Barbara Weinstein (she/her) is the associate director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, where she directs legislative policy. She is also the director of the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism.
The wildfires raging in Ft. McMurray, Alberta, have caused devastation throughout the community. More than 80,000 people have been evacuated and families have lost their homes.
As the Second Amendment notes, a nation has the responsibility to ensure the security of its people. The United States is failing in that regard, but it isn't a threat from abroad that imperils us; it's a threat from within.
The growing refugee crisis enveloping Europe challenges us as Jews and as human beings deeply pained by the images of desperate individuals and families searching for sanctuary.