L-R: Sandy Dochen, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, Susan Zane, Bobby Gibbs. Dochen, Zane and Gibbs meet with U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett in Washington D.C. where he reviewed his many votes in support of Israel and the local Jewish community. Photo courtesy: Sandy Dochen 

Long-time Austin Jewish leaders Susan Zane and  Sandy  Dochen joined more than 400 other Jewish Federation volunteers from 65 communities in traveling to Washington, D.C. in late January to meet with more than 140 congressional offices to advocate for legislation to support Israel, help secure Jewish communities and add more tools to fight antisemitism. Members of Congress and U.S. Senators were urged to advance the Antisemitism Awareness Act, pass military support for Israel and increase funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program that multiple Austin Jewish facilities have been able to utilize.

“This was my first time to advocate for public policy issues in such an organized fashion, and I’m impressed with how Jewish Federations of North America informed and prepared us and then organized us to see multiple congressional offices in just a few hours,” said Zane, who is also an incoming member of the JFNA National Women’s Philanthropy Board. 

Zane and Dochen, along with Dallas Federation volunteer Bobby Gibbs, met with U.S. representatives Lloyd Doggett of Austin, Jasmine Crockett of Dallas and representatives of Rep. Colin Allred and both Texas senators, John Cornyn and Ted Cruz.  Zane also joined a meeting with staffers for U.S. Rep. Al Green of Houston.

Shortly after the October 7th attacks against Israel, the White House proposed a $14.3 billion emergency assistance package to Israel. Funds would help support missile defense including the Iron Dome and David’s Sling, as well as other advanced weapons systems to help Israel defend her people and prevent the war from escalating more broadly. 

The Antisemitism Awareness Act would require the U.S. Department of Education to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, the gold standard that has already been adopted by 1,200 entities including 45 countries and hundreds of municipal governments and universities.  While the Department of Education currently utilizes this definition through executive order, JFNA advocates legislation to further codify the designation and enable congressional oversight to ensure its effectiveness.

The Nonprofit Security Grant Program has been critical in helping synagogues, Jewish communal organizations and other nonprofits and houses of worship secure themselves in the face of rising incidents of hatred and domestic extremism. Federations support a $500 million proposal, up from the current fiscal year expenditure of $350 million, based on increased applications for this grant program.

“We were pleased with the strong support expressed for the security grants from every office we visited,” said Dochen.  In addition, Senator Cornyn is a co-sponsor of the Antisemitism Awareness Act.  The Israel aid package has been tied up in various other packages of assistance to Ukraine, other countries and border legislation.  However, Zane and Dochen were informed that alternatives would be offered to help Israel’s defense needs, a prediction that was borne out soon after the group returned from D.C.

“It was a bit of instant gratification to have seen additional legislation introduced in short order, based on what we were advocating,” Zane stated. 

Prior to visiting the Hill, JFNA volunteers were prepared by various speakers to prepare for their visits.  The group heard from the family of a hostage held by Hamas who explained that the support of the Jewish community has been critical during this period. Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Herzog spoke on the ongoing trauma being experienced by Israeli society and laid out the four goals of the war: to dismantle Hamas’ war machine and remove its leadership to ensure they cannot rebuild it; release all remaining hostages; restore Israel’s shattered sense of security within the country while rebuilding communities that have been destroyed; and avoid a regional war.  The ambassador said Israel wants to see a future non-Hamas force that would govern Gaza and that would include Palestinian forces.  “It is not in our interest that there will be a humanitarian disaster or catastrophe in Gaza,” he said.  The ambassador thanked the American Jewish community for continued support of Israel.

Also speaking was Admiral John Kirby, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, who reiterated the Biden Administration’s strong support of Israel’s right to defend itself. 

In addition to the excellent planning, serendipity occurred during a short underground trolley ride to one of the senate office buildings.  Riding in the car was U.S. Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, who Zane had met through mutual Austin friends.  Senator Kelly invited Zane, Dochen and Gibbs to his office for a short spontaneous visit which included a view of his astronaut suit on display encased in glass in the reception area.

The quick D.C. trip underscored the power of an organized group of informed constituents who can meet with multiple elected officials and make our collective voices heard on behalf of Israel and our communities across the country.