Author: Religious Action Center

Arielle Gingold is Public Policy Manager at Interfaith Alliance and a former Legislative Assistant at the Religious Action Center. The post originally appeared on State of Belief Blog and is republished with permission.

You just can’t make this stuff up. Today, the Texas State Board of
Education voted on a variety of amendments to the state social studies
and U.S. government curricula. Get ready to be appalled at the
outcomes. As reported by the Texas Freedom Network, the Board voted to

1. remove Thomas Jefferson from world history curriculum on the impact of Enlightenment thinkers
2. include discussion of the right to bear arms in curriculum on First Amendment rights and free expression
3. strike down an amendment that
   would have required students to “examine the reasons the Founding
   Fathers protected religious freedom in America by barring government
   from promoting or disfavoring any particular religion over all others.”

What is most unbelievable and emblematic of the Board’s far-right
majority’s (lack of) understanding of the separation between religion
and government in America is the third item in this litany of woes. 
According to Cynthia Dunbar (one of the more prominent conservatives on
the Board), the separation of religion and government wasn’t actually
the Founders’ intent– they wanted to promote religion.  Therefore, said Dunbar, the proposed amendment was “not historically accurate.”

While (luckily), Thomas Jefferson isn’t out of Texas education
curricula as a whole, there is no doubt that he is one of the
preeminent American scholars of the Enlightenment era and it is a shame
students will not learn that.  Also, last time I checked, the right to
bear arms had its own section of the Bill of Rights, you know, the Second Amendment.

What’s more unfortunate is that such a narrow minded group of individuals have such power
over what children learn across the country, that these are “guidelines
that will affect students around the country, from kindergarten to 12th
grade, for the next 10 years.”  Why? Because
the state of Texas buys or distributes “a staggering 48 million
textbooks annually,” which leads “educational publishers to tailor
their products to fit the standards dictated by the Lone Star State.”

To quote
our friends at the Texas Freedom Network: “Let the word go out here:
The Texas State Board of Education today refused to require that
students learn that the Constitution prevents the U.S. government from
promoting one religion over all others. They voted to lie to students
by omission.”

Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church, Virginia is looking beyond the headlines in thinking
about how best to form their communal response to the recent earthquake
in Haiti. This week, TRS’s senior rabbi, Amy Schwartzman, shares a guest post about the connection her congregation is building with Haiti. Rabbi Schwartzman currently serves the President of the Rabbinic Alumni Association of HUC-JIR and has been recognized nationally for her social justice work. This post first appeared on A Blog of Continuing Jewish Learning and is republished with permission from HUC-JIR.

When we arrived at the Haitian embassy to meet the Ambassador and
his wife, there was little to indicate the devastation and loss of life
that the earthquake had left in its wake.  Apparently weeks before
hundreds of people stopped by the tiny embassy, trying to leave
donations or find out if families and friends were known to be alive.
 But now it was silent. No passers-by, just a sign on the door to say
that they could not accept any goods in kind.   The building is dwarfed
by the surrounding embassies.  They are grand and imposing. Perhaps
this slim and modest building is appropriate for the poorest country in
the Americas. Inside the furniture is classically European but the art
is spectacularly Haitian – it left me a bit confused until I met the
Ambassador and his wife.

His Excellency Raymond Joseph, Ambassador to the United States from the Republic of Haiti,
is a joyful, intelligent, sharp amalgam of Haitian culture and the ways
of the west.  Born and raised in Cayes, Haiti, he is mostly known as a
journalist. In the 1960’s he was a radio personality. In the 70’s and
80’s he was at the Wall Street Journal in New York as a financial
writer and co-founded the Haiti-Observateur,
the first crusading commercial Haitian weekly.  In 1990 Mr. Joseph was
called to be Haiti’s Charge d’Affaires in Washington and his own
country’s representative at the Organization of American States.  After
helping with the first democratic elections in December of 1990, he
returned to the Haiti Observateur where he remained until he was called
to Washington in 2004 as the Ambassador.

Cantor Tracey Scher, Rabbi Amy Schwartzman,
Mrs. Lola Possion-Joseph, Ambassador Raymond Joseph, Rabbi Jeffrey
Saxe, Cantor Michael Shochet

You can imagine what a wealth of experiences this man brings to a
meeting. Members of the Temple Rodef Shalom clergy sat down with the
Ambassador and his equally engaging and articulate wife, Lola Poisson-Joseph,
to discuss how we might embark on a joint venture to help repair
Haiti.  While the weight of his nation and its deep tragedy sat on his
shoulders, the Ambassador regaled us with stories that connect Haiti
with the Jewish people. He talked about Haiti’s vote to support the creation of the State of Israel.
He told stories about welcoming Jewish refugees after WWII. He shared
his knowledge of Torah and his love of Hebrew!  Finally, we spoke about
creating a project to restore a community in his country.

Lola Posson-Joseph, a social activist and artist, has a relationship with a town outside of Port-au-Prince called Petit-Guave.
She had been working on building a shelter there for the poor members
of the community.  She painted a splendid picture of this town, its
history and its citizens. It is filled with a rich culture and teaming
with human potential.  We agreed that our goal would be to rebuild at
least one central institution of Petit-Guave – the shelter, the only
school or the 300 year old church, which also functions as a community
center.

On February 16th the Ambassador and his wife came to Temple Rodef
Shalom to participate in a service of solidarity and hope for Haiti.
The Ambassador updated the congregation about the relief efforts. Mrs.
Poisson-Joseph talked about Petit-Guave and helped us to imagine how we
might help. The day of our service, there were no pictures in the paper
about Haiti.  Support efforts by doctors and builders and emergency
workers were still under way but for many, in our safe and comfortable
homes, the story of the earthquake has passed.  Some have moved onto
other issues in the world. Those who came to our service affirmed that
Haiti, and its need for our support, is still very much alive.  As
former President Bill Clinton recently wrote: “Haiti can surely move
beyond its troubled history and this lethal earthquake to emerge a
stronger, more secure nation.  But that can’t be done with government
support alone. Ordinary citizens must fill the gaps.”

We are those ordinary citizens and our Jewish tradition and
commitment to tikkun olam calls us to not only offer comfort to the
people of Haiti but to offer our resources, our creativity, our time
and our energy to restore this nation.  As our rabbis taught – “it is
not for us to complete the task, but neither are we free to refrain
from engaging with it.” (Pirke Avot 2:21)

Church in Petite Guave before the earthquake

Rabbi Bob Orkand is the President of ARZA, the Association of Reform Zionists of America.

We
have learned that the Knesset may vote as soon as Tuesday on
legislation that would make important changes to the Law of Return,
which sets forth who can claim Israeli citizenship. This particular
legislation would target converts to Judaism.

The various arms of our Movement are asking that
urgent messages of protest be sent to Michael Oren, the Israeli
Ambassador to the United States, and to Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu.

We cannot permit the ultra-Orthodox parties in
Israel to push through legislation without regard to the millions of
Diaspora Jews who are active, dedicated and devoted members of the
Jewish people who identify themselves with non-Orthodox streams of
Judaism.

The bill sponsored by MK David Rotem of Yisrael
Beitenu, deals with both the authority of the Chief Rabbinate and
matters of Conversion. The Rotem Bill does three things:

1. It grants legal authority to the Chief Rabbinate for conversions.
   While until now there has been de facto recognition, this legislation
   gives legal recognition to the role of the Chief Rabbinate in this
   area. The result would be that it would become much more difficult for
   conversions to be performed by Reform, Conservative and more
   open-minded Orthodox rabbis.

2. It provides for the ability of local rabbis in Israel to establish
   conversion courts. This is a part of the bill of which we can support
   because it will potentially permit the establishment of more forward
   looking conversion courts. However, if the first part of the bill
   passes, the Chief Rabbinate may declare these courts null and void,
   which would obviate any reason for our support.

3. Section 3 of this bill is the most highly problematic. This section
   states that anyone that who entered Israel as a non-Jew and then
   converted to Judaism–either in Israel or the Diaspora–would not be
   eligible for citizenship under the Law of Return. This is precisely the
   case that is now before the Supreme Court, which asks that conversions
   in Israel by non-Orthodox rabbis be recognized and that citizenship
   rights be granted to our converts. This is an attempt to go around the
   Supreme Court. Further, the wording is so vague that it could mean that
   if such a person had visited Israel at any time, no matter when, that
   person’s conversion would not be recognized for citizenship in the
   future. Thirdly this would be the first time that Israel is officially
   making a distinction between one who is born a Jew and a righteous
   convert, something that we find insulting.

In the last 48 hours, there have been negotiations between MK David
Rotem, the sponsor of this legislation, and the ultra-Orthodox parties.
The Israeli media reports that these negotiations might lead to adding
provisions which would block Reform and Conservative conversions in
Israel. In response, Reform Movement leaders around the world are in
contact with Israeli government officials in an effort to block this
legislation.

THEREFORE, ARZA URGES THAT THE FOLLOWING LETTER OR ITS EQUIVALENT BE SENT TO AMBASSADOR OREN AND PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU

The Honorable Benjamin Netanyahu
Prime Minister of Israel
Office of the Prime Minister
Jerusalem, Israel

Dear Prime Minister Netanyahu,

We write to request your immediate intervention to prevent passage of the legislation being brought forward by MK David Rotem.

Passage of this bill in its present form, especially section 3, will
have the effect of altering the Law of Return or, at the least, cause
undue hardship to anyone in Israel who has come from Diaspora
communities and seeks conversion in Israel.

While the Reform movement is supportive of efforts to create greater
accessibility to conversion courts in Israel and have done all we can
to aid in this effort, the overall impact of the Rotem Bill will set
back these efforts. Should this bill be enacted, it will exacerbate a
widening gap between Diaspora and Israel communities, which we are all
working very hard to avoid.

Therefore, we believe it is imperative that you, Israel’s leader,
who cares so deeply about the well-being of our people, intervene and
urge withdrawal of this bill.

The email for Prime Minister Netanyahu is: Prime.Minister’[email protected]

For Ambassador Oren’s office: [email protected]

Shelly Lindauer is the Executive Director of Women of Reform Judaism. This post first appeared at RJ.org.

In this week’s Torah portion, Ki Tisa, the Israelites begin to worry that Moses will not return from Mt. Sinai, and in
their fear encourage Aaron to create an idol, a molten calf.  Aaron said
to them “Men, take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives,
your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.”

According to Pirkei de Rabbi Eliezer 45, the women heard about the making of
the Golden Calf and refused to give their jewelry to their husbands. The
women argued that the molten image was an abomination, and they would not
participate. God rewards the women with a holiday, Rosh Chodesh,
acknowledging their independence, wisdom, and piety. Rabbi Eliezer tells us the
women were to observe more new moons in this world than the men, and in the
next world they would be renewed like the moon.

Men and women have different responses to stress, and reacted quite differently
to the anxiety generated by waiting for Moses to return. While men tend to have
a “fight or flight” reaction, women – in the words of psychologist
Shelley E. Taylor – approach stressful situations with a “tend and
befriend” response. During times of stress women take care of
themselves and their children (tending) and form strong group bonds
(befriending).

I felt this extreme
difference in response while praying at the Kotel with Women of the Wall two weeks
ago. As Lynn described in her letter after the services, the group with
Women of the Wall stood in the back of the women’s section of the Kotel, and
began to pray and sing.  Men across the dividing wall shouted and punched
their fists in the air. I had a sense they were circling and were about to
strike. In response to the yelling, the women in our group moved closer
together, feeling the comfort of each other and the protective shelter of our
group. While it is true that a few women also shouted at us in a very
disturbing manner, what I felt about these women was incredulity that they
could treat other women in such a degrading and compassionless way. I’m
sure there were women at Sinai, too, who willingly handed over their gold for
the making of the Golden Calf.

As we know in sisterhood-land, women are the heart and soul of many
congregations. We are the caregivers and the nurturers, the first to offer
help and assistance to any in need. We advocate for social justice, and
protect not only our own, but all those less fortunate. We create special
bonds, and feel an innate connection to other women. In these times of
economic and social stress, let us not forget that we must stand up for that
which we know to be right, as did our sisters at Sinai. And, as we move closer
to each other for comfort and support, we are also moving closer to God.

In honor of it being International Women’s Day, I’d like to perform a little experiment with you. What first comes to mind when someone asks you to describe an Israeli woman? A tough kibbutznikit? A beauty in army uniform? Golda Meir? I’d like to march out of your mind these three stereotypes of Israeli women – because they no longer apply – and introduce you to three new Israeli heroines fit for today.

But first, a trip back in time. Outdated images of Israeli women have existed too long in the collective imagination. You should be taking them with a big grain of salt – try swallowing the Dead Sea.

Let’s start with the female pioneer, who was so often photographed posed working in the fields, paving roads, drying swamps, helping to build the country. But look closer. Her hands are not the hands of someone who spends her day in the dirt. In Israel’s early days, less than 10% of women worked in agriculture; most still did “women’s work.”

Next take the young woman in uniform. You might think of women in the
IDF learning to fly planes or training men to fire a gun – but over 80%
of women do clerical work during their army service.

Then there’s Golda Meir. A female prime minister! True – we had one.
But a more telling figure might be the current number of female mayors.
Out of Israel’s 245 municipalities, only two are led by women – Netanya
and Herzliya. (Although twenty female Members of Knesset out of 120 MKs
isn’t so bad.)

So who is the new Israeli woman? I’d like to propose the
following three: The Orthodox feminist – the women of Kolech, Naomi
Ragen, and some of IRAC’s own lawyers who fight against segregated
buses. Not to mention the dozens of Orthodox women who pray every Rosh Chodesh at the Kotel.

The Israeli-Arab feminist – the women who are creating a revolution in
education, and social custom; the women who are now often more educated
than their husbands or brothers; the thousands of women who, two weeks
ago in Nazareth, marched against murder done to protect a family’s
honor.

Leader of civil society – directors of human rights
organization, NGOs, environmental groups, advocates of consumer rights.
The New Israel Fund published a study that showed that 86% of
organizations they funded were run by women, and that the overwhelming
number of employees at these organizations were female. I am honored to
count myself in this last group.

It’s been said that the true measure of a democracy is the status of
its women. So I find it encouraging that two of Israel’s weakest
populations, religious Jews and Israeli Arabs, are experiencing a
revolution in the role of women. It’s a strong indicator of better
things to come – it’s a bit of tikvah for us all.

• Bagel Brunch: Have a nosh and kick off the day by making posters and meeting other Jewish advocates
  When: 11:00am-12:30pm
  Where: TBD
• Interfaith Prayer Vigil: Connect with people of faith in a prayer service
  When: 1-2:00pm
  Where: National Mall between 7th and 14th Streets

• March for America Rally: Join thousands of supporters at the Lincoln Memorial for the March For America, where we will demand comprehensive immigration reform that protects family unity, safeguards workers, creates a path to legalization and secures our borders.
  When: 2-5:00pm
  Where: National Mall between 7th and 14th Streets

Even if you can’t join us, we encourage you to participate in a National Jewish Immigration Conference Call at 6:00pm on Sunday, March 21st with Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) , Rabbi David Saperstein of the Religious Action Center, and other Jewish leaders. Register here for the call.

For more information, contact me at [email protected] or 202.387.2800, or visit rac.org/immigrationrally.

An editorial published in yesterday’s New York Times, titled “Bad Science, Bad Policy,” makes the case for passing a federal law that with eliminate the sentencing disapritiers betwen crack and powder cocaine. it begins, “The federal law that mandates harsher prison terms for people arrested with crack cocaine than for those caught with cocaine powder is scientifically and morally indefensible.”

We agree.

Under current law, possession of five grams of crack cocaine triggers a minimum five-year prison sentence, while trafficking 500 grams (one pound) of powder cocaine triggers the same sentence, despite the fact that pharmacological effects of the two drugs are the same. The Fair Sentencing Act offers reform of federal crack cocaine sentencing by instituting a 1:1 ratio for crack and powder sentencing; the bill is scheduled this Thursday for mark up by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

A criminal justice system that applies sentences disproportionately or unfairly is far from just. In Ezekiel 33:11,  we are taught, “I have no pleasure in the death of
the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.” It’s time that we work to aid individuals, including drug offenders, in turning from their ways. Read
the editorial, then write to your Members of Congress using our easy, pre-written action alert.

Their stories are so happy they literally brought me to tears – one couple is waiting for the birth of their first child; another has been engaged for a whopping 18 years. And now, those couples are filing for marriage licenses.

Today, the District of Columbia joined five states in allowing same-sex marriage, though couples won’t be able to marry until Tuesday, at the earliest, because application processing takes three business days. By mid-afternoon today, 124 couples had filed for marriage, and you can bet there are more to come. Cuc Vu, Chief Diversity Adviser for the Human Rights Campaign, is pictured on the right with her soon-to-be wife in a photo from the Washington Postis photo gallery on DC’s legalization of same-sex marriage.

As always, opponents are already at work trying to put a stop to the new law, but for now, victory is sweet – literally, in fact, as a local cupcakery passed out free dessert coupons to the couples who filed for marriage today!

And that’s not the only good news. This morning, Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) introduced the Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2010,
which would repeal the discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy
that prohibits gay and lesbian servicemembers from serving openly. The
policy, enacted under President Bill Clinton, has been in place for 17
years. In that time, an estimated 3,500 men and women have been
discharged from the military under the policy, including about 350 who
spoke foreign languages essential to military readiness, such as
Arabic. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), who joined Sen. Lieberman at
this morning’s introduction press conference, noted that the policy
disproportionately affects women, who make up a mere 17 percent of the
military, but account for a whopping one-third of discharges under
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

At this morning’s introduction, Lieberman said the policy is “is
inconsistent with our most important national values and diminishes our
military readiness.” He was also joined by Armed
Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (Mich.), as well as Sens. Ron
Wyden (D-OR), Mark Udall (D-CO), and Roland Burris (D-IL). Discharged
servicemembers spoke during the press conference, flanked by others
wearing shirts that read “Fired Under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

On Huffington Post, Sen. Udall writes,

The wishes of the American people are clear, but some members of the Senate still believe our soldiers can’t handle serving with openly gay and lesbian servicemembers. I couldn’t disagree more.

That’s why I’m asking you to join me in supporting this crucial legislation by becoming a citizen cosponsor to prove, once and for all, that Americans will no longer tolerate this unfair policy that hampers our fighting men and women.

Our Armed Forces are the best in the world, and it’s high time we stopped handicapping them with “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Please join me and voice your support for repealing this harmful policy, right now.

Andrea Woods is a Program Assistant for Witness to Innocence.

It is Death Penalty Awareness Week, and supporters of human rights across the country have turned their attention to a uniquely complicated injustice – the implementation of capital punishment in the United States. I applaud the excellent work being done by communities of faith, student organizations, and concerned citizens around this issue; I am a firm believer that the more education that takes place around the death penalty, the more difficult it becomes to support.

For many reasons the death penalty is an egregious violation of human rights. It is utilized in a manner that is racially-discriminatory and targets those who are poor, marginalized, and systematically vulnerable. It instigates cruelty, violence, and suffering in the name of justice. And it denies human beings the opportunity for the redemption, forgiveness, and healing in an ultimate way.

And we sentence innocent people to their deaths.

Since the 1976 national upholding of capital punishment laws, there
have been 139 people that were wrongfully convicted and condemned to
execution for a crime they did not commit. That’s 139 stories of trauma
and torture. They are 139 stories of cruelty and suffering, of human
error when the stakes were most critical. That number – 139 –
represents one innocent person for every 8 executions carried out in
the US.

I work to support these very people through an
organization called Witness to Innocence. Witness to Innocence is
composed of exonerated death row survivors and their loved ones –
people who’ve demonstrated more grace, resilience, and tenacity than I
knew possible. This organization has dual missions: to provide a
peer-support network for the innocent exonerees and their families, as
well as to educate the American public about the reality of wrongful
convictions at the highest level. For years our witnesses have been
sharing their stories with student groups, communities of faith,
law-makers, and other audiences across the country. These testimonies
have an unprecedented way of transforming people’s perspective on the
issue of capital punishment. As we like to say, they bring a human face
to an issue that most of us would otherwise only consider
hypothetically.

Through my connection to Witness to Innocence, I’ve heard the most
extraordinary – and true – stories. I’ve slammed, full-speed, into that
realization that our criminal justice system is nauseatingly cruel and
unfair. And yet, every time I want to resign myself to the immense
complexity of this problem, I am given a demonstration of hope by the
members of Witness to Innocence. Despite what they’ve been subjected
to, these men continue to march forward in the struggle for freedom and
justice. Even though it’s painful, they continue to speak out about
their experiences. Rather than succumbing to the paralysis of
bitterness, these men make themselves available to the anti-death
penalty community as a uniquely powerful voice for change.

Please visit our website, www.witnesstoinnocence.org,
to learn more about our partnership with Amnesty International’s Death
Penalty Awareness Week, and to consider hosting an event in your
community with one of our witnesses.

Even after the official week of action comes to a close, may we all continue in the fight for peace, empathy, and justice!

On February 28, 2010, one of the largest earthquakes in recorded history of 8.8 magnitude struck Chile, killing hundreds, displacing hundreds of thousands and causing widespread destruction of homes, schools, hospitals, offices and infrastructure. Two million people are impacted by the disaster.

The Union for Reform Judaism is part of the Jewish Coalition for Disaster Relief, which is facilitated by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC). The Coalition has opened a fund for relief efforts in Chile, leveraging the JDC’s existing partnerships in the region, including the local Chilean Jewish community.

To make donations online, visit the Jewish Coalition for Disaster Relief for Chile. Call 212-687-6200 to donate by phone.

To donate by mail, please make checks payable to JDC Coalition-Chile Earthquake Relief, P.O. Box 530, 132 East 43rd St., New York, NY, 10017.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of this most recent natural disaster.

Last week, Rabbi Saperstein spoke at the Brookings Institution’s forum, “Faith-Based & Neighborhood Partnerships in the Obama Era: Assessing the First Year and Looking Ahead.” The event focused on understanding what the Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships has accomplished in its first year; discussion centered around what will and should happen in this area throughout the rest of President Obama’s term.

Watch more videos from the event or listen to audio of the entire thing.

In this month’s Reform Judaism magazine, Rabbi Susan Talve of Central Reform Congregation in St. Louis writes about her congregation’s efforts to include, embrace, and celebrate Jews of all colors. Rabbi Talve writes that, as with welcoming gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgenders Jews, “We soon learned that welcoming wasn’t enough; we had to listen and respond.”

Here’s my favorite excerpt:

1997 was a transformative year in our congregation: The beautiful
Josephine was born to a white Jewish mother and a non-Jewish African
American father. There was no question that her parents would raise her
to be a Jew. And when I held her at her naming ceremony, I promised
her: By the time you begin to notice how you fit into your
surroundings, we will have a community that includes others who look
like you. You will see yourself reflected in the diversity of our
temple. Your parents’ good intentions [to stay active in the synagogue]
and our own [to treat you with respect] are not enough.

As a first step in fulfilling my promise, we invited as a speaker
and teacher Julius Lester, a black Jew, professor of Judaic Studies and
history at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He is also author
of Love Song, an autobiography reflecting on his Jewish
journey, from learning that his maternal great-grandfather was a German
Jew to converting to Judaism as an adult. Julius taught us that for him
becoming Jewish was less a choice and more a naming of who he really
was. While he had found a niche in the Jewish community, I sensed he
didn’t hold out much hope that CRC would ever become an integrated,
safe, and welcoming place for Jews of color. As an African American, he
resonated with the sounds, rhythms, and stories of black America. That
wasn’t our culture at CRC, not then.

I began to understand that to authentically embrace black
culture, I’d need the help of black Jews, but this would not be easy in
St. Louis, where separation and segregation run deep. I worried about
my promise to Josephine.

So was Rabbi Talve able to fulfill her promise to Josephine, who will become a bat mitzvah this year? Click through for the full story.

The
following post is the text of a speech that was presented on Monday in the offices of Sens. Blanche Lincoln and Richard Pryor and Congressman Vic Snyder by Zach Goldberg, a member of Congregation B’nai Israel in Little Rock, Ark., who attended the RAC’s Bernard and Audre Rapoport L’Taken Social Justice Seminar last weekend. 

Iran’s nuclear development is an urgent and pressing issue that requires immediate action on both a national and global scale. Iran is enriching military grade uranium at an alarming rate, and experts estimate that an atomic warhead could be in Iran’s hands within as little as a year.

I would like to thank Congressman Snyder for voting “yes” on HR2194, called the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act. This bill is a huge step forward towards reigning in Iran’s dangerous nuclear behavior. The bill is commendable in its sanctions against Iran’s petroleum imports, and it gives the president more authority to enforce said sanctions.

I would also like to thank Senators Lincoln and Pryor for helping to
move S2799, The Comprehensive Iran Sanctions Accountability and
Divestment Act, through the Senate so quickly, and for promptly passing
it with a voice vote. This bill is an important step toward reigning
in Iran’s dangerous nuclear behavior. The Act’s provisions of petroleum
sanctions, economic divestment, and technology embargoes will be very
effective at combating Iran’s non-compliance with the IAEA inspectors
on behalf of the United Nations.

Obviously, bills creating stronger sanctions against the
Iranian Government are good for all Americans. The idea of a nuclear
Iran is a scary one, and one that compromises our national security.
President Ahmadinejad has, time and time again, expressed an irrational
and dangerous hatred for America. The American people overwhelmingly
support economic sanctions on Iran, on the order of almost 80% in
favor. This issue transcends party politics. As evidenced by both the
public and the bipartisan support for the action, all Americans feel
that Iran’s nuclear development is a cause for major concern. Failure
to send a bill to the President soon could have serious, lasting,
consequences for our great nation.

As a Jew in America, my people feel especially threatened by
Iran. On numerous occasions, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has
expressed anti-Semetic, anti-Israel, and Holocaust denial sentiments.
His offensive and outlandish comments include the following, issued on
October 26, 2005, “Israel must be wiped off the map”. This, combined
with a consistent denial of the Holocaust, establishes a pattern of
behavior that is frightening to Jews everywhere.

In Judaism, weapons that kill indiscriminately and harm the
environment, such as nuclear warheads, are thought of as immoral. This
is an idea that is not exclusively Jewish, but is also common sense.
Warfare, under traditional Jewish law, is meant to be fought in a way
that affects civilian welfare minimally, and in a manner that will
allow life to resume normally at the conclusion of the conflict.
Obviously, a launch of a nuclear weapon by Iran would cause a global
war that would change the face of our planet forever.

As a Jew, I have a personal interest in this issue. This summer, I am
traveling to Israel through a program organized by the Union for Reform
Judaism. The chance to visit my people’s Holy Land for the first time
is an opportunity I do not want to miss; however, I personally feel
threatened and unsafe by the thought that an unstable government is
working tirelessly to harm me, my people, and my people’s nation. I
feel uneasy about traveling abroad as a Jew while Iran has the
potential to develop a nuclear arm to destroy Israel. By taking
congressional action on the issue, my friends and I who are going to
Israel this summer will be directly impacted.

In conclusion, I would like Senators Lincoln and Pryor and
Congressman Snyder to push for a conference on this bill. Both houses
should be commended for their speedy action so far, but an identical
bill taken from HR2194 and S2799 needs to be formed. They are already
very similar pieces of legislation, and I firmly believe a final bill
will easily pass both houses. The sooner President Obama can sign a
form of these bills into law, the sooner the security of the American
people, as well as Jews all over the world, can be ensured.

Rabbi Stanley M. Davids is the Immediate Past President of ARZA. This post first appeared at RJ.org.

Resa
and I returned home to Jerusalem on January 25th. We plunged
immediately into what has become a month long period of programs,
meetings, encounters and conference calls.  We aren’t complaining. It’s
just that the days aren’t long enough.

First up was Resa’s challenge to organize a national meeting of the 15 chapters of Women of Reform Judaism
– Israel for February 14th.  (OK. For those who are curious: besides
the “Day of Love,” which is observed in Israel on February 14th, what
is the date of the OTHER celebration of romantic attachment in Israel? 
Did you guess the 15th of the Hebrew month of Av? 
Congratulations!). The national meeting just happened to have been
scheduled in the midst of rising concern over events regarding the Women of the Wall.  By now we all know of Nofrat Frenkel who was arrested while worshipping with WOW in November at the Kotel
on Rosh Hodesh (New Moon). That event set off a tsunami of anguished
responses throughout the Diaspora, as Reform and Conservative Jews
expressed profound resentment at what clearly has become a series of
escalating restrictions aimed at accommodating the ultra-Orthodox at
the expense of just about everyone else.

What kinds of restrictions?  Women cannot wear Tallitot
at the Kotel; there is now a ‘men only’ walkway at the rear of the
Western Wall Plaza; some bus routes in Jerusalem have been proclaimed
‘women in the rear of the bus’ routes; some Haredi air passengers are
demanding the right to wear portable Mechitzahs (barriers)
over their heads (sic) while they are flying, so that the sight of
women won’t distract them and so that they will not see the projected
movies; in some areas of Jerusalem Haredim have gender-segregated
sidewalks.  Nofrat Frenkel’s arrest for many was simply the last straw.

In
some ways, the powerful response in the Diaspora was not matched by a
similar expression of concern among many in Israel itself.  The image
of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott found little resonance in
Medinat Yisrael.  The cause of WOW was not easily embraced by many
liberal, progressive and even secular Israeli Jews for whom the Wall
not only is of little personal religious significance, but whatever
significance there is had been dissipated by the State’s acquiescence
to the turning of the Kotel area into an Orthodox synagogue.

And it was still only February 15th.  The marathon had only just begun.  More to come.

Rabbi Eric Yoffie is the President of the Union for Reform Judaism. This piece originally appeared in Reform Judaism magazine.

When the history of Reform Judaism is written a century from now, its authors will ask many questions: Did Reform Jews study Torah, perform mitzvot, bring justice to the world? But most important of all: Did we do enough to safeguard the security and well-being of the State of Israel?

I am worried now, not because we don’t love Israel, but because we are distracted. As we learned in the aftermath of the stock market crash of 1929, during tough economic times North American Jews turn inward, focusing on personal problems and not the problems of the Jewish people. Though understandable, this is a huge mistake at a time when the government of Iran, supported by Russia and China, is inching toward the nuclear threshold–and the potential to deliver on its off-repeated promise to destroy the Jewish state. Not since the Yom Kippur War has Israel’s survival been more precarious.

What Israel needs from us now is unconditional support. It needs our
visits, our dollars, and our engagement. And it needs our political
activism. We must call upon the U.S. and Canadian governments, both
devoted friends of Israel, to impose the toughest possible economic
sanctions on Iran – with others if possible, unilaterally if
necessary – if it refuses to abandon its nuclear ambitions. Iran will
stop its nuclear program only if it feels real pain, and what has been
done up to now is not sufficient.

Israel needs our help in other ways, too, and this means
hearing our criticisms. Unconditional support is not the same as
uncritical support. We love the Jewish state, but we must hold firm to
our vision of a Jewish, democratic, and pluralistic Israel. We cannot
accept settlement in the heart of the West Bank, where a Palestinian
state must one day arise. We cannot accept the relegation of Orthodox
women to the back section of buses in Jerusalem. And we cannot accept
the denial of Reform Jewish rights by Israeli lawmakers. We will always
reach for the highest ideals of the Zionist dream, seeking justice for
all of Israel’s citizens and for her neighbors as well.

At this critical juncture, however, let us not forget, even
for a moment, that all will be lost if Tehran has its way. Time is
running out. God and history will not excuse us if we are silent.

The following post is the text of a speech that was presented on Monday to Sen. Dianne Feinstein by Madison Tully and Haily Marzullo. Both are members of Temple Isaiah in Los Angeles, Calif., who attended the RAC’s Bernard and Audre Rapoport L’Taken Social Justice Seminar last weekend. 

My friend is not the only American teenager to be faced with this dilemma. Many teens whose parents made the decision to move to the United States as undocumented immigrants are seeing this as a terrible obstacle in their life. The DREAM Act would give kids like my friend the opportunity to continue their life with as little interruption as possible. It allows students who have lived in this country as exemplary citizens for at least five years to continue to live their life as Americans, but to be able to really contribute to our country. It creates for them a path to better education, and a way to obtain citizenship. I know that my friend would benefit from this Act, and that it will help many teens who are unable to fight for themselves. 

As a member of the Jewish community, I believe that every stranger should be welcomed with open arms and trust. The DREAM Act saves teenagers who would otherwise be treated as strangers even though they are in a place they have always considered to be their home. As is said in the book of Leviticus, ” The strangers who sojourn with you shall be to you as the natives among you.” I interpret this to my modern life and to this particular issue to mean that the United States should accept the teenage immigrants that live among us as rightful citizens to this great country. 

As a Jew, I am aware of the persecution one can experience during their life, and I can understand by learning through Torah how hard it may be to be accepted in a land where you are deemed to be an alien. In Exodus it is said that, “you shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him.” As of right now, we are both mistreating and oppressing those teens who are here not of their own accord and who without our help are struggling in their adopted homeland. 

By approving the DREAM Act, we will be able to assist these minors who have immigrated to our country and welcome them into our culture just as the Torah tells us we should. This act makes it possible for teens just like myself to create a future for themselves where they can feel safe and accepted by their community. From a Jewish standpoint on life, I feel very sympathetic to those people who are being excluded by a place that is supposed to be the melting pot of our world. I remember the heart of the stranger, as I have been commanded to do by my God, and I welcome these teens with arms wide open. 

As an American, I understand what it is like to come to a place where I wish to be welcomed and loved for my individuality. America has historically been a place of acceptance and truth, and I am proud to be a citizen here. But recently this issue about immigration and learning about the poor teens who have been excluded from the community for fear of deportation to a country they do not know has raised to my awareness that we have lost this admission of originality. Emma Lazarus once wrote, “Give me… the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send… the homeless, tempest-tost to me.” These brief but powerful words, engraved at the base of our great statue of Lady Liberty that stands to welcome those immigrants from across the sea, have lost most of their meaning in today’s society. We were once a safe haven to those experiencing terror in their homelands and looking for a place to restart their lives, but in our recent years we have shut our doors to the “huddled masses” and excused this selfish act with our own fears of the unknown. We can no longer punish those teens who seek an American education and security in our country. We must change our ways and learn once more to greet those looking for a better life, and with the DREAM Act we can begin again to teach this standard American value. I am an American citizen, and I would like to share that privilege and all of the opportunities that come with that privilege with the immigrants our country has taken under its wing over the many years. 

I would like to thank Senator Feinstein for her work on this bill. I hope that she maintains this position, and that she will continue to strive to help the undocumented teenagers currently residing in the United States. I ask that she urge her fellow Members of Congress to support the DREAM Act as well. I am very grateful for her work as a co-sponsor on this bill, and I hope you will let her know that with each negative outlook on this issue comes a positive and thankful one.

The following post is the text of a speech that was presented on Monday to Members of Congress by Alex Howard, Jenna Silver and Emily Hernandez. All three are members of Temple Ahavat Shalom in Northridge, California who attended the RAC’s Bernard and Audre Rapoport L’Taken Social Justice Seminar last weekend.

We are here to discuss the critical issue of our country’s lack of disability rights. Currently, 54 million Americans are forced to face the daily struggle of living with a disability. Those in this tragically large number are very limited when it comes to being active members of society. In fact, they are compelled to be quite the opposite.

In order for this 17 percent of Americans to receive essential care such as medication and therapy, many of them must leave their homes and families to live in government funded institutions. This leaves 70 percent of disabled unemployed, and deprived of opportunities to utilize their unique skills and contribute to American society. Not only is this deprivation immoral, it is denying our nation the chance to benefit from their potential input.

Our goal today is to encourage support for The Community First Choice
Option amendment to improve the lives of those suffering from
disabilities. This Amendment strives to alter government funding for
the disabled from segregated institutions to local programs in which
members can receive proper care within their own household. This way,
they are not forced to become outcasts as a means of survival.

As members of the Reform Jewish Movement, it is crucial for us to
adhere to our beliefs in fair treatment within our community. We are
taught, “You shall not insult the deaf, or place a stumbling block
before the blind.” By making institutions the only place for the
disabled to obtain the care they need, our nation is restricting, or
“placing a block,” in front of their ability to pursue relationships
with others, as well as careers. An important part of Jewish values
includes an obligation of uniting all members of a community.

I feel like this is a very important issue to advocate because it
impacts me on a personal level. I have three brothers who have autism,
so I know firsthand the importance adequate programs have on their well
being and happiness. My mother struggled to find a job for my oldest
brother, Justin. She was successful in doing so, however it required
intensive research and “knowing the system”. He currently works at the
Marriot hotel, which has a commitment to employ those with special
needs. I can’t tell you how thrilled he is to be able to go to work
everyday, and take on responsibilities for himself. He has the
opportunity to utilize his skill and become an active member in
society. He was extremely fortunate to have received this opportunity,
for it is a rare thing to find in our current system in helping the
disabled.

I feel it is very important for everyone who is disabled to receive
this same opportunity as Justin did. It shouldn’t be so that one must
know how to “work the system” in order to be active in a community.
People who are not fortunate enough to find these seemingly hidden
programs shouldn’t be torn apart from their children by sending them to
placement homes so they could receive the vital care they need.
Programs, and information about the programs, need to be directly
presented to families. I hope that through the Community First Choice
Amendment, others with disabilities will feel the same satisfaction as
Justin does in having a role in society.

We ask that you will support the Community First Choice
Amendment to the Health Care Reform bill in order to provide those 54
million with the chance to not only participate as active members of
this country, but for the first time, be encouraged to do so as well.

Toby Cook is the Social Action Vice President of NFTY-OV, the Ohio Valley region of the North American Federation of Temple Youth.

You are walking in a forest path or
at a family gathering and suddenly you pause. 
You are overtaken by a feeling, you can’t describe it, but it feels
right; it feels holy. You don’t know why this moment in your life is holy, it just is.

Everyone
describes Social Action and Tikkun Olam (one of the 13 guiding principles of NFTY)
differently. Some individuals find
holiness in volunteering at local organizations, while others pursue justice in
advocacy campaigns, writing letters to pass legislation that promotes their progressive
ideals. In NFTY-Ohio Valley, a region encompassing the
states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, and Western West Virginia, we have
a simple definition: Social Action is
something we come together to do because we know, we feel, that it is a
unifying and holy experience. 

Ohio Valley
has social action projects at almost all of our regional gatherings, and at the
local Temple Youth Group (TYG) level we are blessed to have dedicated Social Action Vice
Presidents (SAVPs) who keep the tradition active throughout the year. Ohio Valley takes great pride in the
uniqueness of each TYG and it reflects on our community service.

• At the regional level, we have worked with
  NFTY’s Missouri Valley region at our first event to organize and supply a Children’s Bureau office so
  that they could more effectively help children in trouble and also created care
  packages for the elderly in need of basic necessities they could not afford.
• The
  NFTY Ohio Valley’s network of TYG Social Action Vice Presidents successfully ran several fundraisers during the High Holy Days that
  benefited the URJ’s Nothing
  But Nets initiative.
• At our sub-regional events, we looked at hunger and what
  goes in to feeding families healthily while on strict budgets as well as
  collected goods at a Predator’s hockey game. 
• At our Study Kallah in conjunction with Hebrew
  Union College-Cincinnati, we learned about what it takes to support St. Jude
  Children’s Research Hospital and continued our multi-year project to help them heal the
  sick.
• This year we added a special twist! At our end of the year regional event,
  the Ohio Valley Regional Board and Regional Adviser will be dyeing our hair to
  raise money; at one event alone, we raised more than $200.

At local events, participants have learned
about mental illness, supported Haiti fundraisers, and are busy planning
different Purim carnivals with Social Action aspects. These are just a few of
the projects our region has done, but the question is why? Why volunteer our time? How does this impact us?

At our
first event, NFTY Institute, I stood before our region and asked what issues
they cared about. While I only intended
the question to provoke a short and simple conversation, it led to an intense
series of questions and answers in which I saw people from all backgrounds
become excited to talk about issues they feel are important to them and to our
region.  This was one of the most holy
moments of my life: seeing people come alive talking about how we can make a
difference. Our conversation at NFTY Institute has served as a foundation for
our Region’s ever growing commitment to social action. As a senior, it is my
hope that future NFTYites partake in similar conversations and moreover feel
mobilized to take on the multi-faceted challenge of Tikkun Olam.

I am so
excited for the upcoming year’s youth leaders of NFTY to take on our new Action
Theme, “Anavah: Humility – What Do We Really Need? NFTY Addresses Overconsumption” What do we really need? NFTY
Addresses Overconsumption. A NFTY Action Theme is voted on by the NFTY General
Board for the next year.  It guides our
direct action projects and limudim (educational programming) on social action.
Every generation has an issue that will define it in history and ours is the
environment.  NFTY takes an active role
in this for a simple reason, because for NFTYites around North America, it
simply feels right. 

To quote NFTY President Aliza Gazek, “I will
forever be a NFTYite.” I will forever be
connected to the Reform Movement because they have awakened in me a love of
social justice that is one of the most beautiful parts of my region. Rebbe Nachman’s prayer for peace reads, “Let love
and justice flow like a mighty stream. Let peace fill the earth as the waters
fill the sea.” As NFTY works this year to conserve our natural resources and
reduce consumption, I know my regional along with the other 18 amazing regions
of Reform Jewish Youth will join me in saying, “Let love and justice flow like
a mighty stream. NFTY can and will be that mighty stream; and let us say to
that: Amen.”

February
is Jewish Disability Awareness Month, and all month, we’ll be featuring blog posts
about disability inclusion. Read our posts here and visit our Jewish Disability Awareness Month page.

Rabbi Lynne Landsberg, the RAC’s senior adviser on disability issues, wrote an op-ed published this week in The Forward in honor of Jewish Disability Awareness Month. In “No Jew Should Be Left Behind,” she writes,

As recently as May 2009, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that 41.2 million Americans have some sort of a disability — that’s some 15% of the population. While there are no firm statistics on the percentage of Jews with disabilities, there’s no reason to believe that the proportion is very different for our community. Within our midst exist Jews who are hearing- and vision-impaired, Jews with intellectual disabilities, Jews with cognitive or psychological disabilities — Jews who need more than ramps and designated parking spaces to meet their needs.

This piece, published during the second annual Jewish Disability Awareness Month, highlights the importance – indeed, the necessity – of recognizing that Jews with disabilities are often woefully underserved by their congregations.

These Jews are often not present within our synagogues
because they perceive they are not wanted there. How many of our
synagogues have sign-language interpreters or Braille prayer books? How
many offer service programs or congregational bulletins in large print?
Only a select few synagogues provide religious school classes designed
for children with special needs; even fewer have such classes for
adults. Fewer still offer any programs, trips or religious services at
all designed to include people with all types of disabilities.

Rabbi Landsberg’s own experience with disability (she suffered a
Traumatic Brain Injury after a near-fatal car crash in 1999) have
driven her work on disability issues, particularly within the Jewish
community. In 2007, she worked with the the Jewish Federations of
America (then called United Jewish Communities) to form the Jewish
Disability Network and later, in 2009, the Interfaith Disability
Advocacy Coalition, both of which bring together faith organizations to
address issues like inclusion, awareness and legislation. In 2008, the
RAC and the Jewish Disability Network, led by Rabbi Landsberg, pressed for passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Amendments Act, which marked vital progress toward fulfilling the promise of the original ADA
and ensuring equality throughout the U.S. for individuals with
disabilities.

In last week’s Washington Jewish Week piece “Access to the Heart,”
Lynne says, “As Jews, we must understand that serving the community of
individuals with disabilities means more than just constructing a ramp
to the front door. We shut Jews out by not altering other physical
barriers. We shut Jews out by continuing noninclusive programming and
religious education. We shut Jews out by maintaining attitudes of
discomfort and disdain.”

Visit the RAC’s Jewish Disability Awareness Month resource page to learn how your synagogue can take steps toward inclusivity, this month and all year long.

In honor of Purim, that most silly time of year, when we are commanded to drink and disguise ourselves until we cannot recognize even those we know best, I’d been planning a fantasy Purim spoof of my own, in which men and women switch places on segregated buses. Women take over the front, and men are sent to the back. This would go well with one of Purim’s basic themes, l’hafokh – to turn things around, or upside down.

But my Purim fantasy could come true this year. Following our recent successful hearing on segregated buses, we’ve just received more good news from the Supreme Court. It looks as though the Justices will help us turn things around and back to where they should be: public buses free of discrimination, men and women free to sit wherever they choose. I’ll have to have my Purim silliness imagining the (comparatively) more banal sight of Haredi men in drag.

Last Thursday, Supreme Court justices ordered Transportation Minister
Yisrael Katz to explain why he ignored the findings of his committee.
The committee had found that segregation was illegal, coercive, and
done on an involuntary basis – none of which Katz addressed in his
decision. What’s more, the Justices also issued a rare injunction: No
new segregated lines will be added, and currently segregated buses will
no longer be able to operate under such a title.

Justice Elyakim Rubinstein took particular offense at the labeling of these segregated lines as “mehadrin,” as if it somehow sanctified segregation, and set it as the highest level of kashrut.
There certainly will be no signs instructing men to sit in front, and
women in back as Katz had suggested; instead, buses will have doors
opening in both front and back, with men and women boarding from
whichever entrance they desire. The case is far from over, but we have
definitely pulled ahead.

So, this Purim, we will celebrate the “turning around” of segregated lines – which already seemed pretty upside down to me.

Today I’d like to wish you a happy Purim, as IRAC’s newsletter, The
Pluralist, will be on holiday next week, recovering from the
festivities.