ABOUT BAJA

With antisemitism on the rise in our city halls, school boards, and political organizations, JCRC Bay Area identified an urgent need to mobilize Jewish political advocacy in local and state politics. In 2024, JCRC Bay Area joined with community leaders to launch Bay Area Jewish Action (BAJA), JCRC’s new affiliated 501(c)(4) political advocacy organization. BAJA works alongside JCRC to advance a just society where Jewish identity is embraced and all people can thrive.

In our pilot year, BAJA helped facilitate contributions to 10 candidates for local and state office from more than 200 Jewish community members. Over the coming years, BAJA will bring political expertise, trainings, and resources to advance our community’s shared values and priorities. Our work will ensure that local and state candidates, political parties, and labor unions are more responsive to our community’s needs.

Our critical priorities reflect both contemporary concerns and enduring moral principles: confronting antisemitism and anti-Israel hostilities, ensuring our communal security, and advancing our collective Jewish values.

There is a saying in politics: ‘If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.’ BAJA is building a future in which the Jewish community is integral to our political process.