JDM will flourish when the individuals involved in JDM member organizations are actively engaged. This engagement should start with the decision to join JDM! Involving as many as people as possible in that decision sets a culture and an expectation for participation in all the JDM activities that follow, should an organization decide to join. Being brought into decisionmaking gives everyone a sense of ownership over the project and investment in it. We’ve all been in situations where our opinions haven’t been sought or valued and we know how disempowering that can feel. 

JDM will flourish when the tensions inherent in our work are brought to the surface. We want to create a culture where diverse opinions can be celebrated and can inform our making decisions that work for as many people as possible.

JDM will flourish as more Jews are drawn away from the mainstream Jewish establishment and towards our member organizations. The Jewish establishment claims to speak for all American Jews, while in reality their decisions are driven by a tiny group of top leaders and major donors. In order to draw more Jews towards us, we need to practice what we preach and provide spaces where the voices of those Jews are truly heard and celebrated. We hope to help build consensus around the importance of transparency and participation throughout our movement.