FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saturday, November 7
Contact: Logan Smith
[email protected]
202-709-8825
Bend the Arc: Jewish Americans helped win a new future for our country
WASHINGTON – Bend the Arc: Jewish Action released the following statement on Saturday in response to President-Elect Joe Biden being named the projected winner of the 2020 presidential race:
“As 2020 voters, we changed the course of our country,” said Stosh Cotler, CEO of Bend the Arc: Jewish Action. “We’ll take our place in history as the people who rose up across religion, race, and all aspects of our identities, to preserve the dream that our country can be a place where freedom, safety, and belonging are for all of us.”
“As Joe Biden’s lead continues to grow in the total votes count and electoral college, it is becoming clearer that the people have spoken. We have chosen new leadership and rejected attempts to divide us against each other and make us afraid. Despite every attempt to silence our voices and put up barriers to our votes, voters turned out in record numbers to remove white nationalists from the White House.
“For millions of Jewish Americans this election was deeply personal, and our voices rang out clearly. Bend the Arc organized across the country for four years, and our volunteers mobilized like never before to flip states and win races up and down the ballot. A historic 77% of Jewish Americans (a seven-point increase from 2016) voted to overcome a politics of fear, division, and lies — a politics which endangers Jews, Muslims, people of color, immigrants, and so many other communities. We demonstrated over and over again that we will show up for each other whenever one of us is targeted for our differences. We will rise up in solidarity every time to defend our democracy and protect each other.
“This can be a country for all of us — where all of us can thrive, no matter what we look like, how we pray, or where we come from. Together, we’ve won more than an election. We’ve won the chance to renew our democracy and build a new future together. For four years our community has risen up in solidarity to fight for the soul of our country — now, we begin the work of building a society that cares for the lives of all 330 million souls in this country.
“Now that the will of the voters is clear, it’s time to get to work building a country that's truly for all of us: tackling the COVID crisis responsibly and making sure we all have what we need to care for our families and make ends meet. We'll ensure that we can all live in freedom and safety, no matter our religion, race, or how long we've been here. And we’ll hold our new leaders accountable to the promise of a country where all of us can thrive, no exceptions.”
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action led the only national Jewish effort to stop Trump’s election in 2016, and has grown a nationwide Jewish movement in nearly 30 cities to rise for our values over the last four years. In 2020, Bend the Arc led “We Rise As One,” the largest Jewish electoral campaign of 2020, which mobilized thousands of volunteers working on races up and down the ballot all across the country. Volunteers made over 4.8 million voter contact attempts to persuade Jewish and swing state voters in six swing states, as well as for over a dozen House and Senate candidates, to elect candidates who champion an inclusive democracy and equality. A six-figure digital ads program delivered Jewish persuasion messages and messages about the antisemitism and white nationalism of the Republican Party to Jewish voters in swing states and key races. In addition, grassroots donors gave more than $930,000 to 63 endorsees of Bend the Arc Jewish Action PAC running in competitive races for the House, Senate, and presidency.
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action is uniting a movement of tens of thousands of progressive Jews across the country who are fighting for justice and equality for all. We are the only national Jewish organization focused exclusively on social change in the United States.
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