On December 6 in the Commerce Library, the Department of Commerce Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships hosted the Jewish American Leaders Convening. The event, a comprehensive gathering, was at total capacity, with 35 Jewish American leaders, each representing thousands in their communities, from every corner of the U.S., 20 Commerce and interagency speakers and presenters, and 10 White House Liaison participants.

Commerce Deputy Secretary Don Graves and Senior Advisor to the President and Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, Tom Perez, led the event's keynote remarks and armchair conversation portion. Both principals reinforced the Biden-Harris Administration's unequivocal and unwavering commitment to uplift, protect, and celebrate our Jewish American communities across the United States and worldwide. They similarly provided their lighthouse viewpoints on all efforts taking place across the government and private-public partnerships in place to strengthen Jewish American businesses, houses of worship, and community-based organizations, namely President Biden's American Rescue Plan and Equity Agenda impact, as well as under-served and minority business programs, and how these efforts have helped Americans with specific regional challenges.

White House liaison to the American Jewish community, Ms. Shelley Greenspan, and her team provided greetings from the President and shared pivotal resources on efforts to combat antisemitism and other partnership opportunities. Among the most critical points acknowledged and addressed were the rise of antisemitism in America and the dire need for major universities and other institutions to denounce these acts and to protect our Jewish American communities. Other critical discussions focused on AmeriCorps, the Department of Defense, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Economic Development Administration, and the Minority Business Development Agency grants currently empowering economic development and service in critical regions across the U.S.

The White House, the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Defense, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, and Treasury, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Small Business Administration engaged in meaningful conversations with attendees and presented on small business credit programs, capital access, business development, entrepreneurship, data use, equity, and Kosher Food economy, and infrastructure issues.

The Department of Commerce panelists provided vital resources and grant opportunities from the EDA, International Trade Administration (ITA), MBDA, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Census Bureau, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). ITA's Deputy Senior Commercial Officer Mike Calvert from the Jerusalem office participated in the event, which was incredibly impactful. Issues covered ranged from minority business development, access to data, and innovation (patents and trademarks) to getting businesses ready to export.

Most importantly, our Jewish American community engaged meaningfully, with truly important questions, concerns, and recommendations being brought to the table.