California Will Give Millions To Jewish Camps Destroyed In Wildfires
The Woolsey Fire, seen from Agoura Hills on November 9. Image by Getty Images
(JTA) — The newly passed California state budget includes a number of priorities backed by Jewish legislators, from rebuilding summer camps burned in wildfires to the construction of a new Holocaust museum.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the $214.8 billion budget on Thursday. The budget includes funds for health care, child care and combatting homelessness, according to the Sacramento Bee.
The budget also includes five priorities pushed by the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, a group of a dozen state senators and assembly members, along with four associate members.
The budget allocates $23 million to rebuild Jewish camps destroyed in the Tubbs and Woolsey wildfires in 2017 and 2018 in Northern and Southern California, respectively. It also allocates $15 million to the Nonprofit Grant Security Program, which helps nonprofits, including Jewish institutions, protect against violence and hate crimes.
It provides $6 million to expand Los Angeles’ Holocaust museum.
“The Legislature and the Governor demonstrated a commitment to rebuild Jewish summer camps after the devastating fires, to protect our communities from hate-motivated violence, and to ensure Holocaust Education is a top priority,” said Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, vice chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, in a statement. “Government’s most fundamental responsibility is to protect its citizens, and everyone should feel safe and comfortable in a house of worship, regardless of their faith.”
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