(JTA) — Jewish and Democratic leaders, including dozens of members of Congress, attended the launch of a group designed to connect the Democratic Party and the Jewish community.
The Jewish Democratic Council of America was launched Wednesday night at an event on Capitol Hill.
“This new organization will provide a strong voice for Jewish Democrats and fill a serious recent void in the national political discussion,” the group said in a statement on its website in August when it announced its formation plans. “It will unify and mobilize Jewish Democrats with other like-minded groups supporting mutually beneficial and agreed upon issues and actions.”
Former U.S. Rep. Ron Klein of Florida will be chairman of the new organization.
“American Jews are one of the Democratic Party’s most reliable constituencies, and more than ever require a new organization to represent their interests, as the Trump administration fans anti-Semitism, nativism, racism and other forms of bigotry,” Klein said at the event.
Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Ron Dermer, attended the opening event. Some three dozen members of the Senate and the House of Representatives also participated in the event.
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., the Senate minority leader, praised the new group in a statement.
“I look forward to fighting alongside the JDCA on issues that are important to all Americans, including maintaining the strong U.S.-Israel relationship, curtailing Iran’s malign activities, and combating anti-Semitism.”
The group is made up of many of the same people who were involved in the National Jewish Democratic Council, which is still in existence.
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