RJ Blog

The Senate is voting on a gun violence prevention package today! Take action now! Tell Congress that you support the Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act of 2013 (S.649) currently under consideration by Congress and the bipartisan Toomey/Manchin amendment to expand background checks. The recent tragedy in Newtown, CT is a tragic reminder that over 30,000 Americans die each year as a result of gun violence. The number and severity of violent shootings in recent years can only be described as an epidemic. We are inspired by a Jewish tradition that emphasizes the sanctity of human life, and commands us to [...]

Sirens were sounded throughout Israel at 8 PM on Sunday night and 11 AM this morning in Israel, in memory of the more than 25,000 fallen Israeli soldiers and terror victims. As the Jewish state ushered in Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, the nation, and indeed the Jewish world, paused to reflect on the cost of freedom. In a solemn address during a national ceremony, Prime Minister Netanyahu said on Monday, “We salute the fallen, our loved ones, the heroes of the State of Israel. May they rest in peace.”

This post is part of our Passover series, in which we think about the application of our age-old Passover story and traditions to the crucial issues we face today. For ways to infuse your seder with social justice, see our holiday guide. When 30,000 Americans die each year due to gun violence, it is time to acknowledge that we are suffering from a modern plague. When schoolchildren are gunned down by single shooter with a high-capacity magazine, we suffer from a modern plague. And, when criminals can buy weapons without having their backgrounds checked, we suffer from a modern plague. As [...]

More than 50 days after Israelis went to the polls, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has finally formed a coalition. Despite maintaining his title as Prime Minister, he is emerging significantly weakened from the negotiations. The final coalition will include the Prime Minister’s Likud-Beiteinu, Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid (“There is a Future”), Naftali Bennet’s Habayit Hayehudi (“Jewish Home”), and Tzipi Livni’s Hatnuah (“The Movement”). With a 68 seat majority coalition in the 120 seat Knesset, Israel’s new government will remain on thin ice, as any defection would result in political impasse.

When more than 10,000 members of the faith community called their Senators on Monday, the halls of the Capitol were ringing with the voices of gun violence prevention advocates. With 75 religious denominations and organizations participating in an interfaith call to prevent gun violence, it was clear that members of the faith community are ready for change. The faith community has been an active participant in the national conversation about gun violence prevention legislation, mirroring the debates over this issue in Congress.  The RAC coordinated the gathering of religious leaders outside of the National Cathedral to mark the one-week anniversary [...]

After a hard-fought few months of political campaigning, Israelis will go to the polls on Tuesday to vote for the future makeup of the Knesset. It is widely expected that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will win reelection. With a less-than-productive Knesset, Prime Minister Netanyahu announced in October that Israel would hold early elections. The announcement sent Israeli politics into frenzy, around the same time that we were suffering the same fate in the U.S., and resulted in a fast changing Israeli political landscape. The Prime Minister’s governing party, Likud, joined forces with Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu, becoming a center-right force [...]

On Friday, 20 children and eight adults were murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School. These children, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, family, friends and teachers are just the latest victims of senseless and preventable bloodshed. The recent tragedy in Newtown, CT is a devastating reminder that over 30,000 Americans die each year as a result of gun violence. The number and severity of violent shootings in recent years can only be described as an epidemic. The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting forces us to address the crippling nature of gun violence. It serves as a clarion call to action: “If not [...]

In response to the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s successful bid to become a nonmember observer state at the United Nations, members of the United States Senate have proposed three retaliatory amendments to the National Defense Appropriations Act (S. 3254). Amendment No. 3139 (read full amendment here), introduced by Senator Barraso (R-WY), and co-sponsored by Senators Inhofe (R-OK) and Lee (UT), mandates reductions in financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority, the United Nations and any country that votes in favor of a change in the status of the Palestinian delegation. Specifically, the amendment calls for a 50% reduction in aid provided to [...]

On Monday, Hungarian Member of Parliament Marton Gyongyosi called for the creation of a list registering all Hungarian Jews, with a focus on registering Jewish politicians and those of Israeli descent. He explained away his actions by deeming Hungarian Jews a national security risk. Gyongyosi has now made international headlines for his blatantly anti-Semitic remarks, which were eerily reminiscent of Nazi rhetoric.

On Thursday, November 28th, the U.N. General Assembly will vote on a resolution aiming to change the status of the Palestinians from an observer to a non-member observer state. The proposal is being advanced by Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority, who hopes to use the elevated status to renew talks of a two-state solution. Not to be confused with last year’s bid for Palestinian statehood, which failed to gain approval by the U.N. Security Council, this year’s bid does not mandate review from the Security Council. With no possibility of a U.S. veto, as exercised in 2011, it is [...]

In the 113th Congress, four new Jewish representatives were elected to the House of Representatives, bringing the total number of Jews in the House to 22. The Senate will be home to 11 Jews, four of whom won re-election on November 6th. Entering the House will be Bill Schneider (D-IL), Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), Louis Frankel (D-FL) and Alan Grayson (D-FL). Grayson, who was ousted from the House in 2010 by a wave of tea party opposition, relied heavily on Hispanic support to win back his seat. Eric Cantor (R-VA) remains the only republican Jewish House member, as Republican Jewish hopefuls [...]

For more than a year, Syria has been engaged in a tense civil war. Despite grave human rights abuses and oppression perpetrated by Assad’s regime, the international community has been wary to enter the internal conflict plaguing the Syrian people. Yet, this past week, when shells were fired from Syria into the Golan, and with Syrian military tanks entering the demilitarized zone, Israel entered the conflict for the first time.

One year and ten months after fatally shooting six people and attempting the assassination of Representative Gabrielle Giffords, Jared Loughner has been sentenced to life in prison without parole. Imposing seven consecutive life terms plus 140 years in prison, Judge Larry Burns explained that Loughner “will never have the opportunity to pick up a gun and do this again.” Loughner was spared the death penalty by entering a plea bargain. Suffering traumatic injuries when a bullet pierced her head, Giffords has made a remarkable recovery since the January 2011 shooting in Tucson, AZ. Although she remains paralyzed in one arm [...]

Seventeen years ago to the week, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated. Rabin’s legacy is often defined through his leadership in peace negotiations with the Palestinians, and his premature death still symbolizes the inability to advance a two-state solution to the conflict. As we look back on Israel’s late leader, we must ask ourselves what work is yet to be done in the pursuit of peace; we must assess our own efforts in the advancement of such a cause. With looming threats from a nuclear Iran, it goes without saying that the Israeli conscious has not been captivated by thoughts [...]