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The RAC Welcomes New Director Rabbi Jonah Pesner
Today, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism welcomes our new director, Rabbi Jonah Pesner. Rabbi Pesner succeeds long-time director Rabbi David Saperstein, who stepped down following his confirmation as the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. Rabbi Pesner is an accomplished advocate with broad experience leading social justice campaigns, and comes to the RAC with a mandate to deepen its advocacy work while mobilizing the Reform Jewish community and its allies. Read further, including from Rabbi Pesner and words of congratulation from Rabbi Saperstein, URJ President Rabbi Rick Jacobs, CCAR Chief Executive Rabbi Steve Fox, and from Commission on Social Action Chair Jennifer Kaufman, in this press release from the Union for Reform Judaism.
Greetings from the New RAC Director
Dear Friends,
I write to you today from the Arthur & Sara Jo Kobacker building in Washington D.C., the home of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. I received the honor of a lifetime when Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, announced my appointment as the new Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. For fifty years, the RAC has been the hub of Jewish social justice and legislative activity in Washington, D.C.
I have the great honor of succeeding my mentor and friend, Rabbi David Saperstein, who, for forty years, has built the RAC into a powerful force grounded in ancient Jewish values of social justice for North America and across the world. The rabbis taught that in every age we see ourselves as if we ourselves were liberated from bondage. Our work for justice is bound up in the thousands year old essence of what it means to be a Jew.
Climate Impacts: Protecting Vulnerable Communities
January 6 marked the Epiphany for Christians around the world. But, epiphanies in my view happen to us all, and often at unplanned moments in our lives. Mine happened on a late August afternoon, days after Hurricane Katrina hit my hometown of New Orleans in 2005.
Why This MLK Day Is Different from All Other MLK Days
Every year, on the third Monday of January, our country celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day by reflecting on his legacy and enjoying a day off from work. We take this time to reflect on the life and legacy of Dr. King and the impact he had on our nation’s fight for civil rights.
Praying With Our Feet For Economic Justice
When reflecting on his experience marching in Selma, Alabama with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel stated that he was “praying with my feet.” This act of transforming words and faith into action for justice and equality is a key underpinning of the Civil Rights Movement, as well as Jewish social justice – one of the many reasons why there was such a deep Jewish involvement. One of the core issues that the Reform Movement has in common with Dr. King is our mission to combat economic inequality.
Dr. King believed strongly that everyone should have access to a livable income and he advocated passionately for equal access to jobs and economic opportunity. Although four states voted to increase the minimum wage last November, the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is far too low. In 1968 (the year Dr. King was assassinated), the federal minimum wage would be worth over $10/hour in today’s dollars.
The current minimum wage engenders a cycle of income inequality, for it is near enough for anyone to live by: in no states can a minimum wage worker afford a two-bedroom apartment working a 40 hour week. Raising the minimum wage would also help improve the economy, by increasing productivity, reducing turnover, saving on recruiting/training costs, reducing absenteeism, and lifting 2 million Americans out of poverty.
Join Us in Washington for Jewish Disability Advocacy Day
Last month, Congress passed the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE Act), which enables people with disabilities and their families to create tax-exempt savings accounts, which can build up to $100,000 in savings to help pay for long-term expenses without risking losing government benefits. This bipartisan legislative accomplishment was an important victory for the Reform Movement’s advocacy for disability rights, and in fact, for the whole disability rights community. The ABLE Act has been a major focus of the advocacy work of the Jewish Disability Network, a coalition of Jewish organizations advocating for disability rights and co-chairs by the Religious Action Center and the Jewish Federations of North America, and last year, Jews from across the country came together on Capitol Hill to lobby for passage of the ABLE Act on Jewish Disability Advocacy Day (JDAD). While the passage of the ABLE Act should be applauded, there is more that needs to be done.
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Updates on the Death Penalty
Just last month, the Reform Movement proudly participated in the launch of the 90 Million Strong Campaign to Abolish the Death Penalty. Barbara Weinstein, Director of the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism spoke on behalf of the Reform Movement, which has long advocated for the abolition of the death penalty and reform of the criminal justice system. Since joining the campaign, a lot has happened around the issue, some good news and other less inspiring news.
An Unhappy Anniversary for Money in Politics
Next Wednesday, January 21 marks the fifth anniversary of Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission, the infamous case in which the Supreme Court struck down a longstanding ban on corporation and union spending in elections. Since the decision five years ago, money has flowed into elections through political action committees (PACs), which contribute money to candidates’ election campaigns. It is estimated that outside groups spent over $1 billion in the 2012 presidential election. More money was spent by outside organizations, often keeping their donor lists secret, than by either candidates’ own campaign. While the total amount of money spent by candidates increased only marginally from 2008, the amount from outside groups quadrupled – thanks largely to the doors opened by Citizens United.
Urge Congress to Take Action for the Environment!
The 114th Congress has been in session for just a little over a week now and already we have seen that rollbacks on environmental protections are looking like a priority for many members over the course of the next two years. Here are a couple things to watch out for in the coming weeks and over the course of the 114th Congress:
No Time Like a New Congress to Raise the Wage
Last week, the 114th Congress began its first legislative session, welcoming new and returning members to Capitol Hill. Between the close of the 113th Congress and the opening of the 114th, 20 states and the District of Columbia increased their minimum wage. These 20 state level minimum wage increases directly impact 2.3 million workers and about 900,000 workers would be indirectly impacted.