Daphne Price is Rabbi David Saperstein's Executive Assistant.

Ours is a family of many rituals and customs. My husband and I keep a kosher home. We observe Shabbat. My husband prays 3 times a day. I study. When we celebrate the Jewish holidays, we infuse into our observance various practices from each of our own childhood homes. We provide our children a Jewish education. With traditions abound, Judaism permeates our home.

About 2 years ago, my then-2-and-a-half year old started her own tradition. My husband took her to one of those pottery painting places and she decided to paint a Tzedaka Duck." Since then, she's added to her collection a Tzedaka dalmation, a Tzedaka Nemo, a Tzedaka flower, a Tzedaka elephant, and of course, my favorite, her Tzedaka pig. To most children, these are all just piggy banks, but for my daughter, they are places where she collects and stores Tzedaka - charity for the poor. Every time she finds some coins lying around, she asks if she can put them into one of her Tzedakas. Over time, her crew of hand-painted Tzedaka banks has accumulated (literally!) a nice chunk of change.

Last evening, my now 4-and-a-half year old asked me when we were going to give her Tzedaka coins to poor people. And she got me thinking.

Today, we're starting a new tradition. Today, I am taking my daughter, along with her collection of Tzedaka banks to the bank. Together, we'll empty their contents into one of those coin counting machines to convert the coins into bills. And with the understanding that her grown-up looking money will go to someone in need, we'll give it to a worthy charity. And then we'll do the same thing next year. And the year after that. And as my kids grow older (in a couple of years, my other daughter will be old enough to participate and understand), we'll discuss various worthy charities and eventually, they'll be able to choose on their own where their money should go.

We all know that it is important to help those in need. I think it's even more important to teach our little ones the importance of giving, especially during these challenging times. We can do this both by teaching them how to give of their own money and by modeling giving ourselves. There is no shortage of worthy causes. And if you want to think about making a gift through one of the URJ causes, there are several to choose from, including Nothing But Nets, Keren B'Kavod, and, of course, the RAC. And whether we give out of our wallets or volunteer our time, we should all strive to make the act of giving a little Tzedaka a part of our own family Jewish traditions.

Posted by Religious Action Center at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

First posted at RJ.org by Gardening Grandma.

This week's US News and World Report takes a look about how President-Elect Obama is consulting with religious groups across the spectrum on issues ranging from domestic poverty to bringing peace to the Middle East.

This is the most extensive outreach and listening tour that I've ever seen a new administration take, and that is certainly true of their outreach to the faith community," said Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, who has worked with presidential transition teams going back to Jimmy Carter's.

It's a remarkable departure from the Bush administration's approach. . As Tanya Clay House, director of public policy for People of the American Way said, "The old administration listened to just one side of the argument."

Posted by Religious Action Center at 10:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Tygrrrr Express, a conservative blog recently added to The Jewish Journal of Los Angeles website, posted a blog on December 24th titled "Lighting Candles and Smacking Women: 2008 Hanukkah Style." (This particular post has been removed from The Jewish Journal's website.) Apparently intended to be comedic, this blog post is every bit as appallingly offensive as it sounds. 

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism at 5:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

As 2008 draws to a close, Top 10 lists abound.  This week, ReligionClause, one of the preeminent blogs on separation of church and state, posted a list of the Top Ten Developments in Church-State Separation/ Free-Exercise of Religion in 2008.  Also weighing in with Top 10 lists of their own: The Religious Newswriters Association, Time Magazine, and Rev. Paul Raushenbush via The Huffington Post.  The lists of notable stories range far and wide from controversial pastors to presidential faith outreach, from un-kosher kosher meat to a Jewish financier swindling philanthropies, so check out these lists, see which stories made it to the top, and leave us a comment here on the RACBlog and let us know what you think: What story would you have put at number one?  Were there any stories you would have added to the list?

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism at 10:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Jacob Pactor lives in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he teaches high school English.

I could neither have asked for a more appropriate Chanukah gift nor found a better way to connect with its story of destruction, belief and rebuilding then my week-long trip to New Orleans with the Reform Movement's Tzevet Mitzvot: Adult Mitzvah Corps.

I arrived in the broken city of New Orleans a bit broken and disillusioned myself. I felt incomplete - many of us felt a similar absence - and a bit drawn to being in a city that seemed so far removed from my daily toils. Within hours of meeting everyone, touring the city and meeting volunteers, we just wanted to get to work.

And work we did. Working with Rebuilding Together, seven of us built a fence around a house in the Broadmoor neighborhood of New Orleans (The other 29 participants painted a nearby house). None in our group had built a fence, but we poured and mixed cement, situated and leveled support posts and aligned and screw 175-plus fence posts. Three days later, we finished our task.

However, three years after Hurricane Katrina and the broken levees, there still is no grocery or convenience store within 15 minutes of our fence. Rooted two feet deep into the earth, though, the fence reaffirms these neighbors' commitment to rebuilding their homes and lives. While the fence does separate their houses, it returns them to a pre-flood normalcy. In that way, the fence reestablishes the delicate balance between these two families as they deal with the cracked foundations in their lives and communities.

Likewise, erecting a fence and painting a house reestablished for me - for all of us - a commitment to rebuild New Orleans, our own neighborhoods and our lives. In New Orleans, so many people said "Thank you," but it is all of us who thank them when we volunteer.


Pictured in blue shirts, clockwise from back left corner, are Adult Mitzvah Corps participants Steven Morris, Jeff Ewan, Seth Shapiro, Dan Utley, Jacob, Pactor, Judith Forman and Alison Lobron, with Adam Weingarten of Rebuilding Together New Orleans (red shirt). The group poses in front of the fence they constructed around a New Orleans home damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

Posted by Religious Action Center at 4:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

While Jews across the country spent the Christmas holiday gorging on Chinese food and taking in a good movie (or two... or three), a group of young Jewish adults spent last week repairing the world - or, more specifically, repairing New Orleans.

Twenty-nine volunteers aged 25-35 participated in the Reform Movement's Young Adult Mitzvah Corps, spending five days doing hard work in the Big Easy by repairing some of the extensive damage Hurricane Katrina did to a residential home in the Lower 9^th Ward. Group co-leaders Barb Weinstein (Legislative Director of the RAC) and Naomi Abelson (Manager of Congregational Relations for the Commission on Social Action) wrote a blog post every day of the trip and microblogged on Twitter, chronicling their experiences volunteering, worshipping and socializing in New Orleans. The local news station even took notice, covering the URJ volunteers' work in a Christmas Eve news package that interviews Naomi.

Abraham Joshua Heschel once said that when he marched for civil rights in Selma, Alabama, he felt as though his feet were praying. Last week's volunteers displayed a similar philosophy, getting down to the dirty, physical aspect of volunteer work by painting, hammering, nailing and creating; in every sense of the words, they were certainly praying with their hands. And though their trip is over, the impact is lasting - the house the Young Adult Mitzvah Corps participants helped rebuild will be worked on by volunteers from other organizations until its completion - and the same can be said, we hope, about the entire city of New Orleans.

Posted by Religious Action Center at 4:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Rabbi Elliott A. Kleinman is the Union for Reform Judaism's Chief Program Officer.

When I learned of Rabbi Arnold Wolf's death on Wednesday evening, I was overwhelmed by the loss. Arnold was my rabbi. My parents were founders of Congregation Solel in Highland Park, IL, and Arnold has been a part of every moment of my life. It was Arnold who inspired me to be a rabbi and challenged me to be a Jew, and it was Arnold who taught me how to do both.

Some of my earliest memories are of Arnold berating our congregation or our religious school class or the board of the congregation for not doing enough in the pursuit of justice. What I remember most is that we loved every moment of it. God was real and I "had better pay attention" he would remind us. "I am Adonai your God" was not a promise but a challenged to be lived up to every moment in every action.
I remember one such moment in religious school. Our class of fourth or fifth graders was creating our own midrashim for stories about Abraham and Rabbi Wolf walked in. He asked about a couple of the midrashim and then, in response to one, startled us all saying, "Nope, that's not what God was saying." We were crushed. But just as quickly he reminded us that the Torah was ours to own and understand, saying, "You're not listening hard enough. If you listen very carefully, you'll hear what God was saying." Wow - even I, a kid, could hear what God was saying to us. The world was never the same.

In the end though, it was Arnold's smile that gave it all away. The twinkle in his eye that reminded us that he believed in us, hoped for us and was always there to be supportive is us as we journeyed through life.

A review of the daily report from the Union's Development Department on the day of Arnold's death reminded me again of what kind of rabbi Arnold was. The second to last name on the report was Arnold's for having made a donation to the Union's Nothing But Nets campaign. It is only fitting that we were reminded of his many acts of tzedakah on that day.

Arnold and I spoke periodically. We would talk about issues of the day, my work at the Union and our families. Whenever we spoke he asked the same question, "Kleinman, you still Jewish?" If I answered yes he would ask if I could prove it. Over time I learned that, for Arnold, the right response was, "I'm still trying." That answer would appease him and continue to challenge me. Just what he wanted.

Even at this season of light, the world is a bit darker now. I'm still trying, but it is harder now without Arnold's wisdom, advice, humor and vision. The world will never be the same but always be better because of Arnold Jacob Wolf.

(A note: President-elect Barack Obama sent a powerful letter about Arnold that was read at the funeral. You can find it here.)

Posted by Religious Action Center at 10:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Naomi Abelson is the Manager of Congregational Relations for the Commission on Social Action. She is blogging from New Orleans, Louisiana, where she is leading the Union for Reform Judaism's Tzevet Mitzvot: Adult Mitzvah Corps program this week.

Work day 2? Check! With the warmer weather lifting our spirits, our crew climbed higher ladders to perfect our paint job from the eves to the ground. Yesterday we arrived to our worksite to a house partially primed and yet to be painted. As amateur painters, we were slow to develop techniques for building scaffolding, adjusting ladders and brushstroke techniques... but today our crew was up in the rafters in no time! Singing along to the radio (and oftentimes to our own little tunes) made our work day go by quickly and enjoyably.
On our second worksite, the crew of seven spent the day building a fence. In two short days, they dug holes, mixed cement, played with power tools, placed posts, and have turned a pile of two-by-fours into a fence!

It's quite rewarding to see our progress throughout the day and similarly gratifying to visit with the homeowners and neighbors - hearing their stories and learning about the local community. Walking away from the work site today, we were sore, tired and covered in paint... not that anyone on Bourbon St. will notice!

Pouring white paint for the window frames


Jews with power tools!


Building a fence


Relaxing during a much-needed lunch break.


Visiting with the homeowner, Willie, at the end of Work Day 2


Paint, paint everywhere!

Posted by Religious Action Center at 6:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Rabbi Norman Roman is the rabbi at Temple Kol Ami in West Bloomfield, MI. This post is adapted from Rabbi Roman's message in the January 2009 Kol Ami bulletin.

Early in December, I was invited by Cardinal Adam Maida to attend a small gathering of Detroit area religious leaders, an urgent interfaith response to the economic crisis and the auto industry's needs. It was good for the 14 of us to be together (14 is, of course, a 'yad' - a helping hand, in Hebrew!), the news media reported on our meeting, some ideas were shared of what our various communities were doing in Churches, Mosques, and Synagogues to assist our members, and personal connections were made for future participation in "prayer, political action, and programming."
Several insights from this crisis are very clear to me, and others have been suggested for me (and you) to consider:

First, what is happening in Southeast Michigan especially, is what I am calling "our area's Katrina". It is a monster storm that in some ways was expected, but its catastrophic consequences are yet to be fully grasped. On the horizon are winds of change: total disruption of home, professional and family life for many. Countless numbers of our friends and neighbors will need (or already are in need of) new jobs, new residences, and most importantly, hope. Other areas of the country received 'help' very quickly, some without too many conditions attached. But in our area's situation, there have been repercussions and threats, Congressional hearings, and scapegoating. Washington, and much of the U.S. do not seem to comprehend the extent of this crisis (the size of the hurricane), how many people outside the immediate area will be affected (the levies will break), nor has anyone prepared adequately for the rescue and clean-up operations that will be necessary (FEMA's failure). Is this possibly because many see this crisis as an opportunity to 'break' the labor unions? Or, as we heard in the accusations of racism towards New Orleans, is Detroit also being 'sacrificed' because the population is predominantly black?

Secondly, even though a loan package or other assistance may have been legislated by the time 2009 begins, a new government, with a new President and a new Congressional Majority, will take office in January. We must communicate with Washington about support for our area, our manufacturing industries, and the Main Street versus Wall Street divide that has become so real during this Recession. And more, we must share our pain and our stories with our relatives and friends who live in other parts of the country. For apparently, they and their representatives in the House and Senate refuse to see the human effect that this crisis has brought. They do not accept that failures and foreclosures and plant closings in Michigan will inevitably also mean failures and foreclosures and closings in the South, as well. They refuse to acknowledge the major advances that the American automotive companies have achieved in the last few years. We need their voices to be heard on our behalf, and we need their prayers, as well.

This is a very difficult time - for all of us. Again, please know that the Temple is here for you: we pledge to listen, to advocate on your behalf, to try and make connections for job placement or other types of assistance. The key phrase for our Jewish community and for our congregation recently has been, "No One is Alone." Our tradition teaches both that we should not despair and that we should always stand ready to help.

As Jews and as Americans, let us proudly welcome the New Year and the New Administration, and let us work and pray for a better tomorrow!

Posted by Religious Action Center at 11:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Barb Weinstein is blogging from New Orleans, Louisiana, where she is co-leading the Union for Reform Judaism's Tzevet Mitzvot: Young Adult Mitzvah Corps program this week.

Today was our first (and hopefully coldest) day volunteering with Rebuilding Together New Orleans (RTNO). We are working on a house in the Broadmoor neighborhood, which was badly damaged by the Katrina floods. The owner of "our" house has lived in it for more than 20 years and raised his three sons there.

Our group arrived at the house this morning around 8:30, each of us dressed in multiple layers to fight off the 35 degree weather. Our job for the week involves scraping and painting the exterior of the two-story home. Of course, reaching the top of the house means first constructing three levels of scaffolding. It was an excellent metaphor for the way the city as a whole seems to be reviving: well-intentioned volunteers with little or no expertise in the field they are thrown into are determined to overcome the obstacles and succeed. And so, about an hour later, the scaffolding was up and the work began on a long day of physical labor. Over the hours, the house exterior became a cheerful shade of blue, almost matching the blue many of our lips were turning in the near-freezing temperatures.

Our evening program was a pizza dinner at Moishe House, meeting with four 20-something young adults who came to NOLA post-Katrina to help create a new and vibrant community. Our speakers, along with the two young AmeriCorps volunteers who are managing our work site, are indicative of what a draw this city is for people who are energetic and want to be a part of a grand revitalization effort.



And now: Photos from our experiences thus far!

Participants Judith Forman and Ronnie Conn get pumped up during icebreakers at the start of our trip.


Breakfasting at the famous (and recently kosherized!) Café du Monde


Young Adult Mitzvah Corps participants pose outside Café du Monde during a little bit of bonding time


Morning services on the Mississippi River


The group visits flooded Congregation Beth Israel during a New Orleans area tour


Bailey London leads YAMC participants in celebrating the first night of Chanukah.


YAMC participants brave the cold to paint a home with Rebuilding Together New Orleans.

Posted by Religious Action Center at 10:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Barb Weinstein is blogging from New Orleans, Louisiana, where she is leading the Union for Reform Judaism's Tzevet Mitzvot: Adult Mitzvah Corps program this week.

This morning, despite weather delays from coast to coast, our Mitzvah Corps group was finally complete. We started the day together with breakfast at Café du Monde. As we prepare to celebrate the 1st night of Hanukkah, the beignets, which I believe are 1% flour and 99% oil, seemed particularly appropriate. After we each shook the powered sugar off our clothes, we strolled along the picturesque Riverwalk and chose a spot for our shacharit service. New Orleans is a city of great music, and while I can't honestly say we were the best ensemble in town today, we were enthusiastic in our prayers and songs.

We spent this afternoon touring the city with Rabbi Bob Loewy of Congregation Gates of Prayer in Metairie, a NOLA suburb. As I mentioned in my blog post of a couple of days ago, our hotel is in the relatively unscathed French Quarter and there are few signs of the devastation that hit the rest of the city. Today, we saw those signs everywhere.

In each neighborhood there are 3 types of homes: 1) Those that have been completely rebuilt from the foundation up and show no signs of hurricane damage, but that by virtue of their very newness are evidence of the extent of the damage that once was. 2) Those that are refurbished, often with faded (or fully visible) spray paint markings on the outside indicating an inspection by a search and rescue team in the days after the storm (including a number noting the number of bodies found) and 3) Those that remain abandoned, their owners unwilling or unable to return. There is also a 4th kind of "home," though that is really a misnomer: the empty lots. These are spaces, most clearly seen in the lower 9th ward, where there is only a foundational slab of concrete indicating where a house once was. Now, there is nothing there but weeds.

Much of the lower 9th ward was washed away when the levee, in whose shadow it existed, broke in the middle of the night. People were washed away in their sleep, lives ended and upended in an instant. The neighborhood was originally laid out in a neat grid. Now maybe one or two remnants of houses remain on each block. A handful has been rebuilt. But the area is for all intents and purposes a ghost town. Driving down the streets in a bus, there is a sense of the absurd as we come to the stop signs at each corner. Who are we stopping for? There is no one here.

We later visited Beth Israel Congregation, in the Lake Vista neighborhood, which was at one point under 15 feet of water. Jackie Gothard, who was the congregation's president in 2005, walked us through the ground floor. There is still shattered glass, upended furniture, boarded up walls and the pervasive smell of mold and dust. The congregation is not planning to reopen the facility; the devastation was too complete.

Those are a just a few of the difficult sites and stories we saw heard today. But we also saw the work of "Common Ground," a volunteer-based organization in the lower 9th that is building homes and bringing families back one at a time. We heard about ways in which the community, Jewish and otherwise, has become closer and more cooperative than it was before the storm. And we also heard over and over again, "thank you for coming here to help."

Posted by Religious Action Center at 8:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Naomi Abelson is the Manager of Congregational Relations for the Commission on Social Action. She is blogging from New Orleans, Louisiana, where she is leading the Union for Reform Judaism's Tzevet Mitzvot: Adult Mitzvah Corps program this week.

Day 2: Shabbat Shalom, y'all! The sun is bright and the weather's warm here in New Orleans... but unfortunately I can't say the same for the rest of the country. More than half our group is experiencing flight delays due to snow, ice and (apparently) required "R&R ground time" for pilots & flight attendants who were working late last night/early this morning). Here's hoping everyone makes it to New Orleans safe, sound and soon!

Yesterday was spent prepping for the trip - getting supplies, reviewing schedules, organizing materials - but we did take a break for a little 'Nawlins-style dinner. As we gorged ourselves on redfish, cornbread and bananas foster bread pudding (yes, it was as delicious as it sounds!), we talked about how pleasantly surprised we've been with New Orleansians' friendly, polite and courteous demeanor. From the bellmen to the customers in line at grocery store, "southern hospitality" is true to form.

This pleasantry goes beyond a simple smile; it is a genuine interest in where we are from and why we are here. And when told we're a volunteer group, the response has always been a giant "Thank you! It really means a lot for you to continue this much-needed rebuilding work."

And once all of the delayed flights have finally landed in New Orleans, we're looking forward to the 27 Mitzvah Corps participants feeling this same warmth and gratitude. Here's looking forward to a "shavuah tov!"

Posted by Religious Action Center at 4:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Barb Weinstein is blogging from New Orleans, Louisiana, where she is leading the Union for Reform Judaism's Tzevet Mitzvot: Adult Mitzvah Corps program this week.

Day 1 in New Orleans is drawing to a close and the highlight thus far has been....a trip to Winn Dixie. One hundred granola bars an 80 apples later (plus a couple of hundred dollars more in sundries for our group for the week) and we are ready to go.

In just the short 12 hours since I landed in town, I am already reminded of the dichotomy that is New Orleans. Walking through the French Quarter, the party is as lively as ever. Revelers are soaking up the warm air, good food, and abundant (and creative) drinks. And yet, drive a few blocks and the boarded up buildings, empty store fronts, and obvious poverty are as present as ever.

Tomorrow we will welcome our 27 Mitzvah Corps participants and begin our week together with a dinner and Havdalah service. The theme for the night's program is "Separation," riffing on the divide between Shabbat and the work week. This for me, as I am sure for many on our trip, will be a week of work unlike most. I'm looking forward to trading my pen and computer for a hammer and paint brush.

Posted by Religious Action Center at 2:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Thirty young Jewish adults took off for New Orleans, Louisiana this morning to help rebuild the city's 9th Ward, still damaged from 2005's Hurricane Katrina. These volunteers are participating in the Union for Reform Judaism's Tzevet Mitzvot: Young Adult Mitzvah Corps program, which combines five days of social action, worship and fun in the Big Easy.

Want to follow along with their NOLA adventure? Good news - they'll be blogging about it like crazy! The trip is being led by Barb Weinstein, legislative director of the Religious Action Center, and Naomi Abelson, manager of congregational relations of the Commission on Social Action - both will be live-blogging about the group's experiences in New Orleans. You can check them out here at the RACblog, where we'll post daily updates until their trip ends on Christmas Day.

One more thing: If you want to be even more Web-savvy than standard blogging, check out the RAC on social networking Web site Twitter, where Barb will be "microblogging" more than daily with updates both large and small about what the group is up to.

And don't forget: You can let Barb, Naomi, and the rest of the group know that you're following along with their trip by commenting on their posts!

Posted by Religious Action Center at 4:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Six times a year, the RAC staff has the opportunity to work with incredible groups of high school students from across the country at our Bernard and Audre Rapoport L'Taken Social Justice Seminars.  A few weeks ago, at our first L'Taken of the year, one of our participants, Andrew Turell from Woodlands Community Temple in White Plains, NY, delivered a remarkable speech concluding his group's visit to Representative Nita Lowey's office.  Andrew's speech did not merely tie together the five separate issues on which his peers spoke.  Andrew's speech eloquently reminded us all how important his voice and the voices of his peers are.  It reminded us all why we must engage in social justice and constantly fight to make the world better.  It reminded me why it is that I love the work that we do--

"I would like to end with a quotation made famous by Robert Kennedy.  He said: 'Some men see things as they are and say why.  I dream things that never were and say why not.'  We are the future of this country--the future doctors, the future businesswomen, the future parents, the future artists, and the future statesmen.  We all have dreams about how our country can become even greater, and our work towards those dreams begins today.  Like Robert Kennedy, we will not accept the present when there is the potential for better.  We will not accept precedent when the logic is flawed.  We will not accept mediocrity when Americans deserve excellence.  Our work begins today, and we appreciate Congresswoman Lowey's support."

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism at 3:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This week, the URJ began an exciting new chapter in its work on the Federal Courts. As we have documented and repeated in various "Focus on the Court" postings, recent court decisions and trends, largely a consequence of the changing makeup of the judiciary during George W. Bush's presidency, present serious threats to the fundamental rights that the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) has long supported, among them religious liberty, free speech, privacy, civil rights, and employment non-discrimination.

In 2002, the URJ adopted policy that allows us to oppose nominees to the federal bench whose appointments would threaten fundamental rights.  This policy has allowed us to speak out against nominees like Samuel Alito, Richard Honaker, and William Pryor, whose records and statements led us to believe that their ascensions to the bench would have serious, negative consequences.
 
This past weekend, at a meeting in Tampa, Florida, the URJ Board of Trustees passed a resolution that will allow the URJ, in a highly selective manner, to support qualified nominees who are being attacked or criticized based on "their records or stated views related to the protection of the fundamental rights that our Movement supports" and/or "based on aspects of their personal identities that are irrelevant to their ability to fulfill the responsibilities of the positions to which they are nominated (including but not limited to sexual orientation, gender, race, disability, ethnicity, or religion)."

The passage of this policy is one piece of the Union for Reform Judaism's ongoing effort to amplify the progressive religious voice on judicial nominations.  Therefore, in conjunction with the passage of this policy, the RAC also resumed distribution of Rights in Peril: Why the American Jewish Community and Other Cannot Afford to Sit Out the Debate Over Judicial Nominations.

This report is a call to action to the Jewish and broader religious communities to protect fundamental rights by expanding their engagement with Judicial Branch nominations.  These groups have long been at the forefront of legislative efforts to protect fundamental rights and liberties. But too many religious organizations choose not to participate in debates over judicial appointees.  In the words of the report, "sitting out these vital debates jeopardizes crucial gains we have made and will make in the legislative arena."

We hope this report will be well-received and that the URJ's policies will serve as a model for all Jewish and national religious organizations beginning or continuing engagement in the federal judicial nominations process. 

 

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism at 11:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of New Jersey's abolition of the death penalty, a move that made it the one and only state that has "repealed the death penalty by legislative means" instead of as the result of a court order.  Earlier this week, the New Jersey Star Ledger published a comprehensive assessment of "justice without [the] death penalty."  In a statement yesterday, New Jersey State Senator Raymond Lesniak (who introduced the bill a year ago) reminded us all that "New Jersey's efforts now serve as a guiding light for other states" as "measures to repeal the death penalty are gaining traction all across the nation" in Maryland, New Mexico.  Though our work is far from done, we can take encouragement from victories such as this as we continue to fight for an end to capital punishment nationwide.

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism at 3:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Over the past few weeks, I have had the pleasure of meeting over 500 high school students from across the country at the Religious Action Center's Bernard and Audre Rapoport L'Taken social justice seminars. Each four-day intensive learning program brings students from across the country to D.C. to learn about social justice and Jewish values (read what some of the participants had to say about their experience). The program culminates with a visit to Capitol Hill, where students meet with their Senators, Representatives and their staff to discuss the issues that matter most to them. As my fellow RAC staff and I led the participants past the Capitol and Supreme Court to their meetings, I got several interesting questions about my experiences on the Hill: "Oh, you must be here all the time, what's your favorite place to go eat?; Who is the most famous Senator/Member of Congress you have ever met?; Do you ever see the President??"
I answer honestly that visiting the Hill is only one of the many activities included in my job description. Even as full-time advocates, walking the halls of Congress and hobnobbing with the Hill crowd is not something I do on a daily basis. However, lately I've gotten to travel to the House and Senate more often, meeting with Hill staffers and members of the Obama transition team along with our partners at other faith groups. While these meetings are interesting and informative, it is often a challenge to translate our visits into the change we want (and need) to see on the issues that matter most to us.

During the holiday season we are often focused on spending time with friends and family, and intentionally disconnect from our 'everyday' lives. While this break is important and often necessary, we cannot forget our long-term goals and the steps we must take to achieve them. As the new administration and Congress prepare to take office in January, we have a unique opportunity to shape the agenda by making our voices heard on the climate and energy issues that matter so much to our community. We have an opportunity to act now, and must continue to raise our voices to keep the environment on the agenda, especially during these hard economic times. I encourage you to take break from your break this Chanukah and take action by urging the President-elect to make climate change a priority in the first 100 days of his administration, calling on Congress to pass a real, green stimulus, advocating for clean water, and more. It may be the best gift you can give to your loved ones this holiday season, and you don't even have to travel to the Hill to do it.

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Three developments this past week have provided good news for the anti-torture movement: the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to retry a case which could result in detainees gaining "some rights other than the basic right...to go to court to challenge their long-term captivity;" the Senate Armed Forces Committee released a report finding "senior U.S. officials authorized the use of aggressive interrogation techniques resulting in the abuse of military detainees in U.S. custody;" and finally and a former Air Force interrogator in Iraq has gained wide publicity for speaking out on the ineffectiveness of torture and why it must be stopped.  Check out his interview on the Daily Show below and keep reading after the jump for more on these stories.


Matthew Alexander was a military interrogator in Iraq whose team of interrogators obtained the whereabouts of al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Zarkawi without using torture.  He recently released a book titled, "How to Break a Terrorist: The U.S. Interrogators Who Used Brains, Not Brutality, to Take Down the Deadliest Man in Iraq" and just last week he was interviewed by Jon Stewart about the reasons torture is not an effective, moral or ethical means of interrogation. 

Also in the past week, the Senate Armed Services Committee's Inquiry into the Treatment of Detainees in U.S. Custody was released, providing "most thorough review by Congress to date of the origins of the abuse of prisoners in American military custody."  Even more importantly, the report "explicitly rejects the Bush administration's contention that tough interrogation methods have helped keep the country and its troops safe."  Although much of the report remains classified, a summary is available here.

Last but most definitely not least, on Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered "the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider its decision in a case brought by Guantanamo detainees."   The detainees alleged that in addition to suffering physical and psychological torture, they "were harassed while practicing their religion, including forced shaving of their beards, banning or interrupting their prayers, denying them copies of the Koran and prayer mats and throwing a copy of the Koran in a toilet bucket."

The detainees argued "in their lawsuit that the treatment violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which provides that the 'government shall not substantially burden a person's exercise of religion.'" The appeals court had ruled against the four detainees in January "saying that neither the Constitution nor a federal law protecting religious freedom gave them the right to sue in American courts."  Since January, however, the Supreme Court ruled in Boumediene v. Bush that "Guantánamo prisoners [have] the right to challenge their detention in federal court" and therefore, the Court has ordered that the case be reconsidered "in light of their holding in [Boumediene]...that detainees have some rights under the Constitution."  

For more on the implications of this ruling, check out the coverage on SCOTUSBlog, and the RACBlog will of course keep you updated on developments in the retrial of this case.  

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism at 1:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

While we continue to wait for a verdict on the status of Prop 8 in California, over on the east coast we have some glimmers of light on the equality front. Right next door in New York, in accordance with Governor Paterson's directive to recognize out-of-state same-sex marriages, the state will now allow married, same-sex couples to put both parents' names on the birth certificates of newborns.  Meanwhile, New York City is considering changing its birth certificate forms to include same-sex couples outright.  Unfortunately, as you may have heard, Democratic members of the State Assembly and Senate seem to be backing down from their promise of pursuing marriage equality in the next legislative session.

On the non-legislative front, Newsweek ran a cover article earlier this month on religious values and support for same-sex marriage.  After the article hit the newsstands, the magazine received scores of emails, responses, and blog posts attacking the article.  The response was so overwhelming that editors posted an article on their website called "A Religious Reaction to Gay Marriage" that included a number of the responses.

Those opposed to marriage equality do not have a monopoly on values.  However, when mobilized, they can make it seem so.  I encourage you to comment on the article or contact the editorial staff and make your voice heard.

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism at 1:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

'Tis the season to be giving. But what if this year our Chanukah gifts could help the planet in addition to helping putting a smile on the faces of our loved ones? There are plenty of big and small ways to 'green' your gifts and celebrations, and the following are only a few suggestions...
The Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life Green Gift Guide has ideas for thoughtful and responsible gifts for Chanukah and beyond, with ideas for Jewish and secular holidays throughout the year.

The Natural Resources Defense Council goes 'beyond the basics' with their Great Green Gift Guide, with gift suggestions for everyone from nature lovers to foodies. If you want to make a commitment to protecting wildlife and open spaces this year, NRDC recommends planting a rainforest tree in honor of friends and family members, and the Sierra Club can help you sponsor a piece of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

The Treehugger Gift Guide has everything from organic chocolate to composters, and a special page for Chanukah with recycled menorahs and sustainable wood dreidels. You can even get green gift ideas from celebrities like Meryl Streep, whose top product picks are up on the National Geographic Green Guide, which has its own gifts page as well. Other groups recommend simple and affordable gifts like sustainable stationary and fabric gift bags.

The theme is clear: you can promote sustainable living through your holiday gifts, and reduce, reuse, and recycle your way through this Chanukah. Help make a great miracle-the greening of our planet- happen here.

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism at 9:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's easy to look back on the impact of the Bush Administration on the Federal Bench and wonder if the progressive community had any victories. This week especially, we were inundated by reports in the Washington Post about how President Bush reshaped the Appellate Courts and added more white, male, and conservative judges to the entire Federal Bench. But, there is one victory that we have not taken the time to celebrate--the successful blockage of Richard Honkaer's nomination. 

President Bush nominated Mr. Honaker to be a district judge of the United States District Court of the District of Wyoming. In March of 2008, the Union for Reform Judaism, in accordance with the URJ's 2002's resolution, resolved to oppose Mr. Honkaer's nomination and sent a letter to the United States Senate emphatically urging each Senator to oppose the confirmation.  In the words of the letter, "Mr. Honaker's record on religious liberty and reproductive rights raises serious concerns about his ability to be an impartial adjudicator, one who respects stare decisis on relevant cases that will most certainly come before him should he be given a seat on the federal bench." The URJ does not take opposition to a candidate lightly.  Since the adoption of our 2002 resolution, we have opposed only 7 judicial nominees.&

The URJ's concerns about Mr, Honaker were echoed by many organizations within the progressive community and our voices were loud enough to prevent the Judiciary Committee from scheduling a vote on Mr. Honaker's nomination.  As we look at the Federal Bench and decry its significant movement to the right, we can at least breathe one sigh of relief knowing that Mr. Honaker will not be confirmed.  This reality may have been evident weeks ago, but as the 110th Congress comes to an end, we are finally assured.  We can take a moment to celebrate this small victory as we move forward into a new Administration, which we hope will quickly change the landscape of the Federal Bench and make strides toward regaining balance.

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism at 9:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This week, the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) released a report finding that in 2008, "the number of executions in U.S. prisons hit a 14-year-low" and continued a "downward trend that began in 2000." The report also found that in 2008, "95% of all executions occurred in the South," 49% of which took place in Texas, and California alone "is spending $138 million per year on a death penalty system...described as 'broken' and 'close to collapse." You can find the full text of the report is on DPIC's website.

 

The one noteworthy caveat to these numbers is that the figures were likely as low as they were because of a "de facto Supreme Court moratorium that put off any capital punishment for the first four months of 2008." On the upside, the Executive Director of DPIC, Richard Dieter, noted "the surge in executions that we expected after [the end of the moratorium] did not happen." And of course, while the declining trend toward zero is great news, our work is far from done. Troy Anthony Davis still awaits a fair trial in Georgia, innocent people sit on death row, and executions continue to occur in appalling numbers.

Posted by Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism at 5:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Sally Frank is a member of Women of Reform Judaism and the Commission on Social Action.

The marriage equality case was argued this week before the Iowa Supreme Court, and I thought you might be interested to hear how the argument went. There were several unusual features. First, the argument was simulcast on the Web in video as well as audio. I believe that it is still available. Second, usually the Court gives 10 minutes to each side for argument and holds the parties to the limits. Monday morning, each side was given 30 minutes for argument and the County ten additional minutes for rebuttal. All sides took longer, though, with the argument lasting one hour and 45 minutes. Third, there was far more discussion of various precedents from Iowa, the US Supreme Court, and other states than in the usual argument. Fourth, the courtroom was packed.

Polk County (Des Moines' county) was on the other side of the case. The state's attorney general did not choose to come in to the case to defend Iowa's DOMA statute (Defense of Marriage Act). The County's argument centered on two points: One was that history and custom limits marriage to be between a man and a woman and therefore there was no discrimination in the statute; second, that marriage is for procreation. When questioned about whether infertile people could be banned from marriage, he admitted they could not but then could not explain why that didn't hurt his argument. He also argued that the optimum situation for a child is to have a father and mother and recognizing gay marriage would be the state saying that knowing one's parents is unimportant. Because same sex couples have children by other means, both biological parents are not part of the child's life. The Justices asked questions about the fact that pedophiles can get married even though they would not be optimum parents. They also pointed out that reproductive technology allows heterosexual couples to have children even if they are not the biological parents of the children.

The lawyer for the Plaintiffs' (six couples seeking marriage) argued that there was no rational basis for the statute. He argued that history and tradition do not provide a satisfactory basis, even using rational basis analysis. He had a little trouble distinguishing his argument that marriage was a fundamental right that could not be limited to heterosexuals from the question of polygamists also having a fundamental right to marry. At one point though, he pointed out that no other Iowa laws that deal with marriage in any way would need to be changed if same sex couples were allowed to marry. This would not be the case with polygamy. There was a fair amount of discussion over whether the proper test for review was rational basis, heightened scrutiny, or compelling state interest. The Plaintiff's lawyer argued that there was not even a rational basis for the law. He ended his argument very powerfully: One of the Justices asked about civil union as a solution, and the lawyer pointed to the daughter of two of the plaintiffs, saying she was hurt that her two moms weren't married. He noted that the only reason to call it something other than marriage was to say that same-sex couples did not deserve marriage, then he quoted from Brown v. Board of Education about the harms that separate status cause.

The County's rebuttal focused again on procreation and tradition. He mentioned at one point that destroying marriage would not help children but was otherwise fairly measured in his arguments. The Iowa Supreme Court has a history of being in the vanguard of civil rights. It banned segregated schools in the 1800's and upheld criminal penalties for public accommodations race discrimination in the 1940's. The first published opinion of the Court rejected the notion that a fugitive slave was someone's property. We can only hope that it will follow this tradition when it reaches a ruling in this case.