تحالف الجالية اليهودية في جنوب ولاية مين

Your Community. Your Place.

As a combined Jewish Federation, Jewish Community Center and Jewish Family Services program, the JCA is here to be a resource for the entire Southern Maine community.

Thanks to the dedication of our staff and the unwavering support of our network, the JCA impacts our community in many ways. Working with an array of organizations and local congregations, we function as the hub of Jewish programming in Southern Maine.

Community Relations Council

مجلس العلاقات المجتمعية اليهودية (JCRC)

Are you interested in community relations work on behalf of the Jewish Community Alliance (JCA)? Consider joining the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC)!

The new JCRC is born of the belief that in a post-10/7 world, relationships are everything. While JCA regularly makes statements on our social media, in our newsletter, and to media organizations, the JCRC is invested in community relations: building bridges across faith and cultural lines in order to combat antisemitism, promote understanding of Jewish issues and the Jewish story, and create a better world for all. In short, we prioritize relationships over press releases, and we believe that hearts and minds are won in conversations and events that bring people together. Here are a few testimonials from our community-centered approach:

“Listening to all the points about Jewish history helped me remember what my parents used to tell me about Orang Jahudi (Malay for “Jewish people”) and their fight for freedom! My learning of the history of the Jewish people was much more important than the food. My heart was full that night.” —Indonesian community member on the JCRC’s Jewish-Asian Friendship Dinner.

«بالنسبة للجماعات الأقلية كالتوتسي وغيرهم، من الجيد لنا دعم اليهود. فشعبنا يتشارك العديد من القيم: نناقش القضايا، وندعم مجتمعاتنا بقوة، ولا نأكل لحم الخنزير. إذا رأيتُ يهودًا في المجتمع، أرى فيهم أخي أو أختي، حتى وإن لم أكن أعرفهم شخصيًا.» - بول نيونيزيغي، عضو مجلس العلاقات المجتمعية اليهودية، من فقرة خاصة بالمجلس تسلط الضوء على الحلفاء غير اليهود.

يتألف مجلس العلاقات المجتمعية اليهودية الجديد من ثلاث لجان تطوعية تُساعد قيادة المجلس، بما في ذلك مديره زاك شوارتز، في مهمتهم المتمثلة في بناء جسور التواصل ومكافحة معاداة السامية. وتشمل هذه اللجان: لجنة المناصرة الحكومية، وهيئة التبادل الثقافي، ومجموعة المناصرة لطلاب المدارس (من الروضة وحتى الصف الثاني عشر).

منصة JCRC

The Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine is the largest Jewish organization in the state; however, Maine’s Jewish community is diverse, and while we all care about fighting hatred and antisemitism, we may not always agree on the best way to unite against it. Therefore, we want to make clear the JCRC platform and values, which represent many, but not all, Jewish Mainers. They can be distilled into two major points:

• First and foremost, we stand united against antisemitism and hatred against Jewish people in Maine, and everywhere across the world.
• ثانياً، نحن نعارض الأعمال التي تشوه صورة دولة إسرائيل بشكل غير عادل، أو تنزع عنها الشرعية، أو تطبق معايير مزدوجة عليها، مثل حركة المقاطعة وسحب الاستثمارات وفرض العقوبات (BDS)؛ إذ يحمل أعضاؤنا مجموعة واسعة من المعتقدات حول القضايا الإسرائيلية، ومع ذلك فإننا ندعم بشكل قاطع حق إسرائيل في الوجود.

How to Join

مجلس العلاقات المجتمعية اليهودية مفتوح لأفراد المجتمع (يهودًا وغير يهود) المهتمين بعملنا والمتوافقين مع مبادئنا. يُرحب بانضمام الأعضاء إلى لجنة واحدة أو اثنتين أو جميع اللجان الثلاث. يحصل جميع أعضاء المجلس على المزايا التالية:

• Specialized training sessions from renowned local experts and national organizations such as the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Jews of Color Initiative, and Jewish Federations for North America
• Quarterly lunches provided by the JCA to celebrate wins
• مزايا العضوية مثل الكتب، ودعوات لحضور فعاليات JCA وغيرها من الفعاليات الثقافية، والمزيد
• A community of like-minded individuals across demographic lines who are united in our mission to build bridges and pioneer the future of Jewish community relations work!
  

Government Advocacy Committee

This group builds relationships with the elected officials that represent them and other governmental leaders on behalf of the JCRC. Examples of work that committee members would do include meeting with their local State Representatives or city councilors, writing letters in favor or opposition to a bill, and receiving specialized, non-public briefings on antisemitic incidents in Maine.

Intercultural Corps

This group builds friendship with other communities and faiths, working to see our communities flourish together. Examples of work that the committee members would do include attending other cultures’ festivals/celebrations/commemorations as representatives of the JCRC, volunteering for other communities during their times of need, or participating in cross-cultural exchange programs that promote learning between Jews and non-Jews.

K-12 Advocacy

This group supports Jewish students and educators in Maine’s schools. Examples of work that the committee members may do include meeting with school administrators on Jewish issues, communicating with schools about observance of Jewish holidays, or recommending Jewish perspectives in curricula.

We will continue to update the JCA website about the work of the JCRC—stay tuned!

زاك شوارتز، مدير مجلس العلاقات المجتمعية اليهودية

Mandy Levine, Chair, Jewish Community Relations Council

In order to ensure consistency of training across members, the JCRC opens for new members twice a year. The next opening window is in Spring 2026. If you fill out the form below, we will contact you first when we open up for new members.

مركز موارد إسرائيل