As the Jewish Voice for Veterans, JWV is committed to working with our legislatures on issues that do matter to Jewish veterans.  During Capitol Hill Actions Day (CHAD), JWV members meet with their members of Congress to discuss both our national legislative priorities and those priorities most relevant to their local communities.

As a team, we “storm the hill” in order to amplify our voice in the halls of Congress. While JWV advocates for veterans and active duty year-round, CHAD is our organized, grassroots effort to push Congress at the start of the legislative session.  It also gives our members a chance to interact with their legislatures one on one, so that when the time comes to vote on a veterans issue, our representatives can remember who their vote is affecting.

How CHAD works:

Your Department has already created a CHAD Committee, developed a plan, and arranged meetings with your legislators in advance, and you are welcome to join them.  We hope that you meet with as many legislators as possible in order to get the voice of the Jewish veteran heard in Congress.

National Headquarters distributes our National Legislative Priorities prior to CHAD, which details JWV’s stances on veteran, active duty, and military issues. It is up to us to convince, educate, and persuade our members of Congress concerning issues important to veterans. Ideally, you should try to meet with as many legislators as possible in order to get the voice of the Jewish veteran heard in Congress.

After CHAD? Follow up! Send an email or letter to thank your Congressperson (or his/her aide) for meeting with you. A few months later, touch base to see if any progress has been made on the presented priorities. Keep making appointments, and stay in touch! The more often they hear from you, the more likely they are to listen.

If you have any questions please contact NED Ken Greenberg at ned@jwv.org.

We had a great time at CHAD in 2024!

Thank you to all our attendees that made Capitol Hill Action Day 2023 such a success!  Our members met with their representatives to discuss their legislative priorities for 2023.