The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) is the community relations and public affairs arm of United Jewish Federation. Its mission is to represent Jewish interests in Stamford, New Canaan, and Darien to public officials and agencies, the media, and the larger community.
The JCRC convenes and mobilizes the Jewish community, builds relationships with our neighbors in Fairfield County and beyond our neighbors, and engages in non-partisan work focused on education, advocacy, social justice, communal security, support for Israel, and combating antisemitism.
Volunteer opportunities enhance our connection throughout Fairfield County. See available volunteer programs here.
Our Work
Communal Security and Combating Antisemitism
Federation’s staff now includes a Regional Security Advisor who is supervised and works under the guidance of Secure Community Network (SCN). The advisor, a former FBI agent, works with over 15 local Jewish institutions to provide threat assessments and a variety of security training workshops. He is also responsible for fostering relationships and maintaining communication with local law enforcement to combat threats and antisemetism.
Government Affairs and Advocacy
The JCRC is a non-partisan committee that advocates to elected officials on behalf of the Jewish community and provides opportunities for its members to engage with government representatives on local, state and federal levels.
Jewish Federations Association of Connecticut (JFACT)
Federation is a member of JFACT, which works with the 7 Connecticut-based Federations to make our voice heard in Hartford and D.C. JFACT has successfully lobbied for increased security funding in our state and been responsible for securing grants for citizenship funding, which Federation was able to pass on to SJFS.
Israel Advocacy and Education
The JCRC works to ensure that our community is educated on the latest events in Israel and can successfully advocate on behalf of the Jewish State. Israel is a priority in our conversations with elected officials and the greater Stamford community. We work closely with the Israel Action Network to speak out against BDS and anti-Zionism.
Intergroup and Interfaith Affairs
Building strong relationships with all of our neighbors in Stamford, New Canaan, and Darien is a priority for the JCRC. We do so by reaching out to community leadership and members and organizing joint educational events and programs around our shared values and ideals.
In the News
Rise in anti-Semitism has CT officials concerned (Stamford Advocate) [2021]
Stamford Jewish group offers relief to federal workers (Stamford Advocate) [2021]
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JCRC Committee
Marjory Abrams
Marilyn Altman
Marni Amsellem
Lori Bean
Dinah Berger
Joshua Esses
Rosalea Fischer
Connie Freeman
Debby Goldberg
Meryl Gordon
Hilary Hohmeister
Rachel Klein
Lorraine Kweskin
Peter Lilienthal
Jonathan Lerner
Mort Lowenthal
Ben Marcus
Helen Miloslavsky
Marie Orsini Rosen
Sylvan Pomerantz
Julie Rose
Ruth Rothseid
Molly Schrag
Nancy Schulman
Diane Sloyer
Linda Spilka
