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.

I admit I approached John Kerry’s major speech on faith and politics this week, at Pepperdine University, with low expectations. (You can read the text of his speech here and watch the speech, as well as some Q&A here.) Kerry, for reasons oft-times attributed to his New England reserve, never quite seems comfortable talking about personal matters, especially faith. But as he says in the opening of his talk:

“Despite this New Englanders' past reticence of talking publicly about my faith, I learned that if I didn't fill in the picture myself, others would draw the caricature for me. I will never let that happen again -- and neither should you, because no matter your party, your ideology, or your faith, we are all done a disservice when the debate is reduced to ugly and untrue caricatures.”

Having now read (but, perhaps importantly not seen) the speech, I am pleased to report it is a thoughtful, engaging, and illuminating explication of how his (Catholic) faith illuminates his approach to policy issues. Kerry says:

I consider public leadership to be a form of Christian service and an expression of my faith. I believe the most important teaching of the Gospels is that it is not enough just to say one believes in Jesus. Believing in Jesus requires action -- it requires a bona fide effort -- commitment to live in the example of Jesus and nowhere in my judgment is the expectation of service more clearly stated than in Matthew 25:34:

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,

I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me."

So it is important for me to share with you how we might move from the example of Jesus as a servant into addressing the pressing needs of our time.

Kerry then goes on to lay out four “great challenges:” “fighting poverty and disease, taking care of the earth, reducing abortions, and fighting only just wars” noting that they represent “godly tasks on which we can transcend the culture wars and reach common ground..”

It’s a terrific speech, and well worth your time.

For those who want more:

• Amy Sullivan, who writes so perceptively about religion (mostly for the Washington Monthly) has a great post about Kerry’s speech on Jim Wallis’ new(ish) blog.
• Religion and Ethics Newsweekly Editor Kim Laughlin has a characteristically interesting interview with Kerry after his speech. Read the transcript, and watch the video.

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Allison Grossman, Cara Fisher, and Gwendolyn Litvak are Legislative Assistants at the Religious Action Center.

There were neon green t-shirts and blue berets for miles around. The dirt flared up under the footprints of thousands of empowered activists in New York City’s Central Park who had gathered to draw attention to the long running conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan. Three novice RAC Legislative Assistants, Allison, Cara, and Gwendolyn, made the trek from the nation’s capital to the Big Apple to take part in this significant event.

Public activism has long been a part of Jewish social justice and a way of igniting systemic change in this country. But with rallies and protests held seemingly every week, what effect could this rally actually have?

The presence of people in Central Park and the ensuing pressure exerted by attending press places demands on both the United States government and the United Nations to recognize the public still expects action to be taken to stop the violence in Darfur. On April 26, 2006, thousands of people descended on the Mall in front of the Capitol; since then, resolutions and agreements have passed but this rally demands the international community to act.

Understand that in the globalized world of today, Africa’s problems are everyone’s problems. We all vowed never again; by attending this rally, the three of us made sure our voices were heard by speaking out for the rights of Darfurians. Now it’s your turn. Take action by:

1. Calling President Bush and thanking him for appointing a Presidential Envoy to Sudan;
2. Urging President Bush to pressure the United Nations to deploy Peace Keepers to Darfur.
3. Educating yourself and then others on the situation and ensuring such violence never happens again.

Read more about Darfur and the Genocide that rages on.

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Rachel Cohen is on a semester-long internship at the Religious Action Center. She is a student at Washington University.

This morning I attended a special event at the Center for American Progress, a non-partisan think tank. The featured speaker was Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, General Secretary, National Council of Churches, former Pennsylvania Congressman and author of Middle Church: Reclaiming the Moral Values of the Faithful Majority from the Religious Right, a recently released book on how progressive Americans of faith can reclaim the moral high ground from the radical religious right. Dr. Edgar discussed how he has spent his political career advocating progressive issues on behalf of people of faith. His book argues that the religious right has effectively utilized political tools, as well as both traditional and modern media outlets, to dictate the definition of morality to the American people. The talk focused on responding by reframing issues where religion and politics intersect to focus on universal moral imperatives, such as fighting extreme poverty and global warming, rather than abortion, gay marriage, and other issues of “personal piety.”

While Dr. Edgar makes a compelling case for progressive morality, and is an inspirational voice for both religious leaders and Americans of faith, his speech left me wondering how we appeal to the vast population of Americans who are unconnected, or at least not politically motivated by, concepts of faith and religion. As a college student, I constantly encounter young people from across the political spectrum who are simply uninspired by or disinterested in organized religion. While Middle Church may be an effective call to action for the American faithful majority, we must not forget about our allies in the non-religious community as we work to end global poverty, stop global climate change, and promote non-violent conflict resolution.

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Elissa Froman is a Legislative Assistant at the Religious Action Center. She is a graduate of the George Washington University.

On Monday, a Maine couple was arrested and charged with kidnapping their own 19 year-old daughter, Katelyn Kampf, and attempting to bring her across state lines to New York to force her to have an abortion. Reports have indicated that she was bound with rope, carried to her parent’s car and that a gun was used to coerce her.

Since the news of this incident broke, there has been much commentary from anti-choice groups. Some of their coverage contains subtext arguing that this single incident is evidence that pro-choice persons are violent, criminal, and most significantly, make bad parents. Anti-choice organizations are attempting to make the focal point of the story the fact that the Kampf parents were trying to force their daughter to have an abortion.

In fact, this story highlights the importance of every woman’s right to make individual choices about her reproductive destiny. As a legal adult, Katelyn Kampf made a choice about her body and her future, and her choice was disrespected in a degrading, abusive and horrible way. But as Katelyn’s experience makes headlines, I wonder about the young women all over the United States who face the same choice that Katelyn did. Many of them are women with a lot in common with Katelyn – bright, honor students attending college, from nice neighborhoods and upper-middle class families – who are faced with a choice about their unplanned pregnancy.

Though Katelyn was tied up and forced into a vehicle against her will, all of the young women who face the same fate are bound and gagged by current choice restrictions. They might be bound by parental consent laws, or by lack of information and comprehensive sex education. They might be bound because once-accessible abortion providers have left due to intimidation and threats on their lives and clinics.

Supporting family planning and a woman’s right to choose, means supporting Katelyn’s right not to have an abortion and become a parent, as well as another young woman’s choice to delay beginning a family in the pursuit of other goals. The Kampf parents deprived their daughter of the right to make her own reproductive choices. Should our lawmakers continue to do the same?

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Miriam Fink is a Legislative Assistant at the Religious Action Center. She is a graduate of American University.

On September 14, 2006 I attended the United Nations Security Counsel meeting with special guests Elie Wiesel and George Clooney addressing the Security Counsel on the crisis in Darfur. Mr. Clooney visited Darfur in April and has since been a strong advocate of the people suffering at the hands of the Sudanese government as well as brought the genocide in Darfur into public awareness.

Everyday 2.5 million people in Darfur continue to face the danger of rape, disease, starvation, and murder. The death toll in Darfur has increased to the hundreds of thousands and for the genocide to stop it is paramount that the United Nations implement the Darfur Peace Agreement and increase humanitarian aid.

This week’s announcement that the mandate of African Union peacekeeping forces will be extended through the end of the year is a positive, but only a small step toward ending the violence. As Mr. Clooney said, “ The United States has called it genocide. For you it's called ethnic cleansing. But make no mistake -- it is the first genocide of the 21st century. And if it continues unchecked it will not be the last." To do their job, AU forces need more resources and an end to the impediments the Sudanese government has put in their path.

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Marc Katz is a Legislative Assistant at the Religious Action Center. He is graduate of Tufts University.

This week, the nation is commemorating the victims and heroes of 9/11. Unfortunately, for the rescue workers at ground zero, chronic asthma, emphysema, and lung cancer serve as a constant reminder of the day. Forbes magazine recently published an article citing that after 9/11, 69% of workers developed “worsened respiratory symptoms” and 59% have lasting symptoms that still plague them today.

Sadly, these workers are not getting their fair share of compensation. Thousands of workers, who came to New York vibrant and healthy, are now in need of lifelong care. To battle this, the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt announced that he would provide $75 million for worker health care. Sadly, this number will not cover the necessary costs of chronic care. To put it into perspective, Grist Magazine cited that Leavitt’s full proposal amounts to less than half of what the U.S. spends in a single day in Iraq.

Instead of admitting their faults and working to help those affected by 9/11, politicians are pointing fingers. Christie Todd Whitman, the head of the EPA at the time, is blaming local authorities for not providing the appropriate gear to workers, while local authorities blame Whitman for claiming that the air was safe. Because no one will claim culpability, no one is willing to bear the burden of treating these people. Regardless who is at fault or why this happened, we need to demand that a third question be asked: How can we as Americans and Jews help to rectify this situation?

Please click here for more information and resources

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Matt Weinberg is a Legislative Assistant at the Religious Action Center. He is a graduate of Cornell University.

A distressing Associated Press article about rising gun violence was published this week in many major publications, including the New York Times and Washington Times. On Sunday, the Justice Department announced that while overall violent and property crime rates have reached a 32-year low, gun violence and armed robberies increased in 2005 over 2004. There are also FBI reports that the rates of the most violent crimes, such as murder and robbery, could be on the rebound after a long decline. The overall drop in crime is great news, but the rise of gun violence demonstrates what happens when Congress and the Administration back off of gun control, as has been the case in the past few years. Obviously federal and local law enforcement officials are doing a great job of limiting and diminishing crime, so just imagine how much progress could be made if Congress stepped up to the plate and did something about our weakening gun laws. If nothing else, this report should be a lesson that when gun control is ignored and relaxed, gun crime goes up.

This article is particularly troubling because it comes on the heels of the House Judiciary Committee’s approval of H.R. 5092, which could potentially make it more difficult for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to suspend licenses of gun dealers who break laws. The bill is expected to get a vote on the House in the upcoming week. Other dangerous bills that weaken gun laws (H.R. 5005 and H.R. 1384) are also being reviewed by the Committee.)

In light of these Justice Department and FBI reports, it would be abhorrent for Congress to pass these gun bills. With rising gun violence, now is the time to make stricter gun laws, not laxer. An overall drop in crime does little to make the American people feel more secure if gun and violent crimes continue to rise. We have made so much progress as a nation to make our streets safer. How can Congress justify relaxing gun laws at a time when gun crimes are going up?

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Cara Fisher is a Legislative Assistant at the Religious Action Center. She is a graduate of the University of Texas, Austin.

On September 11, 2006, I attended a forum held at the Arab American Institute’s National Leadership Conference. On this day of national remembrance, I was grateful for the opportunity to reflect on how the 9/11 attacks affected the hearts and minds of people across the country. Panels of religious leaders representing a variety of faiths, including Rabbi David Saperstein, each spoke of their experience in helping our nation recover from tragedy. I was struck by a common theme presented by each speaker; the individuals who were attacked on 9/11 were American, and no difference in race, religion or ethnicity changed the fact that innocent Americans were the unfortunate victims of hatred. It is a regrettable truth that in the days and weeks following 9/11, many in the Arab American community suffered prejudiced attacks based solely on their ethnicity. Reflecting back on my experience yesterday I am comforted by the fact that this group of powerful religious leaders, including those in the Jewish community, continue to preach the values of tolerance, acceptance and peace. I realize that the task of educating others and embracing diversity is one that falls in the hands of all Americans, and as the healing process continues I am hopeful that we can accomplish this task together.

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Marc Katz is a Legislative Assistant at the Religious Action Center. He is a graduate of Tufts University

Today the Washington Post Report published an alarming article entitled Male Bass Across Region Found to Be Bearing Eggs. In essence the report explained that between 80-100% of male Bass found in many section of the Potomic River in Maryland and parts of Northern Virginia developed eggs and some even female sex organs. According to the U.S. Geological Survey the changes in the fish’s anatomy are due to “endocrine disrupters,” contaminants that interfere with the fish’s normal chemical signal.

In addition to the ecological impact that changes to the Bass anatomy may have on the aquatic ecosystem, there is questions within the scientific community about the human health risks of the “endocrine disrupters.” According to Livescience.com, the Potomac River provides water to 75% of the 3.6 million residents of Washington and its suburbs. To date, it is undetermined exactly what chemicals are acting as endocrine disrupters, and because of this scientific uncertainty, it raises questions about human consumption of the river’s water.

Judaism has always stressed the idea of sh’mitat haguf, protection of our own bodies, and pikuakh nefesh, the commandment to protect life at nearly any cost. We must press scientific and government agencies to research this unique and frightening phenomenon to assure that whatever chemical is changing the Bass anatomy will not have adverse affects on those drinking the Potomac River water.

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