Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice is a progressive Jewish political organization that blends advocacy, community organizing, and leadership training. The organization advocates for a more equal and just society, focusing strictly on domestic issues. Bend the Arc does not deal with issues related to Israel.

Positions

Bend the Arc has been noted for its work protesting the policies of the administration of U.S. President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

. Leaders of the organizations have argued that Trump has emboldened

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, and disrupted an October 2019 speech by Trump in Pittsburgh by chanting "Trump Endangered Jews." According to a profile of the group published by

Tablet Magazine ''Tablet'' is an online magazine focused on Jewish news and culture. The magazine was founded in 2009 and is supported by the Nextbook foundation. Its editor-in-chief is Alana Newhouse. History ''Tablet'' was founded in 2009 with the suppor ...

, they claim "to speak for American Jewry," though Bend the Arc spokesperson Logan Smith admits the group has "no active dues-paying members who participate in the shaping of their agenda."

Leadership

Stosh Cotler became Bend the Arc's Executive Vice President in 2011 and CEO in 2014. When Cotler became CEO, ''

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'' noted that she was "one of the few women leading a national Jewish group of its size."

History

The Progressive Jewish Alliance (PJA) was founded in 1999 by Douglas Mirell, Steven Kaplan and Joan Patsy Ostroy, after the closure of the

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chapter of the

American Jewish Congress The American Jewish Congress (AJCongress or AJC) is an association of American Jews organized to defend Jewish interests at home and abroad through public policy advocacy, using diplomacy, legislation, and the courts. History The AJCongress was ...

. They sought to assert a Jewish interest in the campaigns for

social justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals fu ...

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, which has the United States' second largest Jewish population. Progressive Jewish Alliance expanded in February 2005 by opening a San Francisco Bay Area chapter. The PJA stated goals are social justice, judicial reform, and improved working conditions. They also try to facilitate dialogue between non-violent young offenders and their victims and between Jews and

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

s. PJA ran the Jeremiah Fellowship, which trains young Jews to be future social justice leaders. In addition, the PJA conducted education programs and quarterly holiday events on the intersection of art, culture and politics. On June 1, 2011, the Progressive Jewish Alliance merged with

Jewish Funds for Justice The Jewish Funds for Justice (JFSJ) was an American charity based in New York. In 2005, Simon Greer became its President and CEO. In 2011, Progressive Jewish Alliance merged with Jewish Funds for Justice and became a new organization, Bend the ...

(JFSJ), and the consolidated group adopted the name Bend the Arc in 2012.

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://bendthearc.us/, Bend the Arc official website Jewish charities based in the United States Jewish-American political organizations Social justice organizations Liberalism and religion Progressive organizations in the United States Organizations established in 1999 1999 establishments in California