DC and Maryland need strong, ethical leaders who will fight for equality and justice, and work for the people of our region. And with our crowded elections, it’s hard to sift through the candidates and know who these people are, what they stand for, and whether they will actually follow through on their campaign promises.

That’s why we started the JUFJ Campaign Fund: to help you decide whom to vote for, and to make it clear to candidates that we expect them to fight for us.

The JUFJ Campaign Fund strives to be guided by the sacred values of Jewish tradition and by the history of our ancestors who sought justice. These values sustain us and provide us with ethical and spiritual direction. As a Jewish organization committed to social, economic, and racial justice for all people, elections call us not just to vote, but to vote our values.

The Jewish sage, Hillel, taught us that we cannot separate ourselves from the community. And, according to Rabbi Yitzchak, whose words are recorded in the Babylonian Talmud, “A ruler is not to be appointed unless the community is consulted” (Berachot 55a). When we participate in local elections, we take responsibility for ensuring that our leaders represent our values and we strengthen our connection to the larger community.

In 2022, we updated our candidate endorsement criteria.

Endorsement Criteria

• The candidate’s platform/incumbent’s record is closely aligned with our community’s agenda for social, racial, and economic justice
• The candidate has a demonstrated commitment to racial equity
• The candidate has demonstrated integrity as a core value
• The candidate, their campaign, and our endorsement have the potential to change the public narrative and/or political landscape in ways that result in concrete improvements in people’s lives 
• The endorsement of the candidate and the impact of their campaign have the potential to build collective grassroots power

The Jews United for Justice Campaign Fund makes our endorsement choices in dialogue with key partners.

What an election season this has been. As Jews, we know that every vote is sacred, just as every person is sacred. Every single one of us is entitled to a say in our democracy. We are so proud to be part of a powerful local progressive movement in DC and Maryland, a movement that continues to gain momentum even when the election is over. In the 2022 general election, we endorsed 9 candidates and took positions on 4 ballot initiatives. Nearly every ballot initiative and candidate we supported won.