Fresh Updates from RAC

New Yorkers, the time is now to lift up your voices together and call your state Senator and tell them that you support the New York Women’s Equality Act. Along with others across the state, tell the state Senate that you demand strengthened policies to support women as equal members of society as consistent with our American and Jewish values.

Dial 1-888-897-0174 or text “WEA” or “womensequality” to 877-877 to hear key points and automatically connect to your state Senator.

Today, women in New York face challenges that can prevent them from being contributing fully to society. Women are victims of wage discrimination in the workplace, face restricted access to reproductive health care services, endure family status and pregnancy discrimination and are more likely to be victims of human trafficking.

Call your state Senator and urge them to support the Women’s Equality Act that includes provisions to: Read more…

Machon Kaplan is an internship program run by the Religious Action Center for undergraduate students interested in the intersection of Judaism and social justice. Every summer, the Machon Kaplan program places students in internships at a wide variety of advocacy organizations in Washington, D.C., ranging from the NAACP to the Center for Middle East Peace, and offers regular workshops and community activities at the RAC. You can follow their experiences this summer at the MKBlog feed.

Welcome to my first day in D.C. When the RAC’s Rabbi Michael Namath called to tell me I’d be interning at the RAC all those weeks ago, amid all my uncertainties and unanswered questions about my internship in Washington, D.C., I knew there was one thing I could expect with certainty: adventure. I knew I would have the opportunity to learn about and advocate for a wide variety of people and issues while working at the RAC. And on my very first day, I proved myself right. I visited an anti-genocide art installation on the National Mall and a panel on queer reproductive justice all in the same afternoon.

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Yesterday, the Obama Administration issued an announcement that Plan B will now be made available over-the-counter without age restriction. Rabbi Marla J. Feldman, Executive Director of Women of Reform Judaism, issued the following statement:

“We applaud the Obama Administration’s decision to allow women of all ages to access Plan B emergency contraception over-the-counter. This is an historic step toward ensuring that all women have access to the medical care that they need and deserve. Emergency contraception is safe and effective, restores a woman’s control over her reproductive health, and reduces the many physical and emotional risks of unintended pregnancies. Read more…

Governor Cuomo unveiled his Women’s Equality Agenda (officially titled the “Women’s Equality Act”) yesterday and urged the legislature to take up the proposal, which includes the 10 elements he identified as vital policy concerns for women during his State of the State this past January. One of the 10 was the contentious provision intended to change state law to allow abortions after 24 weeks to protect a women’s health.

This element of the legislation is the most controversial of the entire proposal–but the legislation is merely intended to align state law with federal law, which allows women to seek an abortion later in the pregnancy if her health or life is in danger. Currently, state law allows abortions after 24 weeks only if the woman’s life is at risk.

Other provisions of the bill include new efforts to guarantee that women are paid the same as men in the workplace, increased penalties for those convicted of human trafficking, and strengthened order-of-protection laws for victims of domestic violence. The legislation is all but assured to pass the Democratic-controlled Assembly but it faces a tough fight in the Senate, where power of the chamber is controlled by the Republicans and the Independent Democratic Conference.

Our religious voice is of vital importance as the legislature begins to consider one of the most inclusive proposals in recent memory intended to strengthen and protect women’s health and equality. The Reform Jewish Movement believes in women as capable, moral decision makers who are responsible for their own health and well being in the workplace and in society. Contact your state legislators today to urge them to stand up for the women of New York State by vocally supporting the Women’s Equality Agenda.

Read more about the Women’s Equality Agenda here.

Earlier this month, the RAC co-sponsored a screening of the documentary “The Invisible War” about sexual assault in the military. This wasn’t the first time I had heard of, or even seen parts of, this film. It wasn’t the first time I was appalled by the injustices, angry at the violations or moved by the testimonies. But it was the first time I left feeling that, finally, others were paying attention.

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Earlier this month, RJV hosted its annual Advocacy Day in Albany and with our voices raised as one, we spoke on behalf of New York State’s vibrant Reform Jewish community urging state legislators to support the Women’s Equality Agenda and implement fair election reform.  Our actions were noted by legislators, staff and the local press:

• Capitol Confidential (Times Union): Reform Jewish group pushes for women’s agenda
• Capital Tonight (YNN): Here and Now, May 6^th

Just one day after RJV was meeting with legislators about the need for fair election reform, the state Assembly passed a public financing bill by a wide margin (88-50). The measure would implement a 6-to-1 public fund matching program similar to the one in New York City. The bill now proceeds to the Senate. If you are a New York resident, you can see how your member of the Assembly voted here and take a moment to send an email to your Senator urging them to support public funding of elections now!

All New Yorkers can also continue to take action on the Women’s Equality Agenda and encourage legislators to support the 10-point plan, especially the provisions intended to safeguard women’s reproductive health decisions and ensure pay equality.

Take a look at some of our pictures from the day and check out our new website here to learn more about RJV’s work on the Women’s Equality Agenda and fair elections.

At the beginning of 2012 I wrote on RACblog: “As we move into the 2012 election year, the war on women has become more extreme and effective.” Not only did this prove to be true (it’s hard to forget the offensive rhetoric spewed by so many candidates across the country in 2012 elections), but states have continued to pass laws since then, which have stripped women of their right to choose when, how and if to have a family, or have created socioeconomically-based barriers that restrict access to reproductive health services.

That’s why Morgan Meneses-Sheets’s piece in Truthout (the program manager for Reproductive Health Technologies Project – a strong partner with the RAC on our reproductive justice initiatives) really struck a chord with me.

Before you read on, keep in mind how wholly our reproductive rights advocacy efforts are informed by our Jewish values. While it often feels as though the Religious Right has a monopoly on the faith-based perspective on reproductive rights, this doesn’t need to be the case. In the Mishnah we read, “If a woman’s labor becomes life threatening, the one to be born is dismembered in her abdomen…for her life comes before the life of the fetus.” From this and other Talmudic passages we learn that, while all life is sacred, the life of a mother has more value than the life of an unborn fetus. Additionally, when considering the health of the mother, we consider her physical, spiritual and emotional health – her body and her nefesh (soul). Abortion is a deeply personal issue, and the decision of when life begins is often a religious one.

Check out Morgan’s piece here, or read it below:

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 “When they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break My covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God. But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.” Leviticus 26:44-5

We read a lot in Jewish tradition about war. Historical accounts of the wars we fought, prescriptive guidelines on how to treat strangers and enemies, even details on how to deal with trees we encounter in enemy territories. In this week’s Torah portion, we hear about something else – we hear about how God will treat us when we are in foreign lands. After a series of fairly ominous verses about the horrors of what will happen to those who do not follow God’s commandments, our fears are assuaged with the promise: “when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them…but I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors” (Leviticus 26:44-45). God pledges to watch out for us as we venture into foreign territories and enemy lands.

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