Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice (Bend the Arc) is a left-of-center organization that supports left-of-center policy changes through mobilizing the Jewish-American community. ¹

Skeptical observers have characterized Bend the Arc as “the “Jewish” umbrella group within a larger progressive political coalition, bringing top-down messaging to synagogues and organizations.” The group has received funding from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, a left-of-center foundation that also funds organizations involved in the anti-Israel boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement. ^{2 3}

Background

Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice was founded following a merger between east coast-based Jewish Funds for Justice and the west coast-based Progressive Jewish Alliance, two left-of-center advocacy organizations. ⁴ The merger took place in 2011; however, the organization’s new name, “Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice” was announced the following year. ⁵

With a focus on fighting for left-of-center social change across the United States, Bend the Arc’s causes include racial justice, economic equity, civil rights, immigrant justice, and fighting antisemitism. ⁶ Bend the Arc is a founding member of the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable, a network of more than 50 left-of-center organizations across the U.S. working to expand social justice initiatives. The group lists Jews United for Justice, a left-of-center Jewish advocacy and organizing group in Washington, D.C., as an affiliate. ⁷

The organization avoids taking a stance on international affairs that do not relate to Bend the Arc’s domestic work to avoid splitting the progressive Jewish community, specifically as it relates to Israel. ⁸ Stosh Cotler, the former CEO of Bend the Arc, pointed out that the group’s agenda is focused only on domestic social change. ⁴

Activities

Opposition to Nuclear Energy

Bend the Arc was one of more than 650 signatories on an August 2022 letter organized by People vs. Fossil Fuels and addressed to the “Democratic Leadership” in Congress. The letter was titled: “Opposition to Fossil Fuel Project Approvals and Permitting Reforms Conditioned on the Inflation Reduction Act.” ⁹

Leadership Programs

Bend the Arc is responsible for a number of leadership programs including the Selah Leadership Program and Jeremiah Fellowship. The Selah Leadership Program aims to train a cross-section of Jewish leaders across a breadth of organizations to be agents for social change in alignment with Bend the Arc’s mission. ¹⁰ Bend the Arc claims to have trained more than 340 leaders across 200 organizations. ¹¹

The Jeremiah Fellowship provides a five-month experiential leadership program for adults between the ages of 22-32 who want to magnify social change in their hometown. ¹² Participants gather across more than a dozen cities in the United States to expand their leadership skills and learn how to mobilize their communities. ¹³

Criticism of Trump Administrations

Bend the Arc vocally opposed many of President Donald Trump’s policies during his first administration and “aggressively opposed Trump” during the 2016 election. ⁸

In 2017, Bend the Arc opposed President Trump’s invitation to the annual Holocaust remembrance ceremony at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. Then-Bend the Arc CEO Stosh Cotler stated that President Trump “is not someone who deserves the platform of speaking at a national day of remembrance of the Holocaust.” ¹⁴ More than 10,000 people ¹⁵ signed a letter to support Bend the Arc Jewish Action’s request that the museum withdraw its event invitation to Trump. ¹⁴

During then-Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2020, Cotler criticized Barrett’s confirmation alleging Republican intent to “stack our courts with ideologues who are only interested in protecting the rights of people who look and think like them.” ¹⁶ Cotler stated that “the GOP Senate that confirmed Barrett actually represents a minority of Americans, and five of the nine current Supreme Court justices have now been appointed by presidents who lost the popular vote,” further alleging that “this type of minority rule is fundamentally undemocratic.” ¹⁶

Finance

According to recent tax returns, Bend the Arc’s total revenue has hovered between $3.5 million and just under $4 million since 2016. ¹⁷ In 2017, Bend the Arc reported over $5.5 million in total revenue, a spike of more than $1.8 million in revenue compared to the previous year. ¹⁸

Bend the Arc has received grants from a number of high-profile foundations such as $2,500 from the Katie McGrath and J. J. Abrams Family Foundation in 2015, ¹⁹ $70,000 from the Moriah Fund in 2017, ²⁰ and over $100,000 from the Morningstar Foundation in 2018. ²¹

Tablet magazine has reported that Bend the Arc has received contributions from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, a left-of-center foundation that also funds organizations involved in the anti-Israel boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement, and the NoVo Foundation, the private foundation of Warren Buffett’s younger son, Peter. ²

Leadership

Jamie Beran has worked as the CEO of Bend the Arc since 2022, initially taking the role in an interim capacity before being named permanent CEO. She had worked at Bend the Arc for 14 years prior to taking the role. ²²

Stosh Cotler was the CEO of Bend the Arc until 2022. Cotler worked at Bend the Arc beginning in 2005 and worked as the organization’s executive vice president before becoming CEO. ⁴ Cotler was named one of the 15 Progressive Faith Leaders to Watch by the Center for American Progress in 2015. ²³

Before beginning her career in New York, Cotler was an activist in Portland, Oregon where she founded Open Hand, an organization that trained women in self-defense. In Portland, Cotler participated in left-of-center activist groups like the Jewish Radical Action Project and Jews for Global Justice. She was also seen protesting former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s visit to Portland in the early 2000s and, later, staged a mock Israeli checkpoint in downtown Portland. ⁴

1. “Who We Are.” Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice. Accessed August 15, 2025. https://www.jewishpartnership.us/about.
2. Cooper, Sean. “Bending the Jews – Tablet Magazine.” Tablet Magazine, May 27, 2020. https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/bend-the-arc.
3. Armin Rosen, “The Rockefeller Brothers Fund and BDS,” Tablet Magazine, May 24, 2017 http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/235453/rockefeller-brothers-fund-gets-behind-bds
4. Wiener, Julie. “Bend the Arc’s New Leader Is a Black Belt with a Radical Streak.” Jewish Telegraphic Agency, January 10, 2014. https://www.jta.org/2014/01/10/united-states/bend-the-arcs-new-leader-is-a-black-belt-with-a-radical-streak.
5. Oster, Marcy. “Merged Social Justice Groups Become Bend the Arc.” Jewish Telegraphic Agency, April 3, 2012. https://www.jta.org/2012/04/03/united-states/merged-social-justice-groups-become-bend-the-arc.
6. “Our Work.” Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice. Accessed February 4, 2021. https://www.jewishpartnership.us/our_work.
7. “Affiliates & Partners.” Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice. Accessed February 4, 2021. https://www.jewishpartnership.us/affiliates.
8. Fayne Gruskin, Rachel. “Bend the Arc Seeks Solidarity.” Atlanta Jewish Times, January 12, 2017. https://atlantajewishtimes.timesofisrael.com/bend-arc-seeks-solidarity/.
9. “Letter from 650+ Groups Opposing Fossil Fuel Projects and Proposed Permitting Reforms.” People vs Fossil Fuels. August 24, 2022. Accessed July 21, 2025. https://peoplevsfossilfuels.org/dirty-deal-letter/
10. “Programs.” Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice. Accessed February 4, 2021. https://www.jewishpartnership.us/programs.
11. “Selah Leadership Program.” Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice. Accessed February 5, 2021. https://www.jewishpartnership.us/selah.
12.  “Jeremiah Fellowship.” Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice. Accessed February 5, 2021. https://www.jewishpartnership.us/jeremiah.
13. “Progams.” Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice. Accessed February 4, 2021. https://www.jewishpartnership.us/programs.
14. Haberman, Maggie, and Glenn Thrush. “Some Jewish Groups Bristle at Thought of Trump at Capitol Holocaust Ceremony.” The New York Times. The New York Times, April 25, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/24/us/politics/trump-holocaust-remembrance-ceremony.html.
15. “American Jews to the U.S. Holocaust Museum.” We’ve Seen This Before. Bend the Arc Jewish Action. Accessed February 4, 2021. https://www.weveseenthisbefore.org/not-this-president.
16. Richman, Jackson. “Jewish Groups React to Amy Coney Barrett’s Confirmation to US Supreme Court.” Jewish Journal, October 27, 2020. https://jewishjournal.com/news/323777/jewish-groups-react-to-amy-coney-barretts-confirmation-to-us-supreme-court/.
17.  Bend the Arc, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2015.
18. Bend the Arc, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2017.
19. Katie McGrath and J. J. Abrams Family Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2015
20. Moriah Fund, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2017.
21. Morningstar Philanthropic Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2018.
22. “A CEO Update.” Bend the ARC: Jewish action, November 9, 2022. https://www.bendthearc.us/ceo_update.
23. “Stosh Cotler.” Auburn Seminary. Accessed February 4, 2021. https://auburnseminary.org/team/stosh-cotler/.