As attorney Doreen Benyamin prepared to walk into the offices of California state legislators on Tuesday afternoon, she felt nervous. Just hours earlier, she and hundreds of other attendees at Jewish California’s Capitol Summit had sat through a crash course in lobbying, learning how to make a meaningful impression during brief meetings with elected officials. Now it was time to put those lessons into practice.

Joined by a group of fellow conference attendees led by Temple Beth Hillel Senior Rabbi Sarah Hronsky, Benyamin walked from the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Sacramento to the nearby state office buildings, where they would advocate for legislation concerning nonprofit security funding, protections for houses of worship and the inclusion of “Jewish” as both a religion and ethnicity in California data collection systems.

Like many of the approximately 700 people who attended this year’s Capitol Summit from May 11-12, Benyamin had traveled to Sacramento because she believed Jewish communities in California could no longer afford to remain passive observers in civic life.

“It’s really nice to be around other people who care and are actually doing something about the things they care about,” Benyamin said afterward.

That spirit of organized Jewish political engagement defined this year’s summit, an annual gathering hosted by Jewish California, the statewide coalition formerly known as the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California. Over two days, Jewish communal leaders, elected officials, rabbis, activists and young professionals gathered in Sacramento not only to discuss rising antisemitism and growing communal anxieties, but also to sharpen their advocacy skills and strengthen relationships with lawmakers shaping policy in the state Capitol.

Jewish California describes itself as “our community’s voice in Sacramento.” Its 43 member organizations include Jewish Federation Los Angeles, the Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee, Holocaust Museum LA, HIAS and Jewish Federation of the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys.

The summit opened Monday morning with remarks from Valley Beth Shalom Senior Rabbi Nolan Lebovitz, whose congregation is currently the only synagogue that belongs to Jewish California. Speaking before a packed ballroom at the Sheraton, Lebovitz urged more congregations to become engaged in statewide advocacy efforts.

“Our synagogue communities should be invested in the future of California,” he said.

That call for engagement echoed throughout the conference.

Former Second Gentleman of the U.S. Doug Emhoff, appearing in conversation with State Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, reflected on his experience serving in the White House during a period of rising antisemitism across the country. He spoke emotionally about encounters with Jewish students who felt increasingly isolated in schools and public spaces.

“I was talking to a lot of Jewish kids who were feeling so beaten up and othered,” Emhoff said.

He drew applause after remarking, “Why a teacher would be talking to a fourth grader in math class about what’s happening in Gaza is beyond me.”

Gabriel also pressed Emhoff on whether former Vice President Kamala Harris might pursue another presidential campaign in 2028. Emhoff declined to offer specifics but acknowledged that Harris was “thinking seriously about it.”

Another major speaker, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, focused his remarks on antisemitism’s growing impact on the legal system. He criticized recent developments in the case involving the 2023 killing of Paul Kessler, a 69-year-old Jewish man who died after being struck during dueling pro-Israel and anti-Israel demonstrations in Southern California. Hochman denounced the possibility that the perpetrator could avoid prison time after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter.

Yet while much of the summit centered on antisemitism and security concerns, organizers repeatedly emphasized that political advocacy requires more than outrage. It requires relationships.

During a “Lobbying 101” session Tuesday morning, Jewish California lobbyist Cliff Berg urged attendees to approach legislators not as adversaries, but as long-term partners.

“This is not about winning an argument,” Berg told attendees. “This is about educating and building a relationship.”

The summit’s structure reflected that philosophy. Alongside plenaries and panel discussions, attendees spent hours networking with Jewish leaders from across the state and meeting directly with elected officials. Monday evening’s banquet dinner drew more than 40 statewide officeholders, including State Senators Ben Allen and Henry Stern, both members of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus. Assemblymembers Dawn Addis and Rick Zbur were honored for their longstanding support of the Jewish community.

On Tuesday, Jewish Federation Los Angeles CEO Rabbi Noah Farkas moderated a conversation with Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, who highlighted her record combating antisemitism and supporting Jewish communities. At one point during the discussion, an attendee quietly remarked, “Gosh, why isn’t she running for governor.”

But the summit’s emotional center remained the lobbying itself: ordinary Californians leaving hotel conference rooms behind to walk directly into the offices where state policy is shaped.

Benyamin, a member of Jewish Federation Los Angeles’ New Leaders Project (NLP), joined roughly 20 other young Jewish professionals from NLP who attended the summit together. During meetings with state senators and assembly members, attendees shared personal stories about why they had traveled from communities across California to advocate for Jewish concerns.

Rather than confrontational exchanges, the meetings were conversational and collaborative — exactly as organizers had hoped.

As the summit concluded Tuesday afternoon, the Sheraton lobby filled with attendees hauling luggage toward waiting Ubers and airport shuttles. Nearby, Jewish California CEO David Bocarsly finally allowed himself a moment to relax, sipping a celebratory whiskey after months of planning the event.

For Bocarsly, the summit’s success was not measured simply by attendance numbers or high-profile speakers, but by the sight of hundreds of Jews from across California choosing to participate directly in civic life.

“Seeing so many people from across the state who are willing to step away from their obligations at home, their work, their family, their schooling obligations, to come up and raise their voice because they believe it’s so critical to have a unified Jewish voice in Sacramento, that to me is the most rewarding, gratifying thing I can ever imagine,” Bocarsly said. “This is how we make California a better place.”

Dr. Tomer Malchi, Co-Founder and CEO of CultivAid, has been named the 2026 Prize Laureate of The Charles Bronfman Prize. The award, which comes with a $100,000 prize, recognizes visionary leaders whose work is rooted in Jewish values and delivers meaningful, measurable impact in the world.

In December, Malchi received a phone call from Charles Bronfman himself. He said he was both surprised and excited — he had submitted his application in August and made the finalist round, but still didn’t expect to win.

“The work that we’ve been doing is something that we put our heart into,” said Malchi. “And we do the work for the sake of the work. We don’t get a lot of press about our work, we don’t do a lot of media. So to get recognized, especially by someone like Charles Bronfman, it’s a huge honor for me and for the organization. It’s well deserved, I have to say.”

The Charles Bronfman Prize was founded in 2004 by Charles Bronfman’s children, Ellen Bronfman Hauptman and Stephen Bronfman along with their spouses Andrew Hauptman and Claudine Blondin Bronfman, to honor Charles on his 70th birthday, and it recognizes one Jewish humanitarian leader under 50 each year. Malchi’s selection was led by the newly appointed co-executive directors of the prize, Emily Kane Miller and Avital Ferd.

“The last few years have reminded us that we can’t control the world, but we can refuse to be diminished by it. We’re proud to steward a prize that celebrates the breadth and brilliance of Jewish leadership worldwide, particularly right now,” Kane Miller and Ferd said in a statement. “Tomer embodies everything this Prize stands for and is exactly the kind of laureate this moment calls for. We’re honored to have him as the first of our tenure.”

Born in Israel, Malchi was six years old when his family relocated to Monsey, New York. He earned a degree in Industrial Labor Relations from Cornell University before returning to Israel at 26, driven by a mission to tackle the interconnected crises of agriculture, water and nutrition on a global scale. He went on to earn his bachelor’s, master’s and PhD from the Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Since the age of 18, Malchi had been immersed in volunteerism and international development, guided by a foundational belief that sustainable development is built through systems, not projects. In 2013, he traveled to Ethiopia through Engineers Without Borders-Israel to help establish a sustainable farm. By 2016, he had co-founded CultivAid alongside Ben Cohen and Yair Keinan.

Today, CultivAid operates with a staff of nearly 100 across Tel Aviv, Tanzania, Kenya and Zambia, with an annual budget of approximately $3.5 million. Its model integrates research and development, farmer training and market-driven value chains into a single, self-sustaining system. For every $100,000 invested, CultivAid generates at least $500,000 in local revenue, and every farmer it works with sees yields increase more than fivefold.

“This honor validates CultivAid’s decade of work and empowers us to expand our model and unlock economic opportunity and sustainable food security for millions of people,” said Malchi.

This is only the beginning for Malchi and CultivAid. Now a father of two living near Tel Aviv, Malchi plans to put the $100,000 prize toward expanding CultivAid’s operations in Tanzania, Kenya and Zambia, a region home to 150 million people living in extreme poverty and a population expected to double by 2050 — continuing to strengthen the relationship between Israel and African countries.

For Malchi, the recognition is less a capstone than a catalyst. “If we have the ability to help others,” he said, “we have the responsibility to deliver.”

Since October 7, Israel has been in a prolonged war—first with Hamas, then Hezbollah, the Houthis, and now Iran. During this time, Israelis have suffered emotionally, physically, and mentally, especially those who were victims of terror attacks or fighting in the war.

During Mental Health Awareness Month, which is in May, two academic institutions are in the spotlight for their support of students in need: Afeka Academic College of Engineering and Bar-Ilan University.

Over at Akefa College in Tel Aviv, the administration has created a Quiet Tent, where students can be in a serene and calm environment while receiving personal guidance, taking part in mind-building workshops, and participating in activities to build their resilience, at their own pace.

“If we are to educate excellent engineers, those who will be entrusted with rebuilding and shaping this country’s future, we must first sustain them as human beings,” wrote Professor Yossi Rosenwaks, president of Afeka College, in an op-ed for the Times of Israel. “Resilience is not a byproduct of education. It is a prerequisite for it.”

Rosenwaks told the Journal since that October 7, more than 40% of students have been called up for reserves.

“There is a huge mental health impact when they get back from service, especially Gaza,” he said. “Two of our students committed suicide. They were both in Gaza. There is a huge mental health effect.”

The school decided on opening the Quiet Tent after asking the students what they could do to help them. All they wanted was a place to relax and be still. Professor David Seidman, Walter P. Murphy professor emeritus of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University, and his family donated the money to fund the tent.

“The students appreciate it very much,” Rosenwaks said. “Our main role is to keep the students moving forward, even when the path is complex. They are our future and this is our moral obligation. We’re supporting the ones who help build and protect this country. This is part of the new Zionism.”

At Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, which received the prestigious Minister of Defense Award of Recognition for its commitment to student reservists, an Academic Armor program was created for students fighting in the war. Over 30% of the student body was mobilized for IDF reserve duty, so the school founded a program where each reservist student received tuition assistance, academic credit, administrative support, and emotional counseling. The university also gave funding to students who were displaced from their homes due to the conflict. They supported them with housing and academic scholarships, private tutoring, class recordings, and emotional support from social workers and psychologists.

“The Defense Minister’s Award of Recognition validates what many in the security forces already say: Bar-Ilan is the academic home of soldiers,” said Zohar Yinon, Bar-Ilan’s CEO and senior deputy president.

Now, to continue its vital work, Bar-Ilan has introduced the Sunflower Center; it coordinates initiatives that promote mental well-being and resilience, so students, staff, and faculty can get the emotional support they need.

Chairperson of the Steering Committee for Sunflower, Professor Noa Vilchinsky, a professor in the department of psychology and director of the Psycho-Cariology Research Lab, said in a recent American Friends of Bar-Ilan University webinar, “What we see across the board is stress and uncertainty and lots of questions. It might turn into anxiety and even depression, because the situation is taking so much of a toll and is going on for a very long time. We need to assist students with being able to remind themselves that they can cope with the situation and that we are here to help them.”

They’re helping students on all fronts, from those who have been to the army, to the family members who were without their loved ones in the army and need to take care of their children while facing unimaginable stress.

Vilchinsky said, “We do [many] things to assist them. [Then], they can cope and continue without being left behind.”