Jewish Community Lobby Day Brings Over 100 Advocates to Olympia

February 3, 2026

Last week, over 100 Jewish community members from across Washington State gathered in Olympia for Jewish Community Lobby Day, an annual day of action organized by the Federation’s
Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC). The JCRC is the broadest collective voice for the Jewish community in our state.

Participants traveled from Seattle, Port Townsend, and Yakima to meet with lawmakers and to advocate for Jewish safety and inclusion. Throughout the day, advocates met with 58 legislators and staff from 22 legislative districts across the state. They shared personal stories about how the policies and funding the group was advocating for were important to them, and educated policymakers about the realities facing Jewish communities today. They urged support for safe zones around synagogues (SB 5436), protected funding for both the statewide Hate Crimes & Bias Incidents Hotline and nonprofit security grants, and state recognition of Jewish and other minority faiths’ holy days (SB 5950).

Participants, for the first time at Lobby Day, were treated to an interfaith panel representing the Bahá’í, Buddhist, and Sikh communities. They learned about each faith tradition’s customs and sacred beliefs, as well as their gratitude for being included in this bill and the uphill effort of being seen as a minority religion. Our communities are stronger when we are standing together to support each other.

“(SB5950) does not just add names to a calendar, it provides a framework for inclusion,” remarked Sikh advocate Jasmit Singh in a Senate testimony last week. “It will help our children feel proud of their identity in schools and ensure that our neighbors understand what these celebrations mean to us.”

Perhaps the most powerful highlight of the day was seeing students from the Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle walking the steps of the Capitol and joining us for this day of advocacy. The group of middle schoolers thoughtfully practiced their stories, met with legislators, and spoke about what being Jewish means to them. Sadly, many of these young people have already experienced antisemitism, and their appeal for Jewish safety and protection was especially compelling.

Jewish Community Lobby Day was a powerful reminder that advocacy works best when we show up, speak up, and build authentic connections. We are grateful to everyone who dedicated their time to join us for this meaningful day of action and represented the rich vibrancy of our community. From young teens to parents, from working professionals to retirees—your work made a difference and created a lasting impact on our shared future.

Our work does not end in Olympia. We invite you to explore our full legislative agenda and sign up for our action alerts to stay engaged and continue advocating for Jewish safety and inclusion throughout the legislative session this spring.