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, 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.
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.
