Alan van Capelle was honored today by the Jewish Daily Forward as one of the “Forward 50,” – the newspaper’s annual much-watched list of notable and newsworthy American Jews – in acknowledgment of his career-long activism for social justice and his rising profile in national progressive politics. As the CEO of Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice, a national Jewish social justice organization, Alan mobilizes Jewish voters around the most pressing domestic policy issues facing the nation—immigration, marriage equality, and expanded rights for working people, to name a few.
Guided by Jewish values and with a strong track record of victories for LGBT and workers’ rights, Alan adds a strong moral voice to America’s progressive movement. This year, Alan represented the Jewish community at the 50th anniversary commemoration of the March on Washington, where he addressed the crowd from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial leading with the words, “I speak to you as an American Jew.”
On the day of the Supreme Court landmark ruling rejecting the Defense of Marriage Act and paving the way to legalizing gay marriage, van Capelle joined dozens of cheerful activists outside the court, celebrating the moment. From there he rushed back to New York to share the news with his partner and son.
