For Immediate Release: August 14, 2017
Contact: Melanie Roth Gorelick, Jewish Council for Public Affairs
mgorelick@thejcpa.org; 212-684-6953

Jewish Council for Public Affairs Condemns White Supremacist 
Violence in Charlottesville

Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) condemns the violent, racist, anti-Semitic, and hate filled  “Unite the Right” rally by white nationalist groups in Charlottesville, Virginia on Saturday.  We urge President Trump to directly denounce, in no uncertain terms and without equivocation, the white nationalist marchers and to make fighting hate a number one priority of his administration.  Leadership must begin at the top.

JCPA expresses heartfelt condolences to the three families of those who died needlessly due to this rally.

“In moments like these, it’s critical that our political leaders speak in a clear voice opposing hatred." stated JCPA Board Chair Cheryl Fishbein. “What our leaders do and say sets the parameters for the rest of the society."

“There is no comparison between the protestors, who brought hate and violence to the streets of one of the symbolic birth places of American democracy, and the counter protestors” said David Bernstein, JCPA’s President and CEO. "The Rally was one of the largest showings from a hate group in decades. We stand with people of good will from all walks of life who are speaking out against hate. We must drive it back into the underground and to the margins of society.”

 Responding to this state of emergency, our network is standing against hate in their local communities and many participated in the approximately 680 vigils and rallies organized today around the country. 

JCPA represents the Jewish Community Relations Councils (JCRCs) who work tirelessly to build tolerance, civility, and maintain friendships with diverse partners across the country.  We believe that we must continue to work toward a more just and equitable society in which we can all live together. These values are what make America the great country that it is today.

	###  The mission of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs is to lead, support, shape, coordinate and represent the Jewish community relations movement in order to advance the interests of the Jewish people, support Israel’s quest for peace and security, and promote a just American society and world. JCPA represents 125 local Jewish Community Relations Councils and 16 national Jewish agencies.