RJ Blog

Two and a half years ago I celebrated Passover in China, attending Seder with Kehillat Beijing, a congregation composed mostly of Jewish expats living and studying in the Chinese capital. Gathered together to retell the exodus of our ancestors, I remember reaching the point in the story where Moses parts the Red Sea to lead the Jews out of Egypt. This is one of the most well-recognized and controversial narratives in the Haggadah. Moses gains control of the sea to lead the Jews to freedom, ultimately causing the death of many Egyptians. His God-given ability to control the sea is [...]

Proponents of voter ID laws argue that voters should be required to present government-issued ID at the polls in order to limit voter fraud. But a new report released this Tuesday helps expose one of the major flaws in this line of reasoning: poor design and out-of-date technology are more likely to cause problems in American elections than any incidence of “voter fraud” is likely to occur. Conducted by the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, the report compiled and analyzed data from the elections of 2008 and 2010, documenting how design errors contributed to hundreds of [...]

As one rabbi recently wrote on this blog, voting is a mitzvah. “A ruler is not to be appointed unless the community is first consulted,” we read in Talmud (B’rachot 55a). American Jews have a special opportunity and obligation to put these democratic values into practice on Election Day, this year falling on November 6. Reform Movement institutions and congregations (as well as all religious organizations) are granted a special 501(c)3 tax-exempt status by the Internal  Revenue Service. With the granting of this status comes restrictions on the types of political activities in which religious entities can engage. As we [...]

Two years from now, we will celebrate the beginning of the Shmittah year, or sabbatical year. Shmittah marks the seventh year in the ancient agricultural cycle, when we are commanded to “release” (the literal Hebraic translation of shmittah) the Earth from human stress. Our land is to lay fallow and any fruits or vegetables that grow are ownerless, open to anyone who needs or wants to eat them. In the new millennium, observing Shmittah is not as simple as it was during the Biblical era. In North America, most of us do not work on farms nor do we have [...]

Yesterday, following weeks of fast-moving wildfires spreading across the state, Governor John Hickenlooper officially lifted the fire ban in Colorado.  Extreme fires have burned throughout Colorado since late June, devastating thousands of acres of land and causing tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes. At its height, ten major fires were burning throughout the state, marking the worst wildfire season the state has ever seen. The fire ban had applied to open burning, including campfires, warming fires, charcoal grill fires, fused explosives and private use of fireworks. The Governor’s announcement lifting the ban is a sign that the [...]

Over the last year, many Americans have spoke against the voter suppression laws that have swept the nation, state by state. But there are few who can speak with more passion or heart than those who actively organized, rallied and marched during the Civil Rights Movement to fight for expanded rights, including voting rights, for all. One of these leaders is Representative John Lewis (D-GA), who, 50 years ago, put his body on the line to defeat Jim Crow laws that blocked African Americans and other citizens of color from accessing the polls and exercising their rights as Americans.

April 20, 2010, began as an ordinary day for residents of the Gulf Coast. Fishermen woke up early to head out for the daily catch, and news outlets reported on the perils of the U.S. economy. Outside, the skies were overcast with temperatures in the high 60s, standard conditions before summer’s suffocating humidity settled in. But by the end of the day that began as so ordinary, the lives of Gulf residents would be changed forever.

The weather was perfect yesterday in Washington, D.C.: sunny skies, a warm breeze, and budding tulips and cherry blossoms everywhere you go.  Nature is slowly emerging from the darkness of winter.  I can’t help but think about how Passover, celebrating the Jewish people’s exodus from Egypt and the shackles of slavery thousands of years ago, falls at the perfect time each spring to re-energize for the coming year. And this year, Reform congregations are celebrating Passover by not only renewing their souls but renewing their land as well: starting food-producing gardens, a contemporary twist on an ancient agricultural tradition. Yesterday [...]

This post is part our weekly Get Out the Vote 2012 series, focusing on ways to promote civic engagement in your Jewish community and highlighting portions from the RAC’s Get Out the Vote 2012 guide. Check back every Monday for new updates. As heirs to a tradition of civic engagement, Americans Jews must participate in elections to ensure that our country’s policies at the local, state and national levels reflect our commitment to social justice. In Talmud B’rachot 55a, we are reminded that “A ruler is not to be appointed unless the community is first consulted,” illustrating the importance of [...]

Last Thursday, Stephen Colbert shook up the 2012 Presidential primary season by announcing that he was forming an exploratory committee to consider entering the Republican race for “President of the United States of South Carolina.” But there was one hitch: Colbert was also serving as head of his Super PAC, “Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow.” Because candidates are not allowed to coordinate with Super PACs, Colbert had to hand over control of his Super PAC to someone who he is definitely not coordinating with – his friend and “business partner,” Jon Stewart (catch the sarcasm?). Colbert explained his strategy [...]

Earlier this month, a federal appeals court issued an order to delay the implementation of the EPA’s finalized Cross-State Air Pollution Rule.  Originally slated to go into effect in 27 Eastern states on January 1, 2012, the rule would impose stricter standards for power plants producing pollution that crosses state lines. The Cross-State Air Pollution Rule is projected to prevent 34,000 premature deaths, 15,000 heart attacks, and 400,000 cases of asthma caused by toxic power plant emissions that travel across state lines. The new rule would limit sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from power plants in 27 [...]

With the presidential primary season now in full swing, campaign finance issues are at the forefront of the political debate. Super PAC spending in the Republican primary has been on the rise, with endorsements and attack ads flooding the airwaves in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina (which holds the next primary election). On the Democratic side, President Obama’s re-election campaign announced today that its 2011 fundraising efforts totaled a staggering $220 million. Money – in particular, money coming directly from corporations’ private coiffures – continues to play a central role in this election. But to ring in the New [...]

In the last year, new restrictive election laws have been considered by more than 34 state legislatures across America. Particularly alarming are voter ID laws that have been passed in more than a dozen states, restricting voter access and eligibility for upcoming elections. Supporters say the new restrictions will limit occurrences of voter fraud; in reality, however, voter fraud is hardly an issue in state or federal elections. In attempting to fix a problem that does not exist, the laws discourage or block eligible citizens from casting their votes, especially poor, young and African-American voters. The National Council of Jewish [...]

Yesterday’s Iowa caucuses marked the start of the 2012 primaries and showed that the campaign finance waters are muddy in this election season – and are expected to only grow murkier in the coming months as campaigns fan out across the country. This is the first presidential election since the 2010 Supreme Court decision Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, a decision that changed the landscape of money in politics. In Citizens United, the court ruled that money is a form of speech and a First Amendment right. The result is that corporations and labor unions, while still prohibited from [...]