need help determining what your commitment could be? We are here to help. Reach out to infio@jewishdemocracy.org.

Promote ideological pluralism

The United States is experiencing “toxic” polarization in which cycles of distrust and dehumanization keep us paralyzed and isolated. We know this doesn’t stop at the door to the Jewish community. How might we, a people famous for our commitment to vigorous and respectful discourse and debate, find the courage to repair these breaches through a shared commitment to ideological pluralism?

  • We break our primary work on this strategic priority into two categories:

    • Train Jewish leaders in bridge-building, conflict management, and depolarization skills

    • Practice bridge-building in your community

    We welcome commitments that explore these categories in the unique context of each partner. Here are some examples of what this can look like in practice:

    • Building effective leaders: Train clergy and/or professional leaders in vetted depolarization techniques to strengthen their skills as community leaders

    • Training the trainers: Train program leaders to integrate bridge-building and depolarization techniques and approaches in their own contexts

    • Grassroots engagement: Host bridge-building, reconciliation, or depolarization programs run by A More Perfect Union partners within your community

    We also welcome unique approaches to the subject matter. Need help determining what your commitment could be? We are here to help. Reach out to info@jewishdemocracy.org.

Ensure free, fair, safe, and accessible elections

Elections are one of the foundational ways we engage directly in the democratic process. Ensuring that elections are run smoothly, safely, and with adequate resources is a shared imperative. We are continuing our work on this front and welcome partner commitments to help ensure free, fair, safe, and accessible elections.

  • We break our primary work on this strategic priority into three categories:

    • Support the smooth administration of local elections

    • Counter misinformation meant to disrupt our electoral process

    • Equip Jewish leaders to preserve social cohesion in contentious times

    We welcome commitments that explore these categories in the unique context of each partner. Here are some examples of what this can look like in practice:

    • Recruit poll workers via Power the Polls/A More Perfect Union partnership

    • Gather leaders for tour of local election facility or conversation with local election officials

    • Send thank you cards to your local elections office

    • Share accurate and vetted election information in the run-up to local and national elections

    • Educate and empower your community to counter Mis, dis, and malinformation (MDM): What is it, why is it dangerous, how to recognize it, and what to do about it

    • Convene a variety of stakeholders to develop ready-to-go Crisis Communications Plan, before you ever need it

    We also welcome unique approaches to the subject matter. Need help determining what your commitment could be? We are here to help. Reach out to info@jewishdemocracy.org.

Expand opportunities for civic learning

Citizens with the knowledge, skills, and inclination to participate fully in the democratic process are the backbone of a stronger, safer, more democratic future. As legendary lovers of learning, Jewish communities are well-positioned to imagine new and innovative ways to expand opportunities for civic learning and equip people of all ages to be informed and effective participants in civic life.

  • We break our primary work on this strategic priority into two categories:

    • Teach civics in Jewish spaces

    • Promote digital, news, and media literacy

    We welcome commitments that explore these categories in the unique context of each partner. Here are some examples of what this can look like in practice:

    • Develop, adapt, or implement ready-made civics curriculum for Jewish day school students or camp participants

    • Create or distribute media literacy resources with other printed materials to members, clients, etc.

    • Run programs for members about information literacy using resources from A More Perfect Union partners

    • Have Jewish educators attend News Literacy Project’s News Lit Camp to learn directly from journalists and media literacy trainers

    • Institute a civic service learning requirement into school or b’nei mitzvah curriculums

    We also welcome unique approaches to the subject matter. Need help determining what your commitment could be? We are here to help. Reach out to commitments@jewishdemocracy.org.

Promote ideological pluralism

The United States is experiencing “toxic” polarization in which cycles of distrust and dehumanization keep us paralyzed and isolated. We know this doesn’t stop at the door to the Jewish community. How might we, a people famous for our commitment to vigorous and respectful discourse and debate, find the courage to repair these breaches through a shared commitment to peaceful ideological pluralism*?

*A state in which members of diverse ethnic, racial, religious, or social groups maintain distinct cultures within a shared and peaceful society - adapted from Merriam-Webster

  • We break our primary work on this strategic priority into two categories:

    • Train Jewish leaders in bridge-building, conflict management, and depolarization skills

    • Practice bridge-building in your community

    We welcome commitments that explore these categories in the unique context of each partner. Here are some examples of what this can look like in practice:

    • Building effective leaders: Train clergy and/or professional leaders in vetted depolarization techniques to strengthen their skills as community leaders

    • Training the trainers: Train program leaders to integrate bridge-building and depolarization techniques and approaches in their own contexts

    • Grassroots engagement: Host bridge-building, reconciliation, or depolarization programs run by A More Perfect Union partners within your community

    We also welcome unique approaches to the subject matter. Need help determining what your commitment could be? We are here to help. Reach out to commitments@jewishdemocracy.org.

Ensure free, fair, safe, and accessible elections

Elections are one of the foundational ways we engage directly in the democratic process. Ensuring that elections are run smoothly, safely, and with adequate resources is a shared imperative. We are continuing our work on this front and welcome partner commitments to help ensure free, fair, safe, and accessible elections.

  • We break our primary work on this strategic priority into three categories:

    • Ensure adequate number of polling sites and workers in every jurisdiction in the country

    • Combat election-related mis- and disinformation

    • Support and incentivize good behavior from election officials and protect them from harassment

    We welcome commitments that explore these categories in the unique context of each partner. Here are some examples of what this can look like in practice:

    • Recruit poll workers via Power the Polls/A More Perfect Union partnership

    • Offer building as polling place

    • Gather leaders for tour of local election facility or conversation with local election official

    • Share accurate and vetted election information in the run-up to local and national elections

    • Engage your community in social media monitoring for election misinformation

    We also welcome unique approaches to the subject matter. Need help determining what your commitment could be? We are here to help. Reach out to commitments@jewishdemocracy.org.

Ready to join the Jewish Partnership for Democracy? Get started now.

The Jewish Partnership for Democracy is a collective impact network in which partners build community, exchange ideas, solve problems, and collaborate around actions taken in pursuit of a shared vision. A More Perfect Union convenes this network to gather, build, and support the growing community of Jewish institutions invested in protecting and strengthening American democracy.

Our network values pluralism. This means that partners expressly believe in building a transpartisan, cross-ideological network in support of American democracy. While we might not agree on everything, we all believe that American democracy has been a uniquely fertile ground for thriving Jewish life, giving us both an interest and a responsibility to protect and strengthen it.

Full List of Current Partners

Our Network

  • The network experience will support you and your commitments and foster community-building through: 

    • New connections and working partnerships across the American Jewish community, spanning geographies, denominations, service models, and more

    • Access to exclusive funding pools focused on helping you achieve your commitments, catalyze network collaborations, and facilitate other unique opportunities

    • High-value spaces for collaboration, skill-building, networking (both virtually and in-person)

    • A virtual partner platform with curated content

    • Connections to leading experts, trainings, events, and programs that bridge the democracy field and the Jewish communal space

    • Media and visibility opportunities to amplify and celebrate partners' network

    • The value of a transpartisan network doing nonpartisan pro-democracy work, backed by our esteemed and diverse Strategic Advisory

    • Hands-on support and expertise from the A More Perfect Union team to support your efforts and facilitate the network

  • A More Perfect Union exists to help the organizations in the Jewish Partnership for Democracy accomplish their goals of strengthening and protecting democracy. We do this in three ways:

    • Recruit and Support: We grow our network to increase our impact, and provide meaningful assistance to help network partners accomplish their democracy goals.

    • Weave and Mobilize: We cultivate and activate our network, connecting partners to one another and providing opportunities to foster collaboration and compound success.

    • Tell a Powerful Story: We articulate and elevate compelling narratives about the Jewish commitment to American democracy - within and beyond the network.

All American Jewish institutions are eligible and there is no financial commitment. The steps are simple. Click below and get started!

How to Join 

We ask all partners of the Jewish Partnership for Democracy to acknowledge these Community Agreements:

  • By joining the Jewish Partnership for Democracy, partners commit to taking action to mobilize and engage American Jews to protect and strengthen democracy. Aligned with one or more of our strategic priorities, partners will create a plan for action (or "commitment") that is meaningful and right-sized for their context to pursue by the end of 2026. The Jewish Partnership for Democracy will provide the space and support to help incubate and implement partners' plans for action.

  • In a collective impact network, partners seek to build relationships, share ideas, pursue opportunities for collaboration, lift up each other’s work, and cultivate curiosity. We know we can achieve more together.

    In practical terms, this means partners:

    • Mobilize their community and resources to act

    • Pursue opportunities to build community, collaborate, share and exchange ideas, and create new possibilities across the network

    • Amplify calls to action, timely messaging, and important opportunities to address mis- or disinformation

    • Celebrate stories of impact to demonstrate the power of Jewish institutions working together to protect and strengthen American democracy

  • We acknowledge that our participation will be undertaken in a spirit of nonpartisanship and will seek to promote a strong, healthy, pluralistic American democracy, not any one particular political party or its desired outcomes. Likewise, we are eager to engage respectfully in a transpartisan network -- a community that is ideologically diverse, civil, and generative.

Please note: The Jewish Partnership for Democracy does not engage in policy advocacy on behalf of its members, though education on relevant policy may be offered. Membership in the network does not imply endorsement of, or alignment with, policy positions of other members or with any or all of the positions A More Perfect Union may take on democracy-related issues.