Send Page to a Friend Community lobbies for health care, affordable housing   By The Jewish Journal   Health care, senior care, and affordable housing topped the agenda at the annual Jewish Community Advocacy Day, held March 30 at the State House in Boston. Several hundred Jewish activists from around the state gathered on Beacon Hill to lobby their local representatives at the event sponsored by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Boston, the Massachusetts Association of Jewish Federations, and Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Boston. "Advocacy Day is an important opportunity for all members of the Jewish community to make their voices heard," said JCRC executive director Nancy Kaufman. "Jewish tradition and teachings demand that we become advocates for the most vulnerable people in our communities." Kaufman says the elderly and the Russian community are two of the most vulnerable populations, and both came out in force for the event. "They do a great job of organizing and they have a great number of needs," said Kaufman of the Russian community. "They are impacted very directly." After a breakfast of juice and bagels, the program opened with a written declaration from Gov. Mitt Romney, recognizing March 30 as Jewish Community Advocacy Day. Attendees were also addressed by Jewish State Rep. Jay Kaufman of Lexington before being dispatched to visit their local representatives, armed with briefing sheets and talking points prepared by the JCRC. Kaufman said she was "cautiously optimistic" that the event will result in funding for the programs the JCRC supports. "Ultimate success is gauged by the budget and what happens when the state budget is finally approved," she said. "We'll know more when the House budget comes out."