Jewish Californians Gather in Sacramento to Turn Concern into Action

Originally published on Jewish Journal

As attorney Doreen Benyamin prepared to walk into the offices of California state legislators on Tuesday afternoon, she felt nervous. Just hours earlier, she and hundreds of other attendees at Jewish California’s Capitol Summit had sat through a crash course in lobbying, learning how to make a meaningful impression during brief meetings with elected officials. Now it was time to put those lessons into practice.

Joined by a group of fellow conference attendees led by Temple Beth Hillel Senior Rabbi Sarah Hronsky, Benyamin walked from the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Sacramento to the nearby state office buildings, where they would advocate for legislation concerning nonprofit security funding, protections for houses of worship and the inclusion of “Jewish” as both a religion and ethnicity in California data collection systems.

Like many of the approximately 700 people who attended this year’s Capitol Summit from May 11-12, Benyamin had traveled to Sacramento because she believed Jewish communities in California could no longer afford to remain passive observers in civic life.

“It’s really nice to be around other people who care and are actually doing something about the things they care about,” Benyamin said afterward.

That spirit of organized Jewish political engagement defined this year’s summit, an annual gathering hosted by Jewish California, the statewide coalition formerly known as the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California. Over two days, Jewish communal leaders, elected officials, rabbis, activists and young professionals gathered in Sacramento not only to discuss rising antisemitism and growing communal anxieties, but also to sharpen their advocacy skills and strengthen relationships with lawmakers shaping policy in the state Capitol.

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