Who We Are

The Jewish Community Relations Council is the voice of the organized Jewish community in Greater Boston. We are comprised of 40 member organizations and advocate on behalf of their priorities and values in the broader civic space.

History

On June 14, 1944… sixteen Jewish organizations in Boston came together to establish “The Jewish Community Council,” to act as a united community to defend the interests of the Jewish community locally and globally. We were facing regular antisemitic violence: Jewish teens were being assaulted on the streets of Boston, attacks which often went ignored by the police and justice system. The targeting of powerless Jews — both on the streets and in the courts — served as a wakeup call to the Jewish community to mobilize and organize.

1940's
In the wake of the Holocaust and for a national open-door immigration policy. JCRC works to eliminate the college quota system in area schools and mobilizes community support for the emerging Jewish state of Israel.
1950's
JCRC shifts focus to include Jewish representation in the Boston Public Square and building legislative and interfaith partnerships.
1960's
JCRC advocates for civil rights, school desegregation, and religious liberties.
1970's
JCRC connects Boston-area Jews to Soviet Jews and holds an interfaith ceremony to mark the signing of the Camp David Peace Accord. JCRC coordinates community-wide observance of the Holocaust on the thirtieth anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, and annual observances thereafter.
1980's
JCRC advocates on behalf of Ethiopian Jewry. JCRC helps to organize thousands from Boston’s Jewish and non-Jewish community to participate in historic “Freedom Sunday for Soviet Jews,” the largest ever Jewish mobilization in Washington, DC.
1990's
JCRC and CJP launch a partnership with the Jewish community of Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine to support the rebuilding of Jewish life there. JCRC helps to organize the dedication of the New England Holocaust Memorial. JCRC launches the Greater Boston Jewish Coalition for Literacy (GBJCL).
2000's
JCRC fights to protect marriage equality after the Council votes overwhelmingly to endorse the position.
2000's
JCRC succeeds in passing legislation to protect Ashkenazi Jews in MA testing positive for the BRCA genetic mutations from discrimination based on their genetic information. JCRC is the first community relations council in the country to advocate for marriage equality after voting overwhelmingly to endorse the position.
2000's
JCRC’s Ethiopian Jewry Committee successfully works with CJP, the Ethiopian Israeli community of Haifa, and Haifa Municipality on the Shiluvim program to support the integration of the 5,000 Ethiopian Israelis in Haifa into the social and economic fabric of the larger society.
2010's
JCRC helps effect passage of legislation including Voting Rights, Pay Equity, Criminal Justice Reform, Health Care, and Economic Opportunity. JCRC leverages millions of dollars of public funds to support the Jewish social service network and communal infrastructure, including job training, senior services, and services for immigrants and refugees.
Present Day
JCRC envisions a Greater Boston where the priorities of the Jewish community are implemented and social service agencies are well-funded, representing Jewish concerns in the hardest conversations and in moments of crisis. With our allies we combat antisemitism, preserve the memory of the Holocaust, connect with Israel, mobilize for civil and immigrant rights, and defend democracy.

Mission 

JCRC is a coalition of organizations and individuals that represents and advances the values, interests, and priorities of the organized Jewish community in greater Boston. Through our network of agencies, our programs, and our partnerships, we: 

  • Serve as a catalyst for building a strong and vibrant Jewish community in Boston and around the world;
  • Advocate for a safe, secure, Jewish, and democratic state of Israel, and;
  • Promote an American society which is democratic, pluralistic, and just. 

Vision

JCRC envisions a Jewish community that is a regional and national model – in civic engagement, building bridges, and initiating partnerships – in service to Jewish concerns and the collective good.