The Jewish Partnership for Democracy
A More Perfect Union launched The Jewish Partnership for Democracy in 2022, recruiting 100 unique commitments to support free, fair, safe, and accessible elections from 77 partner institutions spread across 16 states.
Since then, we have expanded our work to include two additional priorities focused on building a culture of democracy and active citizenship. With this toolkit, we’re introducing these new strategic priorities, a simplified process for institutions to join this growing community, and a new phase for our network. Already convinced?
Consider this toolkit your invitation and map to join us in this work.
Below you will find information on:
Strategic Priorities
Last year, we invited commitments to five concrete tactics – vetted by our Strategic Advisors – to support free and fair elections. Going forward, we’re taking an intentionally broader approach to bolster democracy and democratic values, building a community of institutions engaging their communities in the most meaningful and appropriate way for them. Types and timelines of work will vary across partners, but all tie to one or more of our three mutually-reinforcing, nonpartisan strategic priorities – developed through extensive consultation with advisors across the Jewish, political, and ideological spectrums.
Read on to learn about each strategic priority and real-world examples to get your imagination humming about how your institution can contribute.
The Jewish Partnership for Democracy is actively accepting new partners. Ready to join this vibrant community?
Civic
Learning
Ideological
Pluralism
Free & Fair
Elections
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.
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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 ideological pluralism?
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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.
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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.
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
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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.
Our Network
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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
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In a collective impact network, partners seek to build relationships, pursue opportunities for collaboration, share ideas, lift up each other’s work, and cultivate curiosity. In practical terms, this means:
Mobilizing your resources and communities to fulfill your commitments
Proactively pursuing opportunities to connect people, ideas, and opportunities across the network
Participating in network spaces to build community, exchange ideas, problem solve, and collaborate with other partners
Amplifying timely messaging, calls to action, and important corrections to mis- or disinformation
Sharing your voice and exercising collaborative leadership to create new opportunities and shape the network
Celebrating stories of impact to demonstrate the power of Jewish institutions working together to protect and strengthen American democracy
Together, we are building a culture and community of Jewish institutions invested in strengthening democracy and democratic culture.
Joining the Jewish Partnership for Democracy means working together to take, support and amplify meaningful actions in Jewish communities across the country, all chosen according to the resources and appetite of each partner and their context.
All American Jewish institutions are eligible and there is no financial commitment. The steps are simple. Read below and get started!
How to Join
Are you a 2022 Founding Partner?
Consider this toolkit inspiration for your organization's 2023-2026 commitment, which you can submit here. We value your continued involvement and leadership.