On behalf of the JCUA team, I want to wish you and your loved ones a Shana Tova u’Metuka — a sweet and meaningful new year.

Rosh Hashanah ushers in the Days of Awe, a sacred time in our Jewish calendar to reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re going. Our tradition calls this practice Cheshbon HaNefesh — an accounting of the soul. This year’s reflection feels especially poignant for me, as it also marks just over one year since I stepped into the role of Executive Director.

In this time, I’ve had the privilege of meeting hundreds of people who make JCUA not only an organization, but a true community. A place where we celebrate each other’s victories, grieve together, and inspire one another to pursue a city and state that aligns with our values. During this difficult political era, I’ve seen how JCUA is a place of hope for so many of you, and it has become a place of hope for me, too.

But being a place of hope also brings responsibility. The practice of Cheshbon HaNefesh not only calls us to reflect, but challenges us to become our better selves. In recent weeks, Chicago has been at the center of national attention as the federal administration escalates its assaults on justice and human dignity. As we make our personal accounting, we must ask: Are we doing enough for one another? Are we showing up, bravely and consistently, to defend and protect our neighbors?

These are deep questions, and no one person, no single organization, can answer them alone. Time and again, we’ve seen that lasting change comes through building relationships and organizing together across communities, faiths, and neighborhoods. JCUA and our allies have been doing exactly this for more than six decades — and each of you is an essential part of our greater whole.

So as we enter 5786, I invite you to step up in whatever way you can — by giving, by taking action, and by standing with JCUA to build a city and state rooted in justice and compassion. In doing so, we will ensure that all of us — our families, our neighbors, our communities — are inscribed in the Book of Life.

Shana Tova,
Jessica Schaffer, Executive Director