By: Brandon Rattiner, Senior Director, Jewish Community Relations Council
The day after the election, a lifelong Democrat sent me this text:
“I’m struggling to feel celebratory. I feel like I’m mourning the loss of a prior version of myself that would have been so happy today, and I’m scared about what this means for Jews and Israel.”
I suspect many of you are sitting with complicated feelings too. Depending on your politics, Tuesday’s results may look like a vindication, a warning, or both. The truth is that we won’t know for a long time. But JCRC’s job is to help our community make sense of moments like this one, so we can build a better future in Colorado for Jews and our neighbors. To do that well, I think this moment calls for three things: perspective, honesty, and hope.
Perspective:
The election felt deeply personal to many of us, but it wasn’t primarily about us. Voters told pollsters they were focused on the economy, corruption, and the health of our democracy. The Iran war mattered too, but less, and Israel was further down still. Even in Michigan, the eye of the storm this cycle, fewer than half of voters said the U.S. relationship with Israel was a crucial or major factor in their vote, compared with 86% for the cost of living.
It’s healthy that Israel wasn’t at the top of most voters’ lists. We care about those issues too. Yet after such a painful election cycle, it can feel like our hurt and concerns should matter more to our leaders and neighbors—and of course they should. But to find the path forward, I think we have to start by being honest with ourselves about the limits of our influence and what it will take to strengthen it.
Honesty:
We are a very small community asking for nuance in a political climate driven by outrage and binary thinking. And the current we’re swimming against is strong. Israel’s standing in America has worsened, particularly among Democrats and among Republicans under 50. Neither party is a safe harbor: this week saw the election of several anti-Zionist Democrats, while the Vice President blamed the U.S.–Israel relationship for Republican losses.
Our tactics need to fit this reality, not the one we wish existed. Louder condemnations or ultimatums we can’t enforce are unlikely to cause politicians to abandon popular positions we disagree with. Neither will calling out or walking away from every person or institution that disappoints us. What works is less satisfying—strategic goals, data-informed plans and outcomes, strong relationships, and close community coordination (not uniformity).
We need to be disciplined about whether our advocacy builds understanding or deepens resistance, whether it is meant to make us feel better or change our political reality.
We need to be clear and credible. That means presenting the fairest version of our critics’ arguments so we can answer them. It means naming when anger at Israel transforms into permission to blame or threaten Jewish people, and doing it in a way that makes plain that not every condemnation of Israel, even a harsh or unfair one, is an attack on Jews.
We need to hold ourselves to the standards we ask of others. Since the election, I’ve seen too much racist and Islamophobic rhetoric in Jewish spaces and chats. It’s wrong, and we need to say so, including when it comes from people we know. Jewish safety has always depended on a democracy that protects everyone.
And we need to recognize we cannot do this alone. We need other communities and allies, and working relationships with the people who represent us, including those with whom we seriously disagree. Engagement and accountability can reinforce each other, and JCRC will use both to keep our community safe.
Hope:
The moment is hard, but there are many reasons for hope. Across the country, Jews helped shape our democracy as voters and successful candidates. Colorado will again be led by a Jewish governor. The same Denver that elected Melat Kiros gave Phil Weiser nearly 22,000 more votes—a reason to resist sweeping conclusions about our city or our place in it. And on a more personal note, throughout this election season, I’ve been touched by the non-Jewish friends and neighbors who reached out when we most needed support.
Naming our challenges honestly is a first step toward overcoming them. It also reflects who we are at JCRC. We are proud Zionists, committed to fighting antisemitism and building a healthier democracy. And we care about whether our work succeeds. Being honest about what’s working and what needs to change is how we live up to those commitments.
JCRC is ready for this moment. Over the past several months, we have been putting in the work to lay out an affirmative vision of what safety and belonging looks like for Colorado’s Jewish community—and what we need from public leaders and institutions to achieve it.
But it will take all of us. Advocacy is a team sport. Each organization and individual has a contribution to make, and Jews with different politics and perspectives have a place in this work. So, answer the call when we seek community input over the coming months. Join our JCRC Mobilization Corps. Reach out and tell us the role you want to play.
The election wasn’t primarily about us. But what we do next is up to us.