In The News
LTE: Being Jewish in America
On December 31, 2023, the New York Times published Aaron Dorfman’s letter to the editor in response to a column by Bret Stephens (please note it is the fourth letter down on the webpage). Here is an excerpt:
For nearly two and a half centuries, even amid painful setbacks, the United States has offered one of the last, best places to be Jewish — not because it catered to Jews, but because its democratic pluralism, albeit aspirational and imperfect from the beginning, allowed minorities like ours an opportunity to live freely. When that democratic pluralism struggles, we shouldn’t prematurely mourn its loss. We should repair it instead.
New Jewish org wants to ensure election past is not prologue for 2024 and beyond
A More Perfect Union, a relatively new national organization, is stepping into the election fray to encourage Jewish groups and individuals to get more directly involved in democracy and ensure that the past is not prologue. One piece of that is visiting democratic institutions and learning about the democratic process firsthand.
In collaboration with the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Phoenix (JCRC), A More Perfect Union invited Jewish religious and community leaders, and other interested parties, to tour the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center (MCTEC) on Friday, Dec. 1.
Written by: Shannon Levitt
Democracy as the Foundation that Grounds Us
American democracy – the rights it affords to its citizens and the protections it affords to minorities – has created a foundation upon which we have built an incredible network of sustaining institutions and vibrant communities. Through these groups, we speak, we assemble, we petition, we observe, all loudly and proudly in the public square. As we have seen since October 7, 2023, this is the foundation on which we assert and defend ourselves. This is the foundation we must ensure stays intact.
Written by: Sofi Hersher Andorsky
Unlikely Allies: Bringing Voices Together
Aaron Dorfman joins host Michelle W. Malkin on It’s Who You Know! The Podcast to discuss A More Perfect Union’s work in promoting positive collaborative conversations and preserving democracy in America.
A More Perfect Union Selected for 2024 UpSpring Program Cohort
A More Perfect Union’s Executive Director, Aaron Dorfman, is one of nine entrepreneurial leaders recently welcomed to the UpStarter Network. Selected from a pool of more than 70 highly qualified applicants, these impact-driven leaders and ventures represent diverse initiatives and communities across the United States. With demonstrated track records of inclusivity, creativity, and vision, the 2024 UpSpring Cohort continues to reach up and inspire new experiences within the Jewish community.
2024 Election: Lessons to Learn
In the second half of this State of Belief podcast, Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushebush hosts A More Perfect Union's Aaron Dorfman and Sofi Hersher Andorsky for an important conversation about lessons learned in 2020, and how they must be applied in 2024.
Opinion | Faith-based communities have a role to play in strengthening democracy
The work that faith communities already do – to educate, compromise, forge consensus, and move forward – is central to the functioning of American democracy. With their help and their leadership, we can elevate our national community and build a stronger democracy together.
Written by: Sofi Hersher Andorsky
Slingshot Fund releases new ‘10 to Watch,’ with a focus on mental health
List includes groups addressing addiction, abortion access, childhood education; CEO says goal is to raise visibility, offer snapshot of young Jewish philanthropists’ priorities
Opinion | Why Jews Must Mobilize to Save America's Democracy
Since America’s founding, our democracy has offered uniquely fertile ground for Jewish life to thrive. For our community, threats to our democracy from toxic polarization and rising political violence are distinctly urgent, real and familiar. This is how we can, and must, organize to protect it
Written By: Aaron Dorfman
I worked the polls, and I renewed my faith
This week my faith in humanity, and my faith in America, was renewed. It wasn’t because of the outcome of the elections. No, my faith was renewed because I served as a poll worker in a local precinct where I live. I remembered that democracy isn’t simply a word or a set of ideas. Ultimately democracy comes down to people softening their hearts in order to live together, to respect and trust one another.
Written by: Josh Feigelson
Jews vote, wait for news and worry over future of democracy
Jewish voters have ranked democracy as a more important electoral concern than the economy
Cancellation Issue Resources
In response to their Cancellation issue, SAPIR Journal was asked about organizations and resources related to promoting more constructive discourse inside and outside Jewish spaces. The list includes A More Perfect Union.
Ahead of Midterms, OneTable Partners with A More Perfect Union to Promote Civic Engagement
New Partnership will encourage participants to host Shabbat dinners and share information on Becoming Poll Volunteers and Monitors for the 2022 Midterm Elections
U.S. Jewish Groups Team Up to Promote Election Integrity This November
The Jewish Partnership for Democracy comes as a national security forum says religious leaders will have a key role to play during and after the midterms
$2 million initiative aims to recruit more Jewish poll workers
‘We operate under the assumption that democracy is fragile,’ said Aaron Dorfman, the executive director of the project
Opinion | A clear path to strengthen American democracy
Democracy is inherently fragile, and it is confronting its greatest challenges in generations, both in the United States and globally. In fact, after decades of steady democratic expansion around the world, 2021 represented the 15th consecutive year in which democracy has been in global retreat.
Written By: Aaron Dorfman