Two weeks ago—I know, decades ago in the blogosphere—I joined a labor movement march to protest a series of anti-worker, anti-union decisions by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

According to the AFL-CIO, the NLRB’s decisions:

• Make it harder to form unions through majority sign-up. Because the system for forming unions in this country is broken, more workers are forming unions through majority sign-up. But the NLRB ruled that when workers choose a union through majority sign-up, the employer must notify the workforce that just 30 percent of them can petition for an election—even if bargaining is under way. A dissenting NLRB member called this “cutting voluntary recognition off at the knees.”

• Make it harder for illegally fired workers to recover back pay. NLRB remedies against employers who break the law are notoriously weak and ineffective. Instead of enforcing the law more effectively, the [NLRB] made it less costly for employers to break the law. In one case, workers who were illegally discriminated against 17 years ago still have not received back pay. In another, workers who picketed after being fired for supporting a union were denied back pay due to concerns of “reward(ing) idleness.”

• Make it legal for employers to discriminate against union supporters in the hiring process and to refuse to hire a worker who comes to the job intending to try to form a union.

So on November 15, in rain-drenched Washington, I marched with over 1,000 people from the office of the AFL-CIO to the national NLRB office, calling for it to be “closed for renovations” until further notice. Similar marches took place in over 20 cities across the country.

Two choice chants from the march were “Workers’ Rights Under Attack, What Do We Do? Stand Up, Fight Back!” and “What’s Disgusting? Union Busting!”

But the erosion of workers’ rights is no laughing matter. And Jews have long understood this. “You shall not abuse a needy and destitute laborer, whether a fellow Israelite or a stranger in one of the communities of your land,” the Torah commands. “You must pay out the wages due on the same day, before the sun sets, for the worker is needy and urgently depends on it” (Deut. 24:14–15).

The NLRB’s recent decisions make a mockery of these fundamental rights. Union busting really is disgusting; and while it may have rhyme, it certainly lacks reason.

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism at 8:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

David Levy Reiner is a 4th-year rabbinical student at HUC-JIR in Cincinnati.  In 2005 and 2006, he served as coordinator of the RAC's Machon Kaplan summer program for college students.

I received word this past week that one of my favorite actors, Michael J. Fox, is scheduled to speak at the upcoming URJ Biennial in San Diego, CA. As excited as I would be to hear Mr. Fox speak on his Family Ties and Back to the Future experiences, I suspect that Mr. Fox will be speaking on Stem Cell research, a topic for which he now advocates. It's just as well; my parents preferred me to read the works of Saul Bellow, Philip Roth, and Charles Dickens, rather than watch TV or movies during my youth!

The issue of federally funded stem cell research appears to be stagnating after President Bush's veto of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005 in July of 2006. The upcoming regime change/election of 2008 will herald an opportunity to visit this issue anew.

For President Bush and for so many others, the stem cell research dispute is an extension of the argument over reproductive rights, an ongoing debate--between politicians, scholars, scientists, religious leaders and bio-ethicists (not necessarily mutually exclusive categories)--over when human life begins, and at what stage of development does life—or potential life—first have rights that must be protected.

I explored the issue of Stem Cell Research during an adult education class this past weekend at Congregation Beth El in Saginaw, Michigan. (After my flight was cancelled, it took me four days to hitchhike home. Never a good idea. Thank you Paul Simon!) There was little debate as we discussed the issue (everyone was in favor of advancing stem cell research), but nevertheless we engaged in healthy conversation, exploring the nuances of the Central Conference of American Rabbis' Responsa on the question of stem cell research permissibility and morality in the Jewish tradition. As we prepare to push anew for fresh legislation, it seems appropriate to review the interpretation of Jewish law that not only allows for Stem Cell research but compels us to push for and engage in that research.

The primary Jewish legal principle to consider here is pikuach nefesh, a legal exemption that allows us to violate nearly any Jewish law in order to save a life. In the greater scheme of Judaism and Reform Judaism specifically, pikuach nefesh is of particular importance because it enables and requires a reconsideration of tradition in light of modern advances in science, medicine, and technology. It is this notion of pikuach nefesh that has inspired reform (with a little "r") in the Jewish tradition and served as justification or rationalization of change in the Reform movements.

As the Responsa Committee of the CCAR points out, we should not only support stem cell research as concerned citizens, but we are legally compelled (as much as one may—as a Reform Jew--feel the pull of Jewish law) to push for additional research because of the potential to save lives and livelihoods. Stem cell research may not exist within our hallowed tradition in the exact form it occupies today, but conceptually we are obligated to use any means necessary in order to save a life. The only limitation placed by the interpretation of law by the Responsa committee is the creation of embryos expressly for the purpose of research, but this limitation may be overruled if it becomes known that the creation of embryos will definitely aid in the cure of detrimental diseases.

For the rabbis of the Committee, their understanding of law and tradition hinges on a liberal interpretation of the Hebrew word nefesh, which I won't even try to define here (even after we spent a month in my Midrash class trying to understand that word as it appears in Leviticus 2:1). The rabbis describe a hierarchy of nefashot, that human life has different rights and entitlements at different stages of development, an argument rooted in Jewish law. For example, one may violate the Sabbath to save a fetus, but a fetus in the earliest stages of development (i.e. before the first forty days of gestation), is considered "maya b'alma"--or "mere water"—which one may not violate the Sabbath to save. At the same time, however, while the post forty-day fetus has more legal rights and entitlements than the pre-forty day fetus, the older fetus still does not have as many rights as a child or any person that has been born. A pregnancy must be terminated in order to protect the life of the mother; this much is unequivocally clear. What remains open to interpretation are the limits of that protection: the Responsa committee offers a slightly more liberal interpretation, recognizing that "life" of the mother can incorporate mental status in addition of physical condition, but ultimately stating, "We do not encourage abortion, nor favor it for trivial reasons, or sanction it 'on demand.'" Similarly, as Maurice Lamm, a highly regarded expert on Jewish law accepted by Jews from most every style of practice, points out, babies born prematurely that die are not considered full people and are not mourned in the same way as a normal person.

I see now that I'm getting off topic, so it's time to rein it in and wrap it up. Christian evangelical leader Pat Robertson's endorsement (just this past week) of Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani suggests a softening of views by some Christian conservatives, a willingness to negotiate on the issues of reproductive rights, on which Giuliani and Robertson were seemingly diametrically opposed. Perhaps this is a harbinger of potentially positive advances on the stem cell debate in the next new administration, regardless of who is elected.

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism at 7:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

For the first time since 2003, Congress has created a bill to reauthorize the Head Start Program that we, as committed defenders of the separation of church and state, can support.  We can finally stand up, as advocates for better educational opportunities for our nation’s low-income children, and champion Head Start’s merits as a multi-faceted and effective program for ending the cycle of poverty in America without following our praise with a condemnation of the efforts to allow Head Start programs to discriminate on the basis of religion.

 

This week, both the House and Senate are voting on a conference report to reauthorize Head Start.  The last reauthorization of this program occurred in 1998 and expired in 2003.  In the 108^th and 109^th Congresses, the bills to reauthorize were stalled over a provision that would have allowed religious groups that sponsor Head Start chapters to discriminate in their hiring.  In response, the RAC and other First Amendment defenders were in the unfortunate position of having to oppose the Head Start reauthorization attempts while being outspoken supporters of Head Start’s mission and goals.  In the words of Rabbi David Saperstein, "To deny children living in poverty the most qualified teacher in the name of religion is nothing short of an attack on Head Start's core mission-preparing children to succeed in school."

 

We do not need to have any such qualms about this year’s reauthorization attempt.  The language that would have allowed for discrimination on the basis of religion does not appear in the current conference report, which has strong bipartisan support in both the House and Senate and is expected to be approved this week.  The bill includes an increase in funding by $450 million and increase in the level at which families are eligible from 100% to 130% of the federal poverty level.  With these positive advancements to an already wonderful program, supporting Head Start is an easy choice to make.

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism at 9:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Congress must be a tough place to schedule.  You have so many different people to please in terms of scheduling votes, debates, committee meetings, etc etc.  And of course, everyone has their public appearances to maintain; and by the end even if the week's full 168 hours are available, setting priorities is a must.  And even among those, teasing out what's important to you is next to impossible.  Check out the House or Senate websites, or even CSPAN.  they sort of parse it for you; but the RAC, for a very long time now (more than 10 years) has been issuing our Weekly Legislative Updates.
So why do i mention this now? Because the RAC's page is a mostly untapped resource.  Sure we get tons and tons of visitors; but in general, often I get emails and receive calls from people looking for stuff that is right under their nose.  Including the week's Legislative priorities.  You can subscribe to receive the Weekly Legislative Update (WLU) by email, or you can visit the page whenever there's a new one.  Each of them highlights two, more often three, issues that are the most important for the Reform Jewish community.  So check them out, sign up, and stay on top on your elected officials!

Posted by Religious Action Center at 8:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Last week, the National Council of La Raza and the Urban Institute released a groundbreaking paper, aptly titled “Paying the Price: The Impact of Immigration Raids on America’s Children.” Yesterday we attended a panel discussion on the results of that study. With one of us working on children’s issues and one on immigration, we were both drawn to this topic. We were excited that these organizations had managed to look at the issue of immigration from a new angle and we were inspired to look at our own issues with a broader lens. By the end of the panel, we were convinced that that advocates for children and immigrants should be working together to ensure that the welfare of children of immigrants is always a main concern. 

 

Researchers visited three communities (Greeley, Colorado, Grand Island, Nebraska, and New Bedford, Massachusetts) that had experienced work-site raids within the past year. Based on the data they gathered, researchers found that immigration raids put children at high-risk of family separation, economic hardship, and psychological trauma. With about five million U.S. children currently living with at least one undocumented parent, the consequences of a raid could be staggering. These children, the report notes, are “emotionally, financially, and developmentally dependent on their parents’ care, protection, and earnings,” and can be significantly affected by the loss of a parent—whether for a night, six months, or forever.

 

This study also included recommendations to address the problem.  Researchers suggested community organizations and social service providers help immigrant families develop strategic plans for preparedness in case a single parent or primary caregiver is arrested.  Researchers also encouraged federal, state, and local governments to provide oversight of immigration enforcement activities to ensure that children are adequately considered and protected.

 

Most importantly, members of the panel emphasized that immigration reform will only be comprehensive if it takes the needs of children of immigrants into consideration.  Minimizing the risks they are exposed to must be a top priority.

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism at 1:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Yesterday, state and local elections around the country allowed voters to assert their opinions on various issues.  Two major votes on my radar were a Utah measure to establish a state-wide voucher program and a New Jersey proposal to set aside $450 million dollars over 10 years for stem cell research.  Both of these measures failed.  In the case of Utah, the failure was cause for celebration, but in the case of New Jersey, it may have been step backwards. 

 

The Utah outcome prevented the state from providing vouchers that would allow students to transfer from public to private schools, regardless of their family income or the relative effectiveness of the schools that they were attending.  The Reform Jewish Movement has been outspoken about the dangers of vouchers as they threaten the essential separation of Church and State by allowing tax dollars to be funneled to religious schools.  They also result in many students attending schools that are unregulated or do not have to meet certain standards.  So, in our eyes, the failure of this bill was certainly a victory.

 

However, the failure of the New Jersey bill, which came as a surprise, may have been a step backwards for a state that has committed money to stem cell research in the past.  Supporters of stem cell research, though dissatisfied by the outcome, are not discouraged.  According to a New York Times article about the stem cell issue, Richard J. Codey, the State Senate president, does not see the vote as an indication of a shift in public opinion.  On the other hand, Steve Lonegan, New Jersey leader of a conservative group called Americans for Prosperity, rejoiced that this vote may have been a signal that “New Jersey is not the hopelessly liberal state that people think it is.” 

 

Altogether, these votes remind us that following and being active in state-level politics must remain a priority for activists as state legislatures are addressing many of the same issues that we focus on in our federal advocacy work.

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism at 9:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Our neighbors in the Great Commonwealth of Virginia went to the polls on Tuesday and regardless of which party they pulled the lever for, efforts to frame the election around opposition to undocumented immigration didn’t seem to catch on.

“Voters across Virginia chose candidates in state and local elections yesterday not out of anger over illegal immigration,” the Washington Post reported, “but based on party affiliation, a preference for moderation and strong views on such key issues as residential growth and traffic congestion.”

More from the Post:

Greg Blevins, a 17-year resident of Prince William, might have been a typical voter deciding yesterday’s crucial contests. Although concerned about enforcement of immigration law, Blevins said he voted for both Democrats and Republicans because his main concerns also include roads and schools, for which he is willing to pay higher taxes. “I want to see tax money spent where it is raised,” he said.

Immigration reform is a complex issue. Demonizing undocumented immigrants might get a candidate headlines, but it won’t guarantee votes. As the rhetoric surrounding immigration reaches a fevered pitch, voters are asking for cooler heads to prevail… and to focus on what really matters: that darn traffic.

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)