Mark J. Pelavin is the Associate Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. He is one of the Jewish community's leading legislative strategists, and one of its senior lobbyists.

A very interesting piece on Salon today, by Samuel G. Freedman, looks at “Why Israelis Believe They’re Right.”  Freedman notes that “What might look to much of the outside world like "disproportionate" military action seems to the vast majority of Israelis like deterrence in the cause of self-defense,” and he, very powerfully, quotes a number of Israeli “doves” to underscore his point.  Well worth reading.

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Sarah Burrows is a Legislative Assistant at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. She is a graduate of George Washington University

Last week, the House of Representatives passed the so-called “Pledge Protection Act,” legislation that claims to protect the phrase “Under God” in our Pledge of Alligience, but in reality strips federal courts of their ability to interpret constitutional law and threatens the long-standing rights of religious minorities. In response to the passage of this bill, Representative Jerry Nadler from New York wrote a scathing press release that challenges the issue of court stripping and questions the priorities of his conservative colleagues. It is well worth the read.

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Sarah Burrows is a Legislative Assistant at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. She is a graduate of George Washington University

According to a new Government Accountability Office report released earlier this week by Representatives George Miller and Pete Stark, the Bush Administration is not offering adequate safeguards against discrimination in federally funded social services programs carried out by faith-based organizations.

The report also found that the White House has no way of knowing if its faith-based initiative is actually achieving its goals. Although over $2.1 billion in federal grants were awarded to faith-based organizations in 2005 alone, there are few measurable standards in place to effectively evaluate the program

Representative Stark, the senior Democrat on the House Ways and Leans Health Subcommittee, said, "The Bush administration has failed to develop standards to verify that faith-based organizations aren't using federal funds to pay for inherently religious activity or to provide services on the basis of religion. Taxpayers shouldn't have to take it on faith that programs without standards for success are having a measurable impact."

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Rabbi Richard Address is the Director of Jewish Family Concerns for the Union for Reform Judaism.

The July 1 edition of the NY Times had a most powerful juxtaposition of articles that went right to the challenges facing us as a society and as a people of faith. The tensions that are present within communities around the issue of how we embrace the blessings of modern medical technology were on display in terms of such traditional Jewish values as "pikuach nefesh" (saving of a life) and "puroo or voo" (having children)

A major article trumpeted a headline that said the Catholic Church stands ready to suggest excommunication for "scientists who engage in stem cell research using human embryos". A few pages later, the Religion Journal piece presented an article about the growing acceptance across Jewish denominational lines, of assisted reproduction technology that allows infertile couples to fulfill the mitzvah of procreation.

One of the many things that we continue to learn in the work of our URJ department is that the nature of our family life is changing, and that the responses of religious communities that refuse to deal with what is real in the lives of their people court irrelevancy. There is no family, no matter how it is constituted, that will not be impacted by emerging technologies. Science is not waiting for the religious leaders of the world to tell them what they may or may not do.,

One of the most powerful aspects of Judaism has always been that it understands that we live in a real world and that we understand that we have been given a gift of intellect to enhance and make our life better.

There is great potential in much of this new technology. Yes, it needs to be looked at, managed and placed in a framework that opens the door for blessing, growth and mitzvot. That is our job as a society. Remember, the technology is neutral. It is what we choose to do with it that determines its' blessing or curse. There are still bills in state and Federal legislatures that seek to control this research into the genetic frontier. There is a wealth of traditional and emerging material within the Jewish community than is helpful in educating our people as to how to make an informed Jewish choice as to the benefits and potential benefits of this science. It is up to us to educate and learn about this reality, not to seek to expel its practitioners from the community or silence their work.

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Naomi Greenspan is a Program Associate for the Commission on Interreligious Affairs. She holds a degree from St. Louis' Washington University.

“Not all Arabs or Muslims are terrorists, but they should be treated as such.”

When I read these words written by Jacob Raines on WWW.JEWSWEEK.COM I was disgusted. I was shocked that anyone would think these thoughts let alone put them in writing to openly share with the public. I was disappointed that this was written by a Jew and even more appalled that a Jewish publication would print it.

Despite Raines’ faulty logic in comparing all Muslims and Arabs to a potentially loaded gun, his article also violates our American notion of “innocent until proven guilty” and our pluralistic sensibilities about the need to end prejudice and racism. Raines goes as far as to say that, “Until checked and cleared, all Muslims should be kept away from Jews, Israel, mass transportation, media outlets, political bodies, and governing councils.” He does not just express his personal fears, but argues that we should take his own misperceptions to the next level and create discriminatory policy against all Arabs and Muslims.

Raines’ comments are particularly disturbing to me as a Jew. I fear that this thought (or variations of it) are all too common in the Jewish community. I have heard too many racist comments made by Jews about Arabs. I have seen too many Jews speak negatively about Muslims and their religious tradition. From back-handed comments muttered under their breath to public statements of intolerance, Jews are not innocent of believing and expressing such prejudicial ideas.

But as a Jew I am passionate about the need to end such “Islamophobia.” The history of my people has taught me about the negative effects of such blind hatred. Throughout Jewish history, Jews have been treated as “the other” and subject to anti-Semitism. They have been shunned from society, violated, and oftentimes even killed because of their religious identity. As a Jew I know what it feels like to be discriminated against because it has happened to my own people. And therefore as a Jew I see it as my obligation to stand up to hatred, bigotry, and discrimination wherever it exists and by whomever it is committed, even if it is by my own people.

As individuals and as a community we have a responsibility. We must be thoughtful in our words and our actions. Before saying or doing something against another human being – one that we also believe is created in the image of God – we should put ourselves in their shoes. How would it feel if someone said that about Jews? Do commonly held prejudices of Jews (or anyone else for that matter) have any basis in reality and what are the negative effects of espousing such bigoted ideas? As Jews we have an extra moral responsibility to ask ourselves these questions. We must do so as individuals ­– and even more so as organized Jewish bodies such as JEWSWEEK – in choosing what ideas we express and beliefs we hold. It’s a simple message we all learned as children, “Do unto others as you want done unto you” or as we say in Hebrew, “Ve’ahavta la’reacha kamocha.”

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Sean Thibault is the web master/publicity guru at the Religious Action Center. He joins us from the great white north, and is proud to represent Canada's frozen chosen.

The Yoffie-Katsav controversy is a hit in the blogosphere with both haters and lovers coming out raging. See Jewlicious, Canonist, and Pascal’s View.

Indeed, you can read more by seeing the comments to these news articles. Haaretz, Jerusalem Post.

The argument is certainly straining relations between the movement and the Israeli presidency; but is exposing divisions in the Jewish World itself at a time when violence in Israel and the territories has led to the deaths of 42 Palestinians and 3 Israelis (June 2006).

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Sam Karol, Sarah Glassman, and Wes Peskin are participants in this summer's Machon Kaplan Internship Program. Sam studies at Quinnipiac University, Sarah at the University of Vermont, and Wes at the University of Rhode Island.

For the three of us, the past 11 summers or so have been spent at Jewish summer camps across the country. However, this summer we took a leap of faith and came to the Religious Action Center to provide us with a fulfilling, educational, entertaining, and Jewish summer. Our third week in DC began with the 4 th of July. We didn’t really know what we were getting ourselves into as we departed with the 32 other interns at 4:30 p.m. to head towards the National Mall for a picnic dinner and enjoy what is said to be our nation’s greatest fireworks display.

If you have not spent a summer in Washington, you might be unaware of the constant, unpredictable weather that occurs here during this time of year. As we marched our way toward the mall, chattering about what to expect, we did not know that the skies that were soon to be lit up with fireworks were about to put on an entirely different show. We approached the corner of G Street and 21 st, halfway between New Hall (our George Washington University dorm) and the National Mall, when dark storm clouds headed our way stopped us in our tracks. We turned around and headed back to our building to enjoy our “picnic in the lounge,” and enjoyed fried chicken as Italy beat Germany 2-0 during overtime in the World Cup Semi-Finals. While in the shelter of New Hall, we escaped the hail which caused the mall to be evacuated and forced people to abandon the coveted spots that they had staked out all day.

Now, what do fried chicken, Italy, and hail all have to do with 4 th of July in Washington D.C.? These things were all a part of the unconventional celebration that was the Machon Kaplan program’s Independence Day. We may not have gotten to enjoy dinner around the Washington monument, but when we finally arrived, the rain had stopped and we joined the crowds of people across the lawns and watched others filling the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The night ended as a beautiful fireworks display lit up the sky and patriotic music echoed in the background. It was the uniqueness of the day that made this, our first 4 th of July in DC, an experience we will never forget.

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