A More Perfect Union: The Jewish Partnership for Democracy

The organization is a project of the left-of-center Tides Center ² and its members include the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, Facing History and Ourselves, and the Righteous Persons Foundation. ³

A More Perfect Union asks its members to report alleged online misinformation and disinformation to the left-of-center Common Cause ⁴

History and Leadership

A More Perfect Union: The Jewish Partnership for Democracy was founded by Aaron Dorfman in January 2022. ^{5 6} As of June 2024, Dorfman remains the executive director of the organization. ⁷ Prior to joining A More Perfect Union, Dorfman held roles with the Lippman Kanfer Foundation for the Living Torah and the American Jewish World Service. ⁶

The organization is headquartered in Washington, D.C. ⁸

Strategic Advisors

A More Perfect Union: The Jewish Partnership for Democracy uses a team of strategic advisors to support its work. The organization’s strategic advisors have ties to Third Plateau Social Impact Strategies, Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, Over Zero, Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement, The Bulwark, Protect Democracy, Conference of Presidents of American Jewish Organizations, Rabbinical Council of America, iCivics, Institute for Jewish Spirituality, Jim Joseph Foundation, CitizenData, Hoover Institution, Tikvah Fund, SNF Agora Institute, One America Movement, Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, R Street Institute, American Enterprise Institute, Harvard University, Voting Rights Lab, Interfaith America, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Lippman Kanfer Foundation for the Living Torah, Fix the System, left-of-center racial and identity advocacy organization Race Forward, Reconstructing Judaism, and Resetting the Table. ⁹

Activities and Funding

A More Perfect Union: The Jewish Partnership for Democracy is a coalition of left-of-center Jewish advocacy organizations. It hopes to mobilize nearly 10,000 American Jewish organizations during the 2024 election cycle. ^{1 2}

Following its launch, A More Perfect Union recruited more than 100 commitments to support what it considers “free, fair, safe, and accessible elections” from 77 partner institutions in 16 different states. ¹⁰ The organization has since expanded to include an elections toolkit and to advocate for what it calls civic learning, accessible elections, and promotion of what it considers ideological pluralism. ^{2 10} It is also a member of left-of-center Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law’s Election Protection Coalition. ¹¹

A More Perfect Union: The Jewish Partnership for Democracy believes that misinformation, disinformation, and “malinformation” are some of the biggest threats to the 2024 election. The organization believes that the best tool against alleged disinformation is accurate information shared by others through what it considers to be “trusted mediums.” As a result, A More Perfect Union hosts briefings on how to confront alleged misinformation and disinformation. It asks its members to report alleged online misinformation and disinformation to the left-of-center Common Cause and attempt to debunk content it believes is misinformation or disinformation. ⁴

As of June 2024, A More Perfect Union: The Jewish Partnership for Democracy’s members include the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Arizona Jews for Justice, Aviv Foundation, Carolina Jews for Justice, the Center for Radically Inclusive Judaism, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, Civic Spirit, the Davis Center for Social Justice, Dorot Foundation, Facing History and Ourselves, Footsteps, Hillel International, Harold and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation, Jewish Community Relations Council, John Pritzker Family Fund, Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund, One Table, Reboot, Reconstructing Judaism, Rekindle, Repair the World, Righteous Persons Foundation, Women for Reform Judaism, Zioness Movement, and others. ³

The organization also provides resources, technical assistance, resources, training, and funding for partners and others who work to advance similar left-of-center goals. ⁷ A More Perfect Union: The Jewish Partnership for Democracy hosts events regarding the 2024 election cycle ^{12 13} and has pledged to make up to $100,000 of grants to organizations within the partnership to ensure what the group considers to be “free, fair, safe, and accessible elections in 2024.” ¹⁴

In October 2023, A More Perfect Union: The Jewish Partnership for Democracy released The Jewish Imperative to Protect and Strengthen American Democracy. In this document, the organization claimed that norms such as forbearance and concession have been violated in recent years. The paper also claims that partisan state legislatures, political targeting of nonpartisan election administration workers, and a “tangible threat” of politically motivated violence represent immediate threats to the 2024 election. ¹⁵

In 2024, the organization incorrectly labeled Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss as Jewish when an earlier article released claimed that those attacking “Jewish philanthropists” including Wyss and philanthropist George Soros were ““part of a larger effort to paint wealthy Jews as sinister puppeteers.” ¹⁶ Later, the article was changed to include a correction note, stating, ““An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Hansborg Wyss is Jewish…A spokesman for Mr. Wyss confirmed he is not. We have corrected this article to reflect this information.” ¹⁶

Funding

A More Perfect Union: The Jewish Partnership for Democracy is a fiscally sponsored project of the left-of-center Tides Center. The organization receives funding from the Tides Center and through individual donations. ²

In 2022, the organization received $50,000 from the Righteous Persons Foundation. ¹⁷ It has received additional funding from the Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation, John Pritzker Family Fund, Charles H. Revson Foundation, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, Jeffrey H. and Shari L. Aronson Family Foundation, The Jacob and Hilda Bluestein Foundation, Crown Family Philanthropies, Dorot Foundation, Tetzer Institute, Lippman Kanfer Family Foundation, Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah, and the Lubetzky Family Foundation. ¹⁸