March 16, 2018
Dinner at the home of Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).

Getting ready for visits to the House and Senate.

Meeting with Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) in his history-filled office.

Lunch with Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL).

Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) greets JAC.

Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) addressed the group on the issues she is fighting for in the Senate.

The gun violence prevention rally on the steps of the Capitol with students and Members of Congress.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) discussed his  legislation to protect women's reproductive rights.

Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-CT) shared her work to end gun violence.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) in his Senate office.

Leading experts on gun violence prevention briefed JAC on current legislation and ways to help end gun violence.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) welcomed JAC to his Capitol office.

JAC headed to the Hill.

One of the many briefings from policy experts.
Getting ready for the next meeting.

Sen. Susan Colins (R-ME) updated JAC on her work in the Senate.
From l to r: Gail Mayer, Caren Moskowitz, Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA), Harriet Joseph, and Judith Bloom.

My First JAC Washington DC Meeting
 by Caren Moskowitz
This week I had the pleasure of attending my first JAC experience in Washington, DC. It was particularly special because my daughter joined me.  There was a wonderful group of people, predominately women who all shared a passion for making the world a better place. 
We were all there to advance the JAC agenda and advocate and support for the US-Israel relationship, the opposition of religious hatred, reproductive rights for women, the separation of religion and state, and gun violence prevention.
We began with a tour of the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American History which everyone who attended enjoyed immensely. Although many of us learned about slavery and civil rights in school, seeing all of the history in one place was quite remarkable. 
While in Washington, the students across the country left their classrooms on Wednesday to protest gun violence and it reminded me so much of the days of the civil rights protests in the 1960's - yes, I am old enough to remember!
Having a speaker from Planned Parenthood to educate the group further on the real need to speak up about the judges that are being nominated by the Trump Administration helped us to articulate our messaging to the Congressmen/women, Senators and staff we met with.
We also had speakers from the The Cook Political Report that made us aware of the more vulnerable races and how we can have a better impact with our work. The panel discussion on gun violence prevention was enlightening and informative especially in light of the current events with gun violence all over the country.  
It was really nice meeting and speaking with so many members of Congress. The special treat was dinner at Sen. Richard Blumenthal's home.  Sen. Blumenthal and his wife could not have been friendlier and more hospitable.  Having Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) in attendance was an added bonus.  Both Senators spoke with all of the guests individually and made you feel completely at home.  

At breakfast having Reps. Elizabeth Esty (D-CT), Jackie Speier (D-CA) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) speak and answer all of our questions made for a great way to kickoff a long day of advocacy. 
Breaking up the day with lunch with Sens. Doug Jones (D-AL)  and Tina Smith (D-MN) speaking to us topped off a wonderful few days of political advocacy.
In Memoriam
From l to r: Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY), Betsy Sheerr, Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY).
From l to r: Marcia Balonick, Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY), Linda Rae Sher, Gail Yamner.


We were saddened to learn of the loss of our dear JAC-friend, Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-CA).

We were proud to support Louise in her first Congressional race and we stood by her ever since. Over the years, we had the pleasure of getting to know her. She always made time to visit with our members when we were in Washington, DC. -  even if it meant a quick hello outside the House chamber. Spending time with Louise was always a highlight of our visit to Capitol Hill. We even had the privilege of hosting her in Chicago and several other cities for several JAC meetings.

Through her leadership, political courage and passion, she paved the way for women in Congress. We always appreciated Louise's strong voice on JAC's issues. Louise never stopped fighting for reproductive rights, the U.S.-Israel relationship and the issues important to us.

We will always look back fondly at our memories with her and we will forever be thankful for her hard work in Congress.
JAC will return next week with our full EZ
The Last Word
"These choices are personal. They are not public. A woman's actions regarding her own reproductive health should include anyone she deems appropriate, not the politicians in Washington or state capitals that are scoring political points off of her healthcare."

Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY)
Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs (JACPAC) is a pro-Israel PAC with a domestic agenda. We support a strong U.S.-Israel relationship and advocate for reproductive health and the separation of religion and state and incorporate other issues of importance to the Jewish community, including gun violence prevention and climate change. In addition to providing financial support for U.S. Senate and House campaigns, JACPAC educates our membership with outreach events designed to inform and activate their participation in the political process.
Federal law requires political committees to report the name, mailing address, occupation and employer for each individual who contributed to JACPAC. Maximum contribution per person may not exceed $5,000 per calendar year. According to law, JACPAC cannot accept corporate contributions. Membership, gifts, or other payments to JACPAC are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.