Fresh Updates from RAC

Over the last 10 weeks, we have all had the privilege to read the stories of those whose brave activism, whether from the bimah or protesting in the streets, have contributed significantly to ensuring civil and human rights for all. We are proud that these soldiers for justice not only affiliate themselves with the Reform Movement but are truly its core. This last group represents the past, present and future or our Movement from the visionary leader Rabbi Maurice Eisendrath (z”l) to Joy Nemerson, the Social Action Vice President of NFTY.

These are 50 of the people who have inspired and shaped us. Who would rank as one of your faces of justice?

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To all of this week’s Faces of Justice, social justice is the central dimension of Jewish life – not an extra activity or an afterthought. And, more importantly, it is because of these leaders that our Reform synagogues consider social justice and activism to be a core part of synagogue life.

Check back next Friday for the final installment of our 50 Faces of Justice!

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In the Book of Jeremiah we read, “Thus said the Eternal One, the God of Israel, to the whole community that I exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon… ‘Seek the welfare of the city to which I have exiled you and pray to the Eternal in its behalf; for in its prosperity you shall prosper.’” These Faces of Justice have devoted their lives to seeking welfare not only in their city but throughout the nation. They do not only practice their Judaism in the confines of a synagogue but, instead, they have been influenced by their faith to contribute directly to their governments, thereby doing more than their part to repair the world.

Continue to check back on Friday afternoons to read about each of our 50 Faces of Justice!

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This week’s 50 faces of justice are true community organizers, using tactics that they learned directly from their interaction with the Reform Movement. Whether they are alumni of L’Taken Seminars, our Machon Kaplan internship program or our Commission on Social Action, these Jewish leaders have turned discrete programmatic and leadership skills into successful efforts to protect the most vulnerable among us.

Continue to check back on Friday afternoons to read about each of our 50 Faces of Justice!

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Never underestimate the ability of a single event to transform someone into an activist. These faces of justice have each been motivated by a life-changing event and have become true change-makers in our Movement and throughout the United States.

Continue to check back on Friday afternoons to read about each of our 50 Faces of Justice!

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What makes the RAC’s collection of 50 Faces of Justice so unusual? Some might think their value can be measured by individual projects that they’ve helped the Reform Movement accomplish, others could count the collective years of service they’ve given. However, to me, it’s their diversity that gives them their collective power and endows each with a unique way to contribute to our Reform Movement. This week’s group truly exemplifies this diversity – from the more traditional rabbinic track to international banking to journalism.

Continue to check back on Friday afternoons to read about each of our 50 Faces of Justice!

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All of our 50 Faces of Justice have dedicated their lives to tikkun olam, but these five in particular have collectively spent years working under the roof of 2027 Kivie Kaplan Way. All of these leaders have given their time to mission of the RAC, either as an intern, an Eisendrath Legislative Assistant, or a leader on the Commission on Social Action. One even met her husband at 2027 Kivie Kaplan Way!

Continue to check back on Friday afternoons to read about each of our 50 Faces of Justice!

Liz Dunst

On June 7, 1961, then-Senator Jacob Javits of New York made a mistake. Senator Javits, along with the Sergeant-at-Arms of the U.S. Senate, sent a letter to a young woman named Liz Dunst, informing her that she could not be a page in the Senate; “Girls would not enjoy” serving as pages because of the “heavy lifting” involved in the position.

Jill Zimmerman

The summer before her senior year of college, Jill Zimmerman was an intern at the National Council of Jewish Women. While looking towards her final year as a student at Tulane University in New Orleans, Zimmerman wanted to gain a better understanding of advocacy, and discovered the NCJW: “Jewish women – I thought – I could work for them!”

Debra Perlin

Judaism and social justice were always integral components of Debra Perlin’s upbringing, but working as a 2006-2007 Eisendrath Legislative Assistant at the Religious Action Center reinforced for her the symbiotic relationship between tikkun olam and Jewish identity.

Fred Lawrence

In the fall of 1974, Fred Lawrence was a sophomore at Williams College when, through his rabbi, he was introduced to a young man who had just been ordained and was about to take on the task of running the Religious Action Center in Washington, D.C. Three months later, Fred became Rabbi David Saperstein’s first intern at the RAC.

Deena Fox

Deena Fox credits her commitment to pursuing social justice in her own life to her parents’ longstanding commitment to tikkun olam. “My parents had hosted a Vietnamese refugee family before I was born and maintained a relationship with them [after they left],” she explained.

These five 50 faces of justice are a special group. They are leaders of our Movement from all generations. They have lead us as lay-leaders and as clergy, behind the scenes and quite publicly. We were lucky enough to have over 70 years of support from one of these leaders, and are similarly blessed to have decades of leadership ahead of us from others.

Continue to check back on Friday afternoons to read about each of our 50 Faces of Justice!

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