The OU-IPA staff just got back from the JCPA annual plenum, “Confronting Turbulence and Controversy, Shaping Jewish Consensus”. At the plenum IPA staff joined IPA committee members and IPA Lieberman Scholars as well as representatives from 12 other national Jewish organizations and from over 125 Jewish Community Relations Councils for three days filled with presentations, speeches, discussions, good food and workshops on issues confronting the World Jewish Community.

At the plenum OU Director of Public Policy, Nathan Diament, spoke on a panel entitled “Is the Struggle Over: Jews and the Civil Rights Agenda”. In addition to hearing from Nathan, the IPA staff heard from a broad range of speakers including, Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Sallai Meridor, former United States Ambassador Dennis Ross, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori.

On Monday night, armed with an unlimited supply of coffee, the member agencies sat down for the annual JCPA Resolutions session where they debated till just before midnight on which resolutions the JCPA was to adopt for the coming year. Thanks to efforts made by the OU-IPA staff and OU-IPA lay leaders, the JCPA adopted a resolution to “Alleviate the Suffering of Attacked and Displaced Israeli Citizens” and a resolution to “Alleviate the Suffering of Israeli Citizens Evacuated from Gaza and Northern Shomron”. This was a great step in the OU’s renewed determination to make sure all Israeli citizens are getting the care they were promised and the care they deserve.