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From WhatsApp chats to City Hall, a new Jewish activism is born

JL;DR SUMMARY Gabby Deutch's article explores the rise of a new form of Jewish activism that emerged from grassroots efforts following significant events such as the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks and the Gaza war. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Local PoliticsOct. 7 AttacksJewish ActivismBeacon CoalitionGrassroots MovementsShalom SomervilleHouston Jewish Women VoteBay Area Jewish CoalitionJewish American Advocacy

Places mentioned

Houston, Texas, United States
"a new organization, Houston Jewish Women Vote."
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
"In Pittsburgh, the Beacon Coalition was created when community activist Jeremy Kazzaz saw that local politicians were too afraid to criticize a colleague who posted pro-Hamas messages."
San Mateo, California, United States
"born in Israel and now lives in San Mateo, Calif., where she works as a product manager at a tech company."
Sunnyvale, California, United States
"BAJC activists at Sunnyvale City Hall for a Jewish American Heritage Month proclamation"
Somerville, Massachusetts, United States
"For Sam Gechter, who works in tech in Boston, a call from a friend in early 2024 alerted him that the city council of Somerville, Mass., where he lives, was trying to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza."
Lexington, Massachusetts, United States
"In Lexington, Mass., a suburb of Boston, a group called Lexington United Against Antisemitism, is focused on interfaith work, and connecting members of the towns Jewish community with Christians."
San Francisco, California, United States
"Viviane Safrin became an education activist in San Francisco after the pandemic, when she felt frustrated that public schools were not doing more to reopen."
Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, United States
"Two thousand five hundred miles away, in the Philadelphia suburb of Lower Merion, Dani Shaw created a WhatsApp group for 75 moms soon after Oct. 7."
Washington, United States
"said Sam Jefferies, co-chair of The Kids Table, a political action committee in Washington state that is supporting pro-Jewish candidates."

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Cairo Item ID 78397
Cairo Source ID 43
Retrieved 2026-03-25 05:30:36 UTC
Curated 2026-03-25 08:31:45 UTC