Advocacy and Engagement in a Vibrant, Diverse City
AJC San Francisco connects our community with American Jewish Committee’s global advocacy work to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel. Our access to diplomats, elected officials, and interfaith leaders at the local level advances AJC’s broader global priorities: combating antisemitism, promoting Israel’s place in the world, and countering the spread of radicalism and extremism.
Our impact extends well beyond the San Francisco community, helping AJC achieve tangible results in the form of government policies, formidable alliances, and hard-hitting legislation that make our world safer and more secure.
We are situated in one of our nation’s most innovative and diverse cities. The Bay Area is at the forefront of technology and new ideas that are changing the way we think about our world. Our advocacy and programming reflect the spirit and opportunities of our community.
AJC San Francisco regularly engages in high-level diplomacy with the more than 35 countries that have diplomatic representatives in the city. Through pioneering interfaith and intergroup outreach, we build bridges of understanding with San Francisco’s Latino and Muslim communities. And our young professionals network, ACCESS San Francisco, brings together emerging Jewish leaders.
Upcoming Events
September 7, 2023
AJC San Francisco and the Hindu American Foundation are partnering together to celebrate Krishna Janmashtami & Rosh Hashanah. This social/cultural mixer event is for professionals between ages 21-40. ACCESS, American Jewish Committee's young professional division, empowers Jewish leaders to advocate on behalf of critical domestic and global issues facing the Jewish community. There will be food and beverages provided. All food will be vegetarian.
One of Hinduism’s most widely celebrated holidays, Janmashtami, is a festival to celebrate Krishna’s birth on the eighth day of the Hindu month of Bhadrapada. Krishna, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, is considered to be both the source and ultimate form of the Divine and is worshiped through the process of bhakti yoga (path of loving devotion). Lord Krishna delivered the Bhagavad Gita (a sacred spiritual and philosophical text). Janmashtami is celebrated in the evening and devotees break their fast, chant prayers and welcome lord Krishna into their homes by sacred food offerings.
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year and is a two-day observance and celebration. Rosh Hashanah commemorates the creation of Man. In Jewish practice, the months are numbered starting with the spring month of Nisan, making Tishrei the seventh month; Rosh Hashanah, the first day of the new calendar year, is also actually the first day of the seventh month.
Celebrate these two beautiful festivals and traditions while enjoying great food and company. Please RSVP by August 31st.
Rachel Urman joined AJC as Northern California Regional Director in May of 2023. She previously spent eight years at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as Regional Synagogue Initiative Director for the Pacific Northwest.