WASHINGTON (JTA) — Susan Turnbull, a senior activist in Democratic and Jewish women’s causes, was elected chairwoman of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs.
The JCPA, the umbrella body for local and national Jewish public policy groups, wrapped up its annual meeting in Atlanta on Tuesday with the election of Turnbull, a former chairwoman of the Democratic Party in Maryland and vice chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.
Turnbull, who also chaired the advocacy group Jewish Women International, succeeds Larry Gold, who is based in Atlanta.
The JCPA approved a number of resolutions at the plenary, including measures backing more government support for higher education, increasing the minimum wage, advocating for the disabled and for LGBT rights overseas, and insurance coverage for contraceptives.
It also launched an initiative to restore protections enshrined in the 1965 Voting Rights Act and struck down last year by the U.S. Supreme Court.
