Author: Religious Action Center

Lisa Paquette is a junior at American University and an intern at the Religious Action Center.

Equality in the workplace is an
issue that women have been struggling with and continue to deal with. I grew up
with a mother who holds a high-ranking position in the company she works for;
it never occurred to me that this was not the norm. As part of an assignment
from the professor overseeing my internship here at the Religious Action
Center, I had to read a book called Leveling
the Playing Field: Advancing Women in Jewish Organizational Life by
Shifra Bronznick, Didi Goldenhar, and Marty Linsky. This book brings to light
the startling lack of women in high-ranking positions as well as gender equity
within Jewish organizations and is meant to be
used as a physical guidebook to mentor organizational leaders as they attempt
to make changes within their organization.

One organization featured in the
book is Advancing Women Professionals (AWP), whose mission is to “advance women
into leadership positions in Jewish life; stimulate Jewish organizations to
become more equitable, productive and vibrant environments; and promote
policies that support work-life integration and flexibility for professionals
and volunteers.” Leveling the Playing
Field discusses much of the work AWP does in order to achieve its goals,
using statistics, personal accounts, and studies to demonstrate the situation
in the Jewish organizational life. Expanding upon content provided on AWP’s
website, the book suggests some strategies for change that organizations can
implement in order to create gender equity in their workplaces, including
organizational evaluations and goal-setting,

However, the sole purpose of the
book is not to promote women into higher ranking positions but also to further
discussion about creating gender equity in Jewish organizational life. As a
Jewish female working for a Jewish organization, I was intrigued by the book
and by AWP. Having been involved in various Jewish organizations throughout my
life, I reflected back on the leadership of these organizations and realized
that, at the majority of them, men held the highest ranking positions. From my
personal knowledge of some Jewish organizations, it seems as though many are
taking the necessary steps toward the goal of gender equity, including closing
the salary gap between men and women, hiring women to fill top jobs, and
creating new opportunities for women to excel within these organizations.
Slowly, Jewish institutions are providing opportunities for women to advance
within the organization.

Here at the Religious Action
Center, one of the leading positions is held by a woman – our Legislative
Director, Barbara Weinstein, directs legislative policy and oversees the RAC’s Eisendrath Legislative Assistant program, a one-year
fellowship for recent college graduates focusing on Jewish values and social
justice. On a similar note, the ratio of men to women in the office is
well-balanced, and rather than focusing on whose position is higher than
another, everyone at the Religious Action Center works as a strong team. I
believe that the Religious Action Center is a great example of a Jewish
organization that is successful at achieving gender equity within the office.

Besides our own opinions on
equity, what does Judaism have to say about the subject? There are a few places
in the Torah which point toward equity. Genesis teaches us that men and women
were created equally in the image of God. If this is the case, men and women
should be treated equally in the workplace, as well. This idea is also
mentioned is Leviticus 19:13, which states, “You
shall not defraud your neighbor.” All workers deserve to be paid fairly for the
job they perform, regardless of gender. These two examples from the Torah show
that gender equity is an important issue which Reform Judaism values.

Want to do your part to promote
gender equity? Write
to your Senators now in support of the Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 182),
which would strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963 to provide effective
protection against sex-based pay discrimination.

Both within and outside of Jewish
organizational life, it is essential that gender equity is at the forefront of today’s
social and political issues. Women will never receive equal pay and higher
ranking jobs if we do not fight to make it so. Books such as Leveling the Playing Field and
organizations such as AWP are here to help facilitate the process, providing
insight into the steps that must be taken in order to ensure gender equity in
the work force. It is now up to us to take these steps forward.

Proving that social media really is changing the way we
interact, advocate and raise awareness, the United Nations and the Anne Frank
Center USA are honoring Yom Ha’Shoah in a very new way – using Twitter.

Last week, the two organizations launched a Twitter campaign
for students in memory of Anne Frank, one of the Holocaust’s most recognized
victims, whose compelling World War II diary is still widely used as reading
and educational material.

The thrust of the campaign is this: Students are asked to “travel back in
time” and write to Anne through 140-character tweets, essentially
pretending to communicate with her from her family’s hiding spot in Amsterdam.
The project
website asks, “If Anne Frank had had a way to receive Tweets while in
hiding and could have been communicating in secret with other young people in
the world about the persecution and hatred that her family and friends were
experiencing, what messages of support would you have sent Anne? What would you
have told Anne that you have learned from her life and experience?”

Kimberly Mann, Manager of the Holocaust and the UN Outreach Programme in the
Department of Public Information’s Outreach Division, said of the project,
“This exercise is meant to help young people make a meaningful connection
to the Holocaust through the words of a courageous young girl.”

Tweets to Anne should be directed at @UnandHolocaust; the project
will last until Yom Ha’Shoah, Holocaust remembrance Day, on April 11. So what
would you tell Anne Frank? Let us know in the comments or include us in our
tweet (@theRAC).

The Samaritan

Didn’t know the code that day,

and someone was saved.

Beck went into temple.

A mechitza divided

his advertisers.

Normally don’t care

about religious ideas,

but like the option

Is this how it feels

To be a Commie? If so,

I’m happily in.

Wanton acts of hate

are just icing on the cake

for this shill of late.

Three very interesting – and very different – stories in
my inbox this morning remind me of the power of the story of the Israelites’
journey from slavery to freedom. It is, as we are taught, a story for all
times, and one that can inspire all peoples.

1. Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson has a
   powerful column
   today about modern-day slavery in Sudan, making it personal rather than
   abstract by putting names, faces, and heart-wrenching stories to paper. It is
   an urgent wake-up call to the terrible, tragic reality of human rights
   violations in the wake of Sudan’s civil war. Too much to tell in one column,
   Gerson adds some additional thoughts here.

   The report is a tragic reminder that for too many people
   yet today, slavery is not a metaphor for other types of “narrow places” in our
   lives; it is a grim reality.

2. J.J. Goldberg picks up another piece of the Passover
   story in his report
   in The Forward on how Google founder Sergey Brin, who was raised in
   Moscow, became the driving force behind Google’s decision to stop filtering
   search results in China. Influenced by memories of his childhood in Soviet
   Russia – its totalitarian regime and rampant anti-Semitism – Brin was, from the
   outset, wary of doing business with China because of its “censorship
   requirements and totalitarian culture,” The
   Wall Street Journal reports.

   Brin’s actions here remind me of another piece of the
   Passover lesion, that we must act in every age as if we were, personally,
   delivered from Egypt. Brin draws on his personal experience under an
   oppressive regime to help, in his way, bring freedom to others.

3. And finally, this amazing Chava
   Albertstein version (also below) of the Passover song Had Gadia. Written in
   1989, it still feels all too relevant today. Rabbi Marc Gopin translates for us
   (although the pain and longing in Albertson’s voice need no translation):

On all nights, all other nights I asked only Four
Questions.
This night I have another question:
“How long will the cycle of violence continue?”
Chase and be chased, beat and be beaten,
When will… this madness end?
How have you changed,
How are you different?

I changed this year.
I was once a sheep and a tranquil kid
Today I’m a tiger and a ravening wolf
I was once a dove and I was a deer.
Today I don’t know who I am.

I hope your celebration of Passover is joyous,
meaningful, and rewarding.

Camp Newman, one of the Union for Reform Judaism’s 13 summer camps, has created Kibbutz Yarok, an eco-friendly Kibbutz, on its campgrounds. Kibbutz Yarok, located in Santa Rosa, California, now has the opportunity to receive a grant through Hazon – but to win, it needs your votes!

To vote, visit Hazon’s California Ride Grants Voting page and scroll down to the “Camp Newman-Swig, Kibbutz Yarok” box to vote. As of this morning, Kibbutz Yarok is ranked in first place! Voting closes at the end of the day tomorrow, when the top 10 organizations with the most votes will be eligible to receive grants from the Hazon California Ride.

At Kibbutz Yarok, more than 2,000 Jewish campers yearly learn
to connect Judaism and Jewish values to their environment by working in
an organic garden, where they’re taught sustainable practices like
composting, water conservation, and farming techniques. Campers also
grow their own herbs and vegetables mentioned in the Torah and learn to
care for food-producing animals; the food and vegetables culled on
Kibbutz Yarok are then served to the entire camp. Campers also engineer
and construct energy-efficient mud huts, made entirely of recycled
materials or materials of the earth.

Grants this year – including funds from Hazon, if Camp Newman wins –
will allow Kibbutz Yarok to make use of a small lake, teaching campers
first-hand about solar energy and lighting, as well as to enhance and
enlarge the organic garden and complete construction of a prayer site
overlooking the lake. Voting is easy and will help ensure that Jewish campers learn the importance of l’avod v l’shomreh, “to till and to tend” the land (Genesis 2:15).

Be sure to check out the other projects up for grants, too, because
Kibbutz Yarok is in good company. Among the other nominees are:

• Kibbutz Lotan, the model
  for Kibbutz Yarok. Kibbutz Lotan’s Green Apprenticeship Scholarship
  Fund in Israel trains young professionals in environmental and
  sustainable practices and community-building.

• Peninsula Temple Beth El‘s
  Temple Community Garden. This Reform synagogue in San Mateo,
  California, hopes to raise environmental awareness by building a
  community garden and compost area that brings the congregation’s
  different groups together to share in the responsibility of tending to
  it.
• Uri L’Tzedek’s Tav HaYosher,
  or Ethical Seal. This free service offered to kosher restaurants and
  the kosher community ensures workers’ rights to adequate pay and a safe
  working environment.

Photo credit: jweekly.com

While
I’m busy with preparations for tomorrow evening’s seder, our
communications fellow Clare has some timely thoughts for you on food,
justice, and Pesach:

“You are what you eat” is an expression whose literalism used to
annoy me – I ate an apple; have I become an apple? – but I have
come to understand it differently: I must eat everyday, and several
times a day, so that eating is an essential action, and one so vital it
could seem mundane were it not for the joy of good food and the sanctity
of the act of eating.  Many of us say a bracha over food,
signifying the sacredness of what we are about to consume; the blessing
is said over bread and not wheat, which emphasizes the necessary
collaboration of man and God to make the world work ethically. 

Choosing what I eat reflects who I am, as we now live in the age of
globalized food, in which a visit to the supermarket presents a dazzling
array of options from around the world, complicating the decision of
what to eat, and making every purchase a potential reflection of
personal identity.
  

But I should not generalize too much, as the saying “you are what you
eat” contains its opposite as well: if you do not eat, then you are
not.  Mahatma Gandhi said, “there are people in the world so hungry
that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread,” words
which strike me at once as true and undeniable, even though I have no
idea of what it means to be truly hungry.

So there are two sides to the question of food justice to be addressed:
for those of us who face an overabundance of food, which food should we
eat? Which way of eating is most ethical, the best for the planet? And
for the hungry, how do we feed those living in overpopulated and
impoverished parts of the world, and how do we feed them justly?

We live in God’s world, but we tear it apart, dismantling natural
systems, dismissing what we do not know or understand, and implementing
our own inferior models.  And yet, worrying about what we put in our own
mouths is only half the battle: eating is an action, a choice – we must
take responsibility not only to feed ourselves in the most ethical way
possible, but to satisfy the hunger of others as well.  For those who
are hungry and cannot choose when or what they eat, they are denied a
full existence: you are what you eat.

In the Pesach seder, the dramatization of redemption is symbolized by
what we eat, when bread is transformed from the bread of affliction into
the bread of freedom.  That action, also heralded by the teaching “let
all who are hungry come and eat,” is the blueprint for food justice.

Wishing you all a very healthy and happy Pesach.  Please click here to make a donation to Keren B’Kavod to
provide meals for those who would go hungry this holiday season. 
And click here to read Rabbi Eric Yoffie’s recent
thoughts on Judaism and food.

Lynn Rosenthal, the White House Advisor on Violence Against Women, recently wrote a compelling blog post on The White House Blog about how victims of domestic abuse will benefit from the recently enacted health care reform bill. The post itself is titled “For Victims of Domestic Violence, Health Care is a Lifeline,” which really says it all, right? In case you want a little more, she says, in part:

These women are not strangers – they are our daughters, our mothers, our sisters, our co-workers, and our neighbors. For victims of domestic violence, access to health care is critical. They need treatment for immediate injuries and ongoing care for related health problems. They need to be able to talk to their health care provider about the cause of their injuries without fear of losing their health insurance. Most importantly, they need our compassion and support.

Yet until last night, insurance companies in eight
states and the District of Columbia could still discriminate against
victims by declaring domestic violence a preexisting condition.
Domestic violence victims in those states faced the real risk of being
denied health care at the very time when they needed it the most.
Because of last night’s vote, domestic violence victims in those states
will no longer face discrimination.

While we’re on the topic,
let’s not forget that one in three women worldwide will be abused –
physically, sexually, or otherwise – sometime during the course of her
lifetime. One in three women. Take a look at your three closest female
friends. Or at your sister, mother and grandmother. The odds say that one in three
will be the victim of domestic abuse – and that’s a lot of friends,
mothers, grandmothers, aunts and sisters. That’s thousands of lives ravaged by
senseless, gender-based violence.

In
some countries, domestic abuse rates soar as high as 70%. While this
week’s health care reform will provide much-needed respite to American
women suffering from this devastating violence, let’s not forget about
those suffering abroad. The International Violence Against Women Act
(S. 2982/H.R. 4594) would make the issue of violence against women a
major diplomatic priority.
It would provide concrete tools to women and others fighting to change
the circumstances which lead to violence against women and girls. The
bill, commonly called IVAWA, supports U.S. programs around the globe
that help prevent violence, support health and survivor services,
encourage legal accountability and a change in public attitudes,
promote access to economic opportunity and education for women and
girls, and support existing similar initiatives worldwide.

As
we celebrate this week’s health care reform victory, including its
impact on victims of domestic abuse, remember that the work of social
justice is never done. Please take
a moment to ask Congress to protect victims of domestic abuse
everywhere by passing the International Violence Against Women Act.
Friends, mothers, grandmothers, aunts and sisters everywhere thank you
for your compassion – and, most importantly, for your advocacy.

If, as I suggested yesterday, the
annual AIPAC Policy Conference is political theatre, then the Banquet is the
real show-stopper. It is the emotional high point, especially when, as this
year, the keynote speaker is the Prime Minister of Israel.

Last
night, just under 8,000 people sat down for dinner at the Washington Convention
Center to celebrate U.S./Israel relations and, not coincidently, AIPAC itself. Full
disclosure: For the first time in years, I skipped the dinner and watched the
speeches from the comfort of my couch. I know that I missed some of the impact,
but I did not have stand in line for security or to sit in a dark corner of the
hall, and I’m pretty sure the food was better at my house! Watching at home
also meant that I paid far more attention to the speeches than is normally the
case, and, I think it’s fair to say, than is the true for most in the room.

Before the
speeches, though, came the “roll call.” AIPAC’s welcoming of the elected
officials and other VIP’s in attendance at the Policy Conference. There is
something impressive, exciting, and a bit comical about the “roll call,” in
which AIPAC Executive Director Howard Kohr and two board members sprint through
hundreds of names, that, according to this great
report by Eric Fingerhut for JTA, included 59 Senators (just one short of the
elusive super-majority!) and 269 Representatives.

The major
speech was that of Prime Minister Netanyahu. It was, I thought, a bit of a
strange speech. (AIPAC
offers both a transcript and a video of the speech; I’d recommend the video, embedded
at the bottom of this post!)

The
section on Jerusalem got the most coverage, and it was powerful:

The connection between the Jewish
people and the Land of Israel cannot be denied.

The connection between the Jewish people and Jerusalem cannot be denied.

The Jewish people were building Jerusalem 3,000 year ago and the Jewish people
are building Jerusalem today.

Jerusalem is not a settlement. It is our capital. In Jerusalem, my government
has maintained the policies of all Israeli governments since 1967, including
those led by Golda Meir, Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Rabin.

This
section of his speech received the loudest applause, as was the case when
Howard Kohr used a similar line earlier that day. But much of the speech was
rambling, and uncomfortably formal for the Prime Minister’s speaking style.

Although
he made no explicit mention of the current tensions, toward the end of his
remarks the Prime Minister focused on the nature of the U.S./Israel relationship:

For decades, Israel served as a
bulwark against Soviet expansionism. Today it is helping America stem the tide
of militant Islam.

Israel shares with America everything we know about fighting a new kind of
enemy.

We share intelligence. We cooperate in countless other ways that I am not at
liberty to divulge. This cooperation is important for Israel and is helping
save American lives.

Our soldiers and your soldiers fight against fanatic enemies that loathe our
common values.

In the eyes of these fanatics, we are you and you are us.

To them, the only difference is that you are big and we are small. You are the
Great Satan and we are the Little Satan.

This fanaticism’s hatred of Western civilization predates Israel’s
establishment by over one thousand years.

Militant Islam does not hate the West because of Israel. It hates Israel
because of the West –

Because it sees Israel as an outpost of freedom and democracy that prevents
them from overrunning the Middle East.

That is why when Israel stands against its enemies; it stands against America’s
enemies.

There is
much more to say about the 2010 AIPAC Policy conference, but fortunately, much
of it has already been said. JTA has great coverage on its Capital J blog, and I liked
this Jeffrey Goldberg critique of the narrowness of the AIPAC program, and NPR’s
coverage of Secretary Clinton’s speech. I also enjoyed Natasha Mozgovaya‘s
reports in Haaertz (here
and here),
and Allison Hoffman and Marc Tracy’s coverage
in Tablet.

Pesach is fast approaching, and as we’ve regularly reminded you here on the RACblog, the holiday is a great time to draw parallels between our history and the present. We’ve provided you some ways to integrate social action into your Seder; earlier this week, a high school student from Arkansas told you about his confirmation class’ project to address current hunger issues in conjunction with traditional Passover themes.

Today, JTA published an op-ed by Rabbi Elliott A. Kleinman, chief programming officer of the Union for Reform Judaism and a board member of Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger. The piece, titled “At Passover, a plea for the Child Nutrition Bill,” addresses
the modern-day plague of hunger, especially among children. He writes:

…It is the specifics of the seder’s message of freedom from hunger
that cries out to us from across this land of plenty in which so many
don’t have even enough food to eat. The need to eat is the most basic
of human needs. It is a need so vital that we must say that no one who
is hungry can be considered free in any sense of the word.

For the Americans who live in poverty and for whom hunger is
the defining feature of daily subsistence, hunger is enslavement. For
when all your emotional and physical resources and energy must be
channeled into the quest for basic sustenance, nothing is left over for
anything else – nothing left to give to your children, nothing left
over for education, nothing left over to look around at the rest of the
world, nothing left to find the means to move out of slavery.

And it is the epitome of cynicism to proclaim that access to
adequate nutrition is not at the core of poverty in the United States
today.

As with most of society’s ills and failures, children suffer the most. They are dependent on adults for whatever they receive.

For Jews, taking care of our children and the children of our
communities is a moral imperative. Psalm 82: 3-4 calls upon us to
“defend the poor and the orphan; deal justly with the poor and the
destitute, and to rescue the weak and the needy.”

So it is appropriate at Passover time and our call to the hungry among
us that we also raise our voices to Congress to re-authorize the Child
Nutrition Bill. This bill funds free and reduced-price lunches in our
public schools, summer and afterschool food programs, free breakfast
programs and the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and
Children (WIC), which provides vital nutritious foods to new mothers,
infants and children up to age 5. Food that is made available staves
off serious health and social problems that occur later in life as a
result of poor nutrition during the key developmental years.

Read the rest
of Rabbi Kleinman’s op-ed here and let us know what you think. How will
you use this Pesach to raise awareness of child hunger and to advocate
for laws that will ensure no child goes hungry?

We encourage you to host a Child Nutrition Seder of your own, or to use our simple one-page insert to incorporate elements of advocacy and awareness into your traditional Seder. You can also write to Congress
now in support of the Child Nutrition Bill – and encourage your
friends, family members and fellow congregants to do the same. Learn
more at www.rac.org/childnutrition.

Joining a month-long interfaith call for comprehensive climate change and clean energy legislation, the Religious Action Center today sent a letter of support to all members of the Senate.
The Reform Movement is one of many faith communities urging the Senate to pass comprehensive and equitable legislation that guards our planet and its inhabitants, especially the most vulnerable, from the effects of environmental degradation. You can add your voice to the mix by writing to Congress now to demand comprehensive climate and energy legislation.

Today’s letter, signed by our Director, Rabbi David Saperstein, highlights the need to act urgently and ensure that legislation is guided by principles of sustainability, stewardship, and social justice. Full text of the letter is after the jump:

Dear Senator,

On behalf of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), whose more
than 900 congregations across North America encompass 1.5 million
Reform Jews, and the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR),
whose membership includes over 1800 Reform rabbis, I urge you to make
passage of comprehensive climate and energy legislation a priority this
year.

This month we join with a diverse faith-based coalition
urging Congress to work swiftly to enact legislation that will
drastically reduce global warming pollution and ensure that all people
are protected from the impacts of climate change. It is past time for
the Senate to address this environmental, economic, public health, and
security challenge, and make our nation a global environmental and
clean energy leader.

Comprehensive climate legislation should be rooted in the
principles of stewardship, sustainability, and social justice,
protecting both God’s creation and all people, especially those most
vulnerable to the effects of both climate change and new energy
policies. First and foremost, climate legislation must set ambitious,
science-based targets for reducing global warming pollution and rapidly
increasing clean energy production. To honor our call from the Book of
Genesis “to till and to tend” our world, we call for climate
legislation that responds to the scientific consensus that warming
greater than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels could be
catastrophic for our planet and for millions of people worldwide.

Meeting this goal requires that the government maintain the
ability to enforce existing legislation, and that we avoid
short-sighted and unsustainable energy alternatives. We are discouraged
by the efforts of some in the Senate to attack our most effective
environmental laws and agencies and urge you to oppose any attempts,
either through comprehensive climate legislation or stand-alone bills,
to obstruct or delay the EPA in acting to protect human and ecological
health by regulating global warming pollution under the Clean Air Act.

Further, our community strongly opposes expanding oil and
natural gas drilling off our nation’s shores, in the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge, and in other ecologically sensitive areas. Simply
transitioning to domestic fossil fuel sources is a short-sighted
non-solution that will not yield the resources to meet long-term energy
needs, spur sustained economic growth, or ensure the environmental
protection that will derive from moving to a truly clean and
sustainable energy economy.

Protecting those living in poverty must also be a central
principle of climate legislation. In addition to aid for consumers in
the U.S., climate legislation must provide adaptation assistance for
the world’s most vulnerable communities in developing nations who are
already facing climate change impacts that threaten food security and
economic development. Several public and private studies estimate that
at least $25 billion per year will be needed to meet this need. As the
largest historical emitter of greenhouse gases and a global economic
leader, our nation has a commensurate responsibility to help the
poorest people adapt to climate change. This is not only a moral issue
but a prerequisite to achieving an international climate agreement,
without which the global community will be unable to meet the climate
challenge.

We are inspired by our tradition to fight for a climate and
energy future that protects our earth and all of its inhabitants. Our
sages remind us to “Take care, lest you spoil and destroy my world,
because if you do, there is no one after you to make it right again”
(Kohelet Rabbah 7:13). We are also taught that “If all the sufferings
and pain in the world were gathered on one side of the scale, and
poverty was on the other side, poverty would outweigh them all” (Exodus
Rabbah 31:14). As people of faith, we urge you to join us in working
toward a healthier and safer environment and seeking justice for those
most in need through climate and energy legislation that safeguards our
planet and creates sustainable pathways to prosperity for all people.

This year, you have an historic opportunity to put our nation
on the course to a more sustainable and equitable energy and
environmental future, and we applaud those who are working to move
climate legislation forward. At this critical moment, the Reform Jewish
community urges you to protect our environment and all of its
inhabitants by working toward passage of strong, equitable,
comprehensive climate legislation in 2010.

Even
in the most placid times, the annual is
spectacular in every sense of the world. It’s huge (some 7,000 participants), fantastically presented (I’m pretty
sure they have two or three times the RAC’s annual budget on A/V for their plenary
sessions alone!), and features the biggest speakers in the business (this year:
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
are the headliners).

When
it comes to U.S./Israel relations, these are, of course, far from placid
times. This year’s AIPAC conference,
which began on Sunday and ended today, comes just a week after some of the
most serious, and public, disagreements between the American and Israeli
governments in recent memory. The Policy
Conference is always great political theatre; this year it is, more
specifically, great drama.

Much
of that drama centered on Secretary Clinton’s appearance. What would she say? Would she be critical of Israeli settlement
policy? How would she be received?

Secretary
Clinton spoke yesterday morning, entering and exiting to standing ovations. The AIPAC
website has the full text of her speech, excerpts from the speech, as well as
video highlights and as video of the full speech (did I mention that AIPAC is
good at this stuff?). (JTA’s coverage of
the speech is here,
Politico’s is here, and the
New York Times’ is here.)

My
take? I thought was a remarkable speech
– powerful, honest, eloquent, and in turns reassuring and challenging to her
audience.

A
few excerpts follow.

First,
reassurance, in stirring language:

And let
me assure you, as I have assured you on previous occasions with large groups
like this and small intimate settings, for President Obama and for me, and for
this entire Administration, our commitment to Israel’s security and Israel’s
future is rock solid, unwavering, enduring, and forever.”

And this:

Our countries and our peoples are bound together by our
shared values of freedom, equality, democracy, the right to live free from
fear, and our common aspirations for a future of peace, security and
prosperity, where we can see our children and our children’s children … those generations come of age in peace, with
the opportunity to fulfill their own God-given potentials.

And, critically, this, on Iran, the
self-described “#1 issue” at the conference:

In addition to threatening Israel, a nuclear-armed Iran
would embolden its terrorist clientele and would spark an arms race that could
destabilize the region. This is unacceptable. It is unacceptable to the United
States. It is unacceptable to Israel. It is unacceptable to the region and the
international community. So let me be very clear: The United States is
determined to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Then more challenging words, at
least for this audience:

… We cannot ignore the long-term population trends that
result from the Israeli occupation. As Defense Minister Barak and others have
observed, the inexorable mathematics of democracy – of demography are hastening
the hour at which Israelis may have to choose between preserving their
democracy and staying true to the dream of a Jewish homeland. Given this
reality, a two-state solution is the only viable path for Israel to remain both
a democracy and a Jewish state.

It was on the question of
settlements, and, specifically, the construction approved last week, during
Vice President Biden’s visit to Israel, in Ramat
Shlomo that Secretary Clinton most directly spoke to the current tensions:

New construction in East Jerusalem or the West Bank
undermines that mutual trust and endangers the proximity talks that are the
first step toward the full negotiations that both sides say want and need. And
it exposes daylight between Israel and the United States that others in the
region hope to exploit. It undermines America’s unique ability to play a role –
an essential role – in the peace process. Our credibility in this process
depends in part on our willingness to praise both sides when they are
courageous, and when we don’t agree, to say so, and say so unequivocally.

Secretary Clinton ended with a
moving passage, evoking the upcoming Passover holiday, and pledging American
support for Israel:

We are entering the season of
Passover. The story of Moses resonates for people of all faiths, and it teaches
us many lessons, including that we must take risks, even a leap of faith, to
reach the promised land. When Moses urged the Jews to follow him out of Egypt,
many objected. They said it was too dangerous, too hard, too risky. And later,
in the desert, some thought it would be better to return to Egypt. It was too
dangerous, too hard, too risky. In fact, I think they formed a back-to-Egypt
committee and tried to stir up support for that. And when they came to the very
edge of the promised land, there were still some who refused to enter because
it was too dangerous, too hard, and too risky.

But Israel’s history is the story of brave men and women who took risks. They
did the hard thing because they believed and knew it was right. We know that
this dream was championed by Herzl and others that many said was impossible.
And then the pioneers – can you imagine the conversation, telling your mother
and father I’m going to go to the desert and make it bloom. And people
thinking, how could that ever happen? But it did. Warriors who were so gallant
in battle, but then offered their adversaries a hand of peace because they
thought it would make their beloved Israel stronger. Israel and the generations
that have come have understood that the strongest among us is often the one who
turns an enemy into a friend. Israel has shed more than its share of bitter
tears. But for that dream to survive, for the state to flourish, this
generation of Israelis must also take up the tradition and do what seems too
dangerous, too hard, and too risky. And of this they can be absolutely sure:
the United States and the American people will stand with you. We will share
the risks and we will shoulder the burdens, as we face the future together.

Rev. Linda Hanna Walling is the Executive Director of Faithful Reform in Health Care. This piece first appeared in an e-newsletter today from Faithful Reform.

The atmosphere was electric; the anticipation almost too much to bear. It was a bright sunny Sunday afternoon in Washington, DC. and the buds of the trees on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol were bursting into bloom. Both supporters and opponents of health care reform were mixing it up with signs and rhetoric. Friends in the immigration reform movement were passing through on their way to join 100,000 others who were demonstrating on the Mall for comprehensive immigration reform. Hill staffers were giving away gallery tickets for those who wanted to view the floor proceedings. Television and print media were everywhere.

Thanks to an effort initiated by Catholics United, people of faith lined the path where lawmakers would walk from their offices to the House Chamber in the Capitol. The point? To offer a peaceful, respectful, and supportive presence in response to the appalling incident the day before in which a tea-bagger spat upon and yelled a vile racial epithet at Congressman Emanuel Cleaver (MO-5), a United Methodist clergyman. We made our point!

At first, just a few Representatives made their way to the Capitol,
stopping, chatting, shaking our hands, and thanking us. Then it
happened. En masse, House members supportive of meaningful health care
reform walked by. For a few moments, we went crazy and celebrated.
History was being made, and people of faith were standing in the
presence of the persons who in a few hours would take a vote which
would put the health care needs of hurting people above all else. As
they walked away, we knew that, just before entering the Capitol, those
lawmakers were up close and personal with a faith-inspired vision of
health care for all.

Those of us who were there knew that we represented all of you from all
across the country who helped make that moment possible. We knew that
our signs “People of Faith for Health Care Reform” demonstrated your
heart, your commitment, and your vision of a more compassionate health
care future. Together… in person, in spirit, or in prayer… your
witness helped carry the moment.

In the days ahead we will have many opportunities to say thank you —
to Members of Congress who did the right thing, to each other for the
important work we did together, and to our allies for the collective
efforts that led to victory. But for the moment, I offer words of
gratitude on behalf of those who will be afforded health, wholeness,
and human dignity because of our work. (To help us all understand how
much this legislation advances our vision, watch for ongoing “Reasons
to be Grateful” updates.)

Health Care Reform: Five Reasons to Be Grateful

• For the first time in our history, lawmakers have made a national legislative commitment to health care.
• 32 million uninsured persons will gain access to insurance over the coming years.
• The gap in Medicare prescription drug coverage (the “doughnut hole”) for senior adults will be closed.
• Insurance companies will be prohibited from denying insurance to persons with pre-existing conditions.
• Young adults will be permitted to remain on parents’ insurance plans until age 26.

Of course, in the midst of this victory, we know that our work is not
done, and acknowledge our continuing call for health care justice. The
next step is the Senate vote. Beyond that, until our immigrant brothers
and sisters experience the benefits of health care reform, until
disparities in health care delivery are eliminated, until the needs of
people are placed above profits, and until we recognize as a nation
that we are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, our work is not done. I
rejoice that so many of you have already committed to the journey
ahead!

Last night, we witnessed history in the making. After a long, hard battle, Congress voted to pass the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, an historic piece of legislation that will bring our nation closer to necessary and long-overdue reform of our broken health insurance system.

So many Reform Movement activists took action through the Religious Action Center’s website. You signed our petition to Congress, you joined the faith community’s conference call with President Obama, and you wrote to your lawmakers to demand comprehensive reform. You took democracy into your own hands and told Congress that the status quo is unacceptable – that health care should be a right, not a privilege.

The House’s action moves us closer to reform based on the principles
for which we have firmly advocated: protection of low income and other
vulnerable populations, higher quality and more affordable care, and a
system based on a financially sustainable foundation. The bill adopted
by the House is not perfect, but it is necessary – and will help us
provide a healthy future for millions of Americans.

Guided by teachings in our sacred texts, we remain committed
to the passage of health insurance reform that provides the highest
quality of care for the greatest number of Americans. Yesterday’s
House-passed bill brings us closer to that goal, and we are proud of
the role that you, Reform Movement activists, played in this critical
victory.

Thank you for all you do.

Keren B’Kavod, IRAC’s
humanitarian aid project, has a “no photography” policy. For Keren
B’Kavod, whose name translates to “The Dignity Fund,” dignity begins with a
decision not to exploit needy people by photographing them in misery. This goes against tradition – we’ve been trained that the way to our wallets
must be through emotional extortion, and so we’re given photos of children with
distended bellies and families with sad-eyed looks of deprivation. I like
to call it humanitarian aid pornography.

Keren B’Kavod rejects this
practice. We give with dignity by breaking with tradition. We take
photos of happy people packing food and care packages for others; we photograph
the hands that give and not the hands that receive.

Lately, Keren B’Kavod has
been logging especially long hours. While most of the country was still
in full Purim mode, our Keren B’Kavod team was busy coordinating with dozens of
Reform congregations, schools, and welfare agencies to pull together enough
volunteers to pack hundreds of holiday food and care packages to be distributed
throughout Israel during the Pesach season. Tons and tons of packages
will soon be filled with rice, olives, canned carrots and peas, hummus, tuna,
potato flour, chicken soup, matza meal, pickles, pineapples, chocolate spread
and cocoa, jam, coffee, tea, toothpaste and shampoo.

One of the most impressive
things about Keren B’Kavod is its practice of giving to absolutely every sector
of Israeli society: Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze, Bedouins, foreign
workers, refugees; our Reform Jewish congregations are the only religious
stream in Israel which gives to minorities. There is no discrimination,
and no one is turned away. We operate according to the teaching “let all who
are hungry come and eat” by recognizing that food alone is insufficient
nourishment. To this end, recipients of the packages often work alongside
volunteers, and the project is turned from simple packing into something
empowering and fun.  Israelis who would not encounter each other in daily
life are brought together.

And while Israelis have a
reputation for being lazy philanthropists, over 50% of donations to  come from within Israel. But we never have enough food to give to
all our recipients. The need is greater than ever before.

Please join me in giving to
Keren B’Kavod. Click here to make a donation to Keren B’Kavod – just $54
will buy enough food to fill a box and have it delivered to a family this
Pesach.

Rev. Cliff Frasier is the Faith Coordinator for the Service Employees International Union’s (SEIU) Healthcare Reform Campaign.

These final days leading up to the anticipated health care vote, policy-making of the past year and decades of debate on health care reform will finally come to a head. On behalf of those working and volunteering for our collaborative faith-coalitions, we say “thank you” to the thousands of thoughtful supporters whose letters, phone calls, emails, attendance at rallies, prayers and donations have collectively brought our campaign to where we stand now: one congressional process away from enacting historic reform.

Never before have we stood so close to reform on the one hand and defeat on the other.

The legislation is a far cry from what many of us had originally fought for, but its passage will be a game-changer moving forward. When Social Security passed 75 years ago, its provisions did not cover teachers, government workers, firms with fewer than 10 employees, librarians, and many other professions. It lacked coverage for 2/3 of African Americans and ½ of women. But today we are thankful that it did pass, setting us on the right road to dignity for all older Americans. With prayerful expectation, we believe that today’s health care legislation will clear the way for a better health care tomorrow.
At the moment, the news cycle has turned encouraging, and the vote is
on track for Sunday March 21. A number of House members whose support
hinges on restricting federal funds for abortion have indicated they
will vote “yes” – most notably Dale Kildee (MI 5) and Jim Oberstar (MN
8). A “no” voter the first time around, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (OH 10),
has been persuaded to move into the “yes” column. And the Congressional
Budget Office’s score of the bill reassures that not only is health
care reform deficit neutral, but will reduce the deficit within 10
years and by over a trillion dollars in the second 10 years.

But let’s not count our chickens before they’re hatched. Until the
House reaches the majority of 216 votes, our work is not done.
Congressional offices are busy tallying the calls, for and against.
Every call for health care reform reminds Congress: We voted for
progress and change, and we voted for a better health care future. With
a sense of urgency, let’s keep up the outreach to our representatives
in this final stretch, reminding them that we will thank and support
them down the road when and if they deliver.

Jordan Namerow is the Senior Communications Associate of
American Jewish World Service.

Why
does a typical family in the developing world spend 80 percent of its income on
food? Why are more than a billion people chronically hungry when our planet
produces more than enough food to feed everyone? These are just two of the
questions that Jewish communities around the world will be exploring this
weekend during Global Hunger Shabbat.

Global
Hunger Shabbat was created by American Jewish World Service (AJWS) as a
day of solidarity, education, reflection and advocacy to raise awareness about
global hunger, why it exists and what can be done to help the more than one
billion people worldwide–60 percent of whom are women–without sufficient food.

You
might be wondering, why should Jews care about global hunger? As many of us
know well, food is a central part of Jewish experience–challah, matzoh ball
soup, kreplach, corned beef, kishkes, cholent, I could go on. Culinary
affinities aside, food is at the core of our very existence. In the words of Pirke
Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) 3:21, “Without sustenance, there is no Torah.”
In other words, without food, there is no education, no progress, no justice.
Without food, it is impossible to think and impossible to thrive.

If
food is fundamental to Judaism, then its inverse–hunger–is antithetical to
living a Jewish life. As Jews, it’s our responsibility to help create a more
just world, and that includes making sure that everyone has access to the food
they need.

As
part of its Fighting Hunger from the Ground Up
campaign, AJWS is supporting over 80 grassroots organizations in the developing
world that are implementing sustainable solutions to global hunger: creating
“kitchen garden” programs in urban areas; teaching women how to farm using
agro-ecological farming methods; developing seed banks and innovative storage
facilities for harvested crops; advocating for the land and water rights of
marginalized indigenous populations and much more.

An
estimated 5,000 people from 100 synagogues, 30 college campuses and 40
independent communities in 20 U.S. states, Canada,
New Zealand, India, Cape
Verde, Uganda, Kenya,
Cambodia and Thailand
will be observing Global Hunger Shabbat, using original
educational resources created by AJWS, free and downloadable on the AJWS
website.

Congregations
in New York, L.A.,
Reno, Austin, Stamford, and in many
other cities are hosting events ranging from a social justice learner’s service
to a scholar-in-residence program on Jews and food around the world; from
discussions about synagogue gardens to conversations about organic food
production and how to connect with local farmers. In Portland, Oregon,
an alumnus of AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps, has organized Global Hunger
Shabbat as a kick-off event to jumpstart a new Jewish social justice community.
And in Scarsdale, New York,
the Global Hunger Shabbat gathering at the Westchester Reform
Temple will be joined by
Congresswoman Nita Lowey!

Even
if you or your congregation can’t participate in Global Hunger Shabbat, we
encourage you to use AJWS’s resources on global hunger including a prayer
for people living in hunger around the world, text
study resources, and youth
activities and lesson plans any time during the year.

For
more information about Fighting Hunger from the Ground Up and to sign up
for Global Hunger Shabbat, visit http://ajws.org/hunger/. Be sure
to also check out our “From the Ground” blog.

Passover is coming, and it’s a perfect time to engage in social justice advocacy and awareness while remembering the story of our slavery in Egypt.

Each year during the Seder we read, “Let all who are
hungry come and eat.” This Pesach, the organized Jewish community – including the RAC, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, and Mazon – want to help you raise anti-poverty and anti-hunger awareness during your traditional Passover Seder.
You can:

• Incorporate
  elements of the Child Nutrition Seder using the Religious Action Center’s easy
  one-pager at any time during your Seder
• Host a Child
  Nutrition Seder using the Jewish Council for Public Affairs’ special Haggadah 

Help release the shackles of hunger that bind our children and
prevent them from achieving their full potential. You can learn more by visiting our Child Nutrition Seder page
or by contacting RAC Legislative Assistant David Goodman at 202-387-2800.

Still yearning for more social justice in your Passover celebrations? On March 23, 2010, from 3-4:00pm EDT, join us for a
Passover webinar, “The Long Road to the Promised Land: Social Justice
Perspectives on Home Seders.” Rabbi Sue Levi Elwell, URJ Worship Specialist, and
Naomi Abelson, URJ Social Action Specialist, will explore ideas for deepening the
experience and raising the consciousness of those gathered around your Seder
table. Learn more and register now.

Want even more Passover resources? Visit the RAC’s
Passover page
or the URJ’s Passover page, where you’ll find a virtual Seder plate, a Darfur-themed Haggadah, and more.

The House of Representatives will vote this week on the Senate version of health insurance reform legislation, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590). This critical vote will affect the ability to pass a final health reform package this year and expand coverage to millions of uninsured Americans, protect low-income and vulnerable populations, rest on a financially sustainable foundation and guarantee affordability of care.

How can you help? Urge your Representative to vote “yes” on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care (H.R. 3590) this week. The Capitol Switchboard can be reached at 1-888-797-8717, or you can use our Chai Impact Legislative Action Center to send an email to make your voice heard. For more information, contact our Legislative Assistant Rebecca Katz at 202.387.2800 or visit www.jewsforhealthcarereform.org, where you’ll find blog posts, press releases, videos, and other resources on the fight for reform.

Don’t forget to ask your friends and family to take action, too! Your voice is vital to moving forward with this legislation and achieving successful reform. The time is now.

This post first appeared at RJ.org.

In the
middle of the night, I awoke to the sound of rain on my window, which is
typical this time of year in Port-au-Prince. From the comfort of my warm bed,
the sound of the rain on the window was pleasant and soothing. That is, until I
woke up and remembered where I was and that all around me there lay thousands
of families sleeping in tents that are ill-equipped to provide adequate shelter
from rain, winds and floods sure to sweep through the region during the
hurricane season.

These tent
cities have emerged all across Port-au-Prince and the surrounding area. They
have sprung up in every inch of space available – empty lots, front lawns,
sidewalks, parks and even in the streets blocking traffic. In some cases, these
tent cities are well-funded. When driving through the city, you may notice an
organized grid of strong, durable tents and sanitation systems, organized by
NGOs (including UNICEF, UN Foundation or Feed the Children) through funds
received by individual donors or organizations like ours. However, more often
what you see when driving through the city is a series of make-shift tents,
cobbled together with rope and sticks, tarps and bed sheets.

Upon a
closer glance, you will see “regular” street life continuing as best it can in
these horrific conditions. Groups of women sit together in the hot sun, cooking
rice and beans and washing clothing. Children pour soapy water over their heads
as they stand in buckets, bathing. A group of men huddle together to watch a
soccer match on a small tv set that has been setup on the sidewalk. Or, an
improvised “storefront,” selling three mangoes, a pair of flip-flops or a
couple bottles of Coke – whatever items the owner may have in excess.

In Port-au-Prince, we walked through one of these tent cities. Criss-crossing
our way among family tents, we played with the children and heard stories from
survivors. One man, trained as a carpenter, can’t find work to support his
family. Another was turned away from rescue efforts immediately following the earthquake,
despite his disaster relief training (he even showed us a certificate to prove
his training). A mother told us that for safety reasons, she won’t allow her
children to leave the immediate area surrounding their tent. And many spoke of
family members lost or misplaced in the chaos that is today’s Port-au-Prince.

One woman
spoke of the rain we had the night before. She pointed to her family’s tent and
explained that during the night, the roof tarp leaked and the ground became so
damp and muddy that the children wouldn’t lie down. Instead, her family stood all night.

These are
only some of the tragic stories I heard and the horrific conditions I
witnessed. I went to Haiti on behalf of the Union for Reform Judaism to conduct
a needs-assessment and identify how we can best provide aide. But when there
are so many needs, so many lives lost and such grave poverty, where do we even
begin?

To date,
the Union for Reform Judaism has raised more than $1.17 million. These funds are
being allocated to short-term emergency recovery and long-term rebuilding
efforts to construct safe and secure family homes, reopen schools, create
employment opportunities and provide much-needed social and medical services. I
am honored to be part of a community that is taking serious action and truly
making a difference. Learn more about the Union’s efforts and how you can help
by visiting our website.

Becky Eisen is the Poverty Campaign Coordinator for the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA).

Using one of the most evocative lines from the traditional
Passover Seder – “Let all who are hungry come and eat” – the Jewish Council for Public Affairs
and MAZON:
A Jewish Response to Hunger have re-contextualized the historical message
of redemption from slavery with the modern struggle faced by hungry children
across our country by creating the Child Nutrition Seder
mobilization. We will have a National Child Nutrition Seder in the Capital on
Thursday, March 18^th to highlight our national efforts.

Last week, David wrote about the growing numbers of children
in America who experience hunger, and the Federal Child Nutrition Programs that
were created to “safeguard the health and well-being of the Nation’s children.”
Providing food for hungry children seems to be a no-brainer, yet our elected
officials consistently underfund crucial food programs and millions of children
across the United States go hungry. The reason is not because we don’t have
enough food or because we don’t have enough money, it is because we have not
created a loud enough voice to push elected officials to fund these programs. We
need to let our representatives hear our righteous indignation: “How could you
possibly allow children to go hungry in this nation of plenty?!”

The Child Nutrition Seder mobilization was created to make
this question heard loud and clear. It was also created to be used as an
organizing tool. As Jews, we are aware of our obligation to help those who are
less fortunate, and we have a strong tradition of setting up service
organizations, giving tzedakah, volunteering at local nonprofit organizations,
etc. We have also historically been great advocates, pressing for civil
liberties, protection of minorities, and recognition of and security for the
state of Israel. But for some reason we seem to silo our anti-hunger work and
our advocacy work. We volunteer in a soup kitchen, but don’t think to write a
letter to congress about the conditions that cause individuals to need a soup
kitchen in the first place. The Child Nutrition Seder is a way to blend
effective advocacy with education and service. The Hagaddah
for these mock Seders uses the traditional pieces of the Seder to help
participants learn about the causes and solutions of child hunger in America,
and then walks them through the steps of effective activism needed to eradicate
hunger. This year, we focus on the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act,
a bill that funds the School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, Summer Feeding
program and a myriad of other programs that form a safety net for hungry
children in America.

For instance, we use the karpos, the green vegetable, as a symbol of the grocery gap
(disparity to access in healthy foods) in America. Instead of the wise child,
wicked child, simple child and the one who does not know how to ask, our four
children represent four faces of childhood hunger, each of whom has had a different experience with hunger and with
a government nutrition program. Towards the end of the Seder, we ask
participants to write a letter to their Representative, requesting that he/she
allocate at least $1 billion in new funding each year for the next five years
to the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act.

Because
these Seders don’t have to happen during Passover, there is still time to
organize a Child Nutrition Seder in your community. They can happen anytime in
the month of March or April and can still have a strong impact on your
legislator. If you have any questions, or if you are planning on holding a
Child Nutrition Seder in your community, please reach out to me at [email protected]