Get Your Congregation Involved in the Wear Orange Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence

NFTY and the RAC are teaming up next Tuesday, June 2 to take part in “Wear Orange,” a new national campaign to honor the 31,000 American lives lost each year to gun violence on the inaugural National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Wear Orange is call for action to reduce gun violence in the United States, and we’d love for your congregation to join us in this important campaign! Over the next week, we will be telling our friends and families to sign up to wear orange next Tuesday and writing our Members of Congress to support new legislation to prevent people accused of domestic violence and stalking from accessing guns. On Tuesday, we’ll share pictures of our members and supporters wearing orange across social media. Tweet at us (@TheRAC and @NFTY) or tag us (the RAC and NFTY) on Facebook using the Hashtag #WearingOrange with your best photos of you decked out in orange to join this important effort. As NFTY prioritizes the issue of gun violence, Wear Orange is a great way to for your congregation to engage in intergenerational learning about one of the United States’ most pressing issues. Consider these ideas:

• For those congregations that have Hebrew school on Tuesday, encourage your teachers and students to wear orange to class, and have the students come up with a prayer for the victims of gun violence and their families;
• During the month of June, read the names of victims of gun violence in your city when you recite the Mourner’s Kaddish, or include their names in a service handout;
• Ask your local officials to join you in honoring the victims of gun violence on June 2 by wearing orange;
• Join other congregations around the country in the Do Not Stand Idly By campaign to call on gun manufacturers to make safer guns;
• Consult our programs, and other ideas, in our Community Resource Guide;
• Encourage your congregation's teens to get involved:
  • Click here to learn why NFTY is "Wearing Orange" from Ashley Jones, 2015-2016 NFTY-CAR President,
  • Click here to learn how teens in your congregation can take legislative action on this important issue.

If you’d like assistance turning one of these ideas, or one of your own, into reality, don’t hesitate to contact me at 202-387-2800. To contact your Members of Congress to ask them to support legislation that protects victims of domestic violence and stalking from gun violence, click here. And, to keep updated on the Wear Orange campaign and gun violence prevention efforts, visit the gun violence prevention issue page and RACblog.