A key Minnesota DFL committee voted to advance a Jewish group to the final step before becoming an official Caucus in the party. The July 7 vote was the penultimate step of a long and often thorny ordeal that has left group members and DFL insiders bruised over process and procedure.
The DFL’s Party Affairs Committee advanced the application of the Jewish Community Outreach Organization to the State Central Committee meeting on July 18 by a 13-12 vote. Passing at the SCC would mean it becomes a Caucus and gain a seat on the party’s executive committee.
However, the July 7 meeting was anything but straightforward. The contention came from charges that the process was rushed and proper notice was not given per the DFL rules. Once those challenges were dispensed with, came the challenge of getting the JCOO report to pass.
Ben Weisbuch, the chair of JCOO, said that in the nearly 18 months since their creation, the group has nearly 300 members – many new to the DFL, he claimed – and that it has raised money for the DFL.
“The bottom line is JCOO has done the work,” he told the meeting.
Weisbuch took aim at people who have filed challenges with the DFL’s Constitution, Bylaws, and Rules Committee over practices that fell outside the DFL and JCOO’s constitution. Some of the challenges include: Committees were not formally established following the procedures required, insufficient notice given for meetings, and not following party rules on having three speakers for and three against in debating an issue, among others.
Weisbuch said in his presentation to the PAC that the group had taken the recommendations, which included taking a parliamentarian training and have a neutral chair to run the annual meeting. Weisbuch dismissed it as “individuals who made it their individual mission to tear down JCOO.”
Michael Abramson and Eli Sherman were two of the people that Weisbuch alluded to in raising complaints with the CBRC. Sherman had shared a letter with TC Jewfolk that he attempted to read during the PAC meeting; he was not able to read as he was in the meeting as a guest, but another member did instead.
“I hope that JCOO is able to be upgraded at a different time. Once JCOO and/or its leadership has demonstrated proper respect for the DFL Rules and Process,” Sherman’s letter read. “Currently, this COO is run more like a corporate PAC than an organization seeking to represent the consensus of the Minnesota Jewish Community. As it stands, JCOO is not ready to be honored with the designation of Community Caucus.”
One JCOO member, who granted anonymity to protect against retaliation, said that couldn’t be further from the truth.
“Some people are going to tell you that I don’t want the Jewish Community Outreach Organization [or the] Jewish caucus, and I just want to burn it all down,” they said. “I think it’s really important. I think it’s essential, [and] it would be a miscarriage of justice to not have this. But I also think it’s a bigger miscarriage of justice to weaponize it against the party that’s supporting it.
“As soon as they can show that they can build coalitions, not tear them down, that they deserve a seat at the big kids’ table.”
The “big kids’ table” is a seat on the DFL’s executive committee, which goes to the executive director of a community caucus. Weisbuch getting that “seat at the table” is important.
“I don’t see this as being about rushing the process. It’s about completing a proscribed process that we’ve been working through for nearly two years,” Weisbuch said. “Throughout that time, we’ve followed the requirements laid out by the DFL, submitted the materials that were requested, responded to questions, and made changes when additional guidance was provided. Every time a new issue has been raised, we’ve worked to address it in good faith because we want to get this right.
“We’re not asking for special treatment. We’re simply asking to be held to the same standard as every other constituency caucus that has sought recognition.”
Role of outreach organizations
According to the DFL Constitution, “Each community outreach organization or community caucus exists to embody and strengthen the relationship between its community and the DFL Party and to deepen their mutual commitment, understanding, and accountability.”
It also outlines the requirements that a community outreach organization must have when seeking to be elevated to a caucus: “It maintained an active membership of at least 25 individuals; it organized in multiple representative community locations seeking both metro and greater Minnesota membership representation, when available; it held meetings at least five times per year (including the annual meeting of its full membership); and it completed at least three activities per year that meaningfully engaged its membership and the community.”
The JCOO report to the committee had several areas that led to contentious discussion.
One is the claim that “thousands of dollars were raised” by the organization, but there was no financial statement shared – which shouldn’t have been an issue, theoretically, since the DFL acts as the JCOO bookkeeper.
JCOO treasurer Randy Zats confirmed that the account had a balance of about $2,100 after the state convention, with the only expenditures from last year being $280 for printing and $350 for a banquet room at the state convention.
“The bookkeeping is done by the DFL,” he said. “We have our own ledger page so the DFL can tell us what’s donated. It’s collected, reported, and processed by DFL. It makes it easier for me with compliance.”
Another issue is the activities that have been held.
Sherman, the Minneapolis DFL vice-chair, claims that JCOO is counting doorknocking that he organized for his senate district and a mutual aid event he set up during Operation Metro Surge that Weisbach stopped into as JCOO events.
In Sherman’s letter, he said that JCOO has been “notably absent from any organizing to combat antisemitism in Minnesota or commenting on any of the antisemitism that exists in our country as a whole,” and also “dragging their feet when it comes to organizing for endorsed candidates who they feel are not sufficiently pro-Israel.”
Weisbuch said he didn’t think that characterization reflects the work of JCOO.
“We are a Democratic constituency organization whose mission is to engage Jewish Democrats in Minnesota, encourage civic participation, combat antisemitism, recruit and support Jewish Democrats and allies, and help elect Democrats,” he said. “Our focus is on Jewish Democrats here in Minnesota and strengthening their participation in the DFL. Jewish Democrats are not a monolith, and neither are the members of JCOO.”
This is where being an arm of the DFL comes into play. Community caucuses can’t endorse candidates who are not endorsed by the party through the state convention or senate district caucuses, and community outreach organizations can’t endorse candidates at all. For example, Rep. Angie Craig, one of the candidates for the U.S. Senate, can’t be endorsed by community caucuses because Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan was endorsed at the state convention in May. (Note: Ben Weisbuch’s wife, Miranda, who was elected as JCOO’s membership director at the annual meeting last month, is a paid staffer for Craig’s campaign. She is currently on a leave of absence from JCOO for non-campaign reasons, Weisbuch said.)
“At the annual meeting, I put my hand up and basically asked, ‘Hey, when are we going to start door-knocking for DFL-endorsed candidates?’ Because that’s one of our big responsibilities to get these guys elected.” Sherman said. “I was met with ‘well, I’m not sure if that’s outreach, but we’ll think about it.’”
Sherman also said he didn’t think that statement was one of malice; more of a lack of understanding. “But to me, this shouldn’t be a question,” he said. “This is the thing we do.”
Sherman also said that, in part due to his role with the Minneapolis DFL, he couldn’t help lead the effort and would be happy to connect Weisbuch with the DFL Coordinated Campaign to help organize the event.
“It’s my personal opinion that I think the chair of our organization should be very focused on getting these candidates elected,” he said. “I was hoping he would take on a little bit more of it there, but I’m not sure if he will.”
How JCOO started
JCOO was approved by the DFL State Central Committee in March 2025. The group’s mission statement says it will, in part, “work to strengthen the link between Minnesota’s Jewish community and DFL Party through effective communications, public events, and advocating for policies that improve the lives of all Minnesotans.”
The Jewish community has historically been a reliably Democratic voting bloc, generally in the mid-70 percent range according to exit polling. Weisbuch said that the Jewish male vote for Democrats is lagging behind women: 62 percent of Jewish men voted for Kamala Harris, whereas 86 percent of Jewish women voted for Harris.
In order to get to form, the group had to create a constitution, bylaws, and rules, which the party’s CBRC had to approve. Then, the state executive committee determines that authorizing the group advances the electoral goals of the party. Once it passes those two milestones, then the state central committee votes to approve.
The group organized under the principles of: “(1) electing Minnesota Democrats who share DFL values, (2) recruiting Jewish candidates and allies, (3) dispelling antisemitism throughout the state, and (4) helping unify the DFL Party by finding common cause with the party’s other communities.”
JCOO is now one of 18 authorized outreach organizations or caucuses; others include the African American Caucus, Disability Caucus, Muslim Caucus, and Stonewall DFL, the party’s LGBTQ caucus. There is a one-year probationary period for every new organizing group like the JCOO, which means they won’t be able to endorse candidates until next year. But that one-year period will end in time for the group to endorse before the primary elections in 2026.
One thing that the group didn’t address in their constitution is Israel, which Weisbuch said at the time of the approval in March of 2025 was a strategic decision.
“This is about Minnesota. It’s not about what’s happening in Gaza, it’s about what’s happening in Duluth,” he said in 2025. “We concentrated, frankly, on what we can change and what we can control, which is elections in Minnesota, and changing the lives of Jews and organizing [statewide]. We don’t have control over what’s happening in Gaza and we don’t have control over Netanyahu.”
There was an Israel Committee formed by JCOO, which was one part of the challenge made by Sherman and Abramson. The CBRC panel hearing the challenge found that “based upon clear and convincing evidence that…The committees of JCOO were not properly formed, however, certain committees were subsequently ratified.”
One person who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that what is needed is a “mature, constructive organization that represents all Jews.”
“We’ll have to talk to Jews who are on the fence about the party,” they said. “My hope is that JCOO will work on domestic issues. A lot of organizations work on Israel, [and] if that’s an animating thing, go find it. [The DFL is] going to work on making people’s domestic lives better. I don’t know if JCOO is going to go that way.”
‘The fix is in’
More challenges may be on the way due to the July 7 meeting and the way it was organized – not about JCOO specifically.
Party rules dictate the amount of notice that can be given as well as the methods used. The first could be due to the party’s 10-day notice rule for giving notice for the meeting; there is an option for 72-hour notice if there is a guaranteed method of delivery, which specifically spells out “telephone, personal delivery, or express mail” as the accepted methods.
Another possible issue lay in the timing of the July 18 State Central Committee meeting, as the constitution reads that “This review shall be completed, and the results communicated back to the organization, in time for the results of the review and the committee’s recommendation to be placed on the agenda for the next State Central Committee meeting, but no later than 30 days prior to the next State Central Committee meeting.” This means the PAC review would have needed to happen June 18 at the latest.
“Someone at the top tried to shove this down people’s throats from day 1,” said a longtime Jewish member of the DFL. “They set fire to the DFL constitution.”
Said DFL constitutional expert: “What we have here is that the constitution isn’t a set of rules; it’s a set of suggestions. The fix is in.”
Weisbuch said that ultimately, they’ve followed the guidance they’ve received to the best of their ability.
“Ultimately, any member has the right to utilize the party’s processes if they believe there are issues that should be reviewed,” he said. We respect those processes, and if additional guidance is provided, we’ll follow it.”
The bickering at the meeting got the attention of several PAC members who were put off by the squabbling.
Ken Wilson, a long-time committee member, said during the discussion that while he was speaking in favor of JCOO’s elevation, he was doing so “with a qualification.”
“I have never seen internal conflict amongst a single caucus wants on one hand very badly to become a part of our integral structure,” he said. “We never, in our committee, ever see this kind of stuff that’s going on that we’re hearing tonight. And it’s too bad, because I think that this, the ability for this group to function and be an integral part of our committee, our committee structure, is going to be mooted. It’s exhausting.”
Said Fred Hess: “All the infighting within the organization, and then putting some doubt on whether or not the items that have been reported, makes me just question the report.… I’m a rule follower, and you know, if someone gives me information and they’re following the rules, like I expect them to be honest about it.”
Richard Carlbom said it was important for JCOO to get elevated to caucus status.
“In this moment, in 2026, we need to be the biggest tent party we can, and there’s reasons for us to move forward with this in order to demonstrate to voters of Minnesota that the Jewish community is part of this,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of conversations outside of JCOO with Jewish members of the DFL who are deeply concerned about the direction of our party and whether or not there’s a home for them. Elevating this to a caucus, I think, does that.”
If members are concerned about the leadership of JCOO, Carlbom said there’s a remedy there, too.
“There’s another election next year,” he said. “There are ways for caucuses to handle these internal conflicts, and the question at hand right now is not whether or not we’re going to dig through everything and try to be the judge of the internal conflict. Instead, it’s to ask the question, is this community a group that we want to elevate within our party, to validate within our party, and to ultimately encourage more participation within our party.”
After the contentious vote concluded, the PAC approved the Somali American Outreach Organization for caucus status as well, which passed in a voice vote.
“[The] Somali Caucus is well deserving of being upgraded back to a community caucus,” wrote PAC member Elise Smith-Dewey in the Zoom chat. “We didn’t have this level of info in any way, shape, or form from JCOO.”