By Samuel Richardson, JCRC Director
The Jewish Community Relations Committee (JCRC) is the outward-facing arm of the Federation. We interact directly with public schools, colleges and universities, elected officials and administrators at all levels, engage in dialogue with a variety of communities of faith, and provide educational opportunities regarding Israel.
As we approach the new fiscal year starting on July 1, I would like to share with you some reflections on the accomplishments of the past 12 months and one special opportunity for the year ahead. See some photos with the column featuring a number of events, including our signature event – Virginia Jewish Advocacy Day.
The JCRC year formally began with our first-annual retreat – our members were able to meet each other in real-space, enjoy some good food, and discuss plans for the coming year.
Maya Eckstein, our JCRC Chair, has a solid team leading the subcommittees:
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Legislative: Lizzie Drucker
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Interfaith: Marvin Daniel. Succeeded by Ben Lewis in October of 2025
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Israel Education: Joh Jenkins (recently joined by Co-Chair Josh Kerner)
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Higher Education: Shelley Gouldin and Martha Cohen, Co-Chairs
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K-12 Public Schools: We currently need a Chair.
As our subcommittees discussed a variety of issues, it was clear that the key challenge would continue to be antisemitism – and there was agreement that the best way to combat this multi-millennia foe would be a renewed effort to build personal relationships in every area of the JCRC portfolio.
It is a blessing to report that we have realized successes in relationship building with each of our subcommittees:
Legislative: In addition to a very effective advocacy day in January, we have been holding regular conversations with our elected representatives. We have also instituted three separate breakfasts: Local legislators, state legislators, and law enforcement.
Interfaith: It has been a pleasure to establish new and significant friendships with members of the Shia Ismaili, LDS, and Black Christian communities. The highlight of the year was our Interfaith Seder with students, faculty, and administration from Virginia Union University, an HBCU institution.
Israel Education: In addition to hosting urban warfare expert John Spencer and NOVA survivor, Gal Buksphan, the Israel Education team has been brainstorming ways to bring together members of the community to discuss the history, politics, and social life of Israel with the Israelis who live among us.
Higher Education: We have been able to strengthen our friendships with both Chabad and Hillel leadership at VCU and UVA, as well as with Rabbi Josh at the University of Richmond.
K-12 Public Schools: We have been able to provide support for families in the aftermath of ant-Jewish incidents and have establish a stronger presence among school administrators and board members. Due in part to our advocacy, Henrico Public Schools now place on their public calendars a clear statement that student absences for religious holidays are excused.
Considering the year ahead, we are looking forward to implementing our new keynote project, the JCRC Intentional Dialogue Initiative. The goal of this initiative is to bring together members of the community into small groups for topical discussion sessions where we will share our stories, build trust, and care for one another on a personal level – thereby building understanding and resilience.
The intention is to make take the Initiative beyond the JCRC to the larger Federation population, the general Jewish community, and then to the interfaith community. This concentric circles approach will help us learn and grow the Initiative first in our own backyard with the vision of positively impacting the larger community.
If you are not yet involved in the JCRC and would like to discuss opportunities of making a difference in the larger community, or if you would just like to stay in the loop for all things JCRC, please reach out to me via email at srichardson@jewishrichmond.org.