16 March 21 • 2019
jn
Political
Powerhouse
Meet Halie Soifer, executive director of the
Jewish Democratic Council of America.
O
n Dec. 6, 1987, a father took
his 9-year-old daughter to
Washington, D.C., to march on
Freedom Sunday for Soviet Jews.
“I can’
t say that at 9 I really under-
stood it, but I have this
picture of me marching
with my father and I keep
it close,
” Halie Soifer said.
This march, along
with an upbringing
in Jewish culture by
democratic parents
and multiple stints in
Israel, contributed to a career in foreign
policy for Soifer, the first executive
director of the Washington D.C.-based
Jewish Democratic Council of America
(JDCA). Launched in 2017, it defines
itself as “the voice for Jewish Democrats
and socially liberal, pro-Israel values.
”
“I grew up in East Lansing,
” Soifer
said. “
At a young age, my parents wanted
to instill in me connections to the Jewish
community and Israel … This connec-
tion turned into the foundation for my
career.
”
Her parents are Sandy Kirsch
Soifer, retired executive director of
the Michigan Women’
s Hall of Fame,
and the late Howard Soifer, who was
president of Shaarey Zedek in East
Lansing. Soifer spent her summers at
Camp Tamarack, studied abroad at Tel
Aviv University and completed her first
internship at the U.S. Embassy there.
After spending an election year in
Tel Aviv, she decided to pursue a career
in foreign relations in Washington,
D.C. Her goals were to highlight values
important to the Jewish community and
support U.S. military assistance in Israel.
Promoting equality, human rights,
anti-discrimination, protecting the envi-
ronment, anti-Semitism, common sense
gun reform and access to health care are
all part of Soifer’
s agenda.
Among her first roles was heading
Jewish outreach in Florida for the
Obama campaign in 2008.
“That opportunity allowed me to use
my ties to the Jewish community and my
understanding of its values to explain
why President Obama’
s policies aligned
with those values,
” Soifer said.
MOBILIZING IN MICHIGAN
More recently, she helped the cause
during the 2018 midterms, by endors-
ing Haley Stevens and Elissa Slotkin,
both Democrats elected to the House of
Representatives for Michigan’
s 11th and
8th districts, respectively.
Soifer’
s vision and leadership are mak-
ing a difference and inspiring the next
generation, according to Stevens.
“Halie Soifer’
s incredible vision
brought together commu-
nity leaders and inspired
action through smart
power, policy and drive,
”
Stevens said.
“In particular, I
remember meeting the
young people driven to
get involved in politics for the first time
because of Halie and the JDCA. I look
forward to working with them for years
to come, and I’
m excited to watch the
continued growth and success of the
JDCA.
”
Soifer and the JDCA went door-to-
door for Stevens. She recalled one spe-
cific outing in Birmingham, the day after
the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.
“To see the response from both the
Jewish and non-Jewish communities
was really remarkable,
” she said. “Non-
Jewish residents were giving us hugs of
sympathy.
”
This was a turning point for some vot-
ers. “
A Holocaust survivor told us he was
not going to support Republicans, that
Trump fueled the shooting,
” Stevens said.
Slotkin grew up in a small Jewish
community like Soifer, an important
factor in their connection and similar
values.
“Halie Soifer has been a fantastic
leader. The JDCA does critical advoca-
cy work on values we share as Jewish
Democrats, like a commitment to
environmental stewardship and social
progress. Halie’
s passion for JDCA
’
s work
is clear — she’
s a leader in the Jewish
Democratic community, and it’
s been
great to work with her,
” Slotkin said.
Additionally, the JDCA endorsed
Michigan’
s Andy Levin in the 9th
District, another Jewish politician, and
55 other candidates; 80 percent won.
A NATIONAL REACH
Also on Soifer’
s resume — she was
national security adviser to Sen.
Kamala Harris of California, foreign
policy adviser for Sen. Ted Kaufman
and Sen. Chris Coons, both of
Delaware, and Rep. Robert Wexler of
Florida as well as a speechwriter for an
Israeli ambassador.
Soifer transitioned to the JDCA
because she believed she could have a
bigger impact serving multiple politi-
cians.
As far as the 2020 election goes,
Soifer says, “There’
s a long field of
2020 contenders. We are not seeking a
position of support for any one candi-
date at this stage, but we are watching
them closely.”
She lives with her husband and three
children in Maryland. They are mem-
bers of Adas Israel in Washington,
D.C. ■
jews d
in
the
KARLEIGH STONE SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
Halie Soifer
Stevens
Halie Soifer and Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin
March for
Soviet Jews
in 1987