From WhatsApp chats to City Hall, a new Jewish activism is born
“We’re not seeking to educate candidates about our issues once they announce for Congress. We want to have multi-year relationships and be able to explain the many nuances of Judaism and Zionism long before they’d like to run for higher office,” said Sam Jefferies, co-chair of The Kids Table, a political action committee in Washington state that is supporting “pro-Jewish” candidates. “You can’t solve antisemitism, but you can prevent antisemites from being in positions of power.”
New Seattle school superintendent claims tikkun olam as central leadership value
Aviad Benzikry, a Jewish SPS parent and board member of The Kids Table, a PAC in Washington state supporting what it describes as “pro-Jewish candidates,” said he’s “cautiously optimistic after seeing superintendent after superintendent cycle through SPS.” Shuldiner will be the district’s third superintendent in the past year.
But, Benzikry told Jewish Insider, “action [or] inaction will tell. We have seen student and faculty (mis)behavior swept under the rug across Seattle when it comes to antisemitism in particular. That said, my family has been fortunate and we are grateful for the teachers our children have had who have consistently supported their proud Jewish identity.”
New PAC in Washington state backs ‘pro-Jewish candidates’ on Seattle school board
“We need help in the school districts now,” Sam Jefferies, co-chair of The Kids Table, told Jewish Insider. “We also know that school boards can be a rung on a ladder as [candidates] seek higher office, and we want to make sure that we are building relationships with them early, providing them critical context and education around our issues, and then carry that forward, whether it’s on the school board or elsewhere.”
Seattle Jewish leaders express concern with mayoral front-runner Katie Wilson’s Mamdani-esque views
A recently established political action committee called The Kids Table, which seeks to promote “pro-Jewish candidates for state and local office” in Washington state and is led by a group of Jewish millennial activists, claimed that Wilson has “allied herself with vitriolic anti-Jewish candidates” and “talked about focusing city resources on foreign affairs issues, rather than on local ones, including the urgent problem of Jewish safety and security in Seattle.”
Backing counted in Seattle School Board primaries; money, not so much
In the campaign’s waning days, The Kids Table, a new political action committee, sent a mailer supporting Song. While the mailer highlighted Song’s background and educational priorities, the PAC, which registered with the state Public Disclosure Commission in April, said its goal was to “support pro-Jewish candidates for state and local office in Washington state, and oppose candidates who are complicit or complacent in the face of anti-Jewish hate.”
Pull Up to the Kids Table
The Kids Table, a new Washington state political action committee started by four Jewish millennials in Seattle, aims to “oppose extremism and illiberalism” — starting with candidates who espouse ideologies that threaten the mainstream Jewish community.