At a moment marked by unprecedented levels of antisemitism, Youngstown Area Jewish Federation Executive Director of Community Relations/Government Affairs Bonnie Deutsch Burdman joined hundreds of other advocates around the country in Washington, D.C. for the Jewish Federations of North America’s Washington Conference to urge the nation’s leaders to combat antisemitism and hate crimes and increase funding for Jewish communal security. The group also advocated for expedited resettlement of Ukrainian refugees in their advocacy meetings with dozens of members of Congress and the Senate.
In addition to the meetings on the JFNA agenda, Burdman and others from Ohio visited the Hill and met with U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio; Sen. Sherrod Brown’s staff; U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio; U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio; U.S. Rep. Troy Balderson, R-Ohio; U.S. Rep. Mike Carey, R-Ohio; and U.S Rep. Shontel Brown’s staff.
The historic Washington Conference first debuted in 1978 and was revived once again after a 14-year hiatus. The conference was hosted by Jewish Federations of North America National Young Leadership Cabinet, National Women’s Philanthropy, and Advocacy Corps.
During the two-day conference, Members of Congress and other thought leaders and public officials addressed the participants.
“It’s good to be back to meeting with our legislators in person,” Burdman said. “It’s important to bring our stories and needs to legislators face-to-face to pursue our objectives. It’s also helpful to be part of a larger system of Federations working together to accomplish our goals.”
Jewish Federations of North America President and CEO Eric Fingerhut, who served in Ohio’s House of Representatives, closed out the conference by encouraging the audience to raise their voices in support of issues that matter to the Jewish community.
“Collectively together, we can partner with the representatives of government to build the flourishing Jewish communities that the Federations are working on in every single community—communities that are healthy, communities that are safe, communities that are caring,” he said.
Youngstown Area Jewish Federation Executive Director of Community Relations/Government Affairs Bonnie Deutsch Burdman joined hundreds of other advocates around the country in Washington, D.C. for the Jewish Federations of North America’s Washington Conference. Pictured from left are Burdman and U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio