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The beginning of the school year for me has always been filled with the comfort of the early September winds and the coming High Holy Days. With the first day of classes brings with it new teachers, classrooms, and friends. Dipping apples in honey, smelling the musty reticence of the shofar, and walking along the beach throwing breadcrumbs give me the sense of clean slate, a new start and a new year.

Leading up to my first day at the RAC, I couldn’t stop thinking about all of the issues I wanted to work on. When our issue selection day finally came, I was thrilled to have the civil rights issue area in my portfolio. I had written my senior thesis about voting rights and been struggling with the criminal justice system ever since my binge-watching of The Wire. However, I never expected to spend so much time and energy engaging with the question of the death penalty. That same day, two half-brothers with mental disabilities in North Carolina, one of whom was on death row and the other of whom was serving a life sentence, were exonerated after over 30 years in prison. I was shocked and outraged. I could not even begin to imagine what it must be like to spend more than three decades in prison, waiting to be executed for a crime you did not commit. I soon found that this story is not uncommon. In fact, since 1973, over 140 people have been exonerated and freed from death row, and even more people have been executed despite serious doubts that they are innocent. The Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern Law School studied 86 exonerations and found that the most common reason behind wrongful convictions were eyewitness error and government misconduct by both the police and the prosecution.

It was forty years ago today that one part of the landscape of American Jewish life was changed forever for the better. After a New York City goodbye party that featured a screening of “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” a very eager and young Rabbi David Saperstein packed up his car and headed for the nation’s capital to begin an exciting new job, investing his life’s work in the growth and vibrancy of the Religious Action Center.

To honor David on his 40th Anniversary, we are establishing the Saperstein Legacy Fund for the Future of the RAC to serve the continuing growth and vitality of this remarkable institution - a jewel in the crown of our Reform Jewish Movement. Whatever you can contribute, whether $5 or $5,000, think what a 100% response will mean to David, to all who work at the RAC, and to the success of this campaign. Please take a moment right now to respond.

The Union for Reform Judaism and the Central Conference of American Rabbis have joined as partner organizations marching in the People’s Climate March in New York City on Sunday, September 21. We do so in reflection of the words of Genesis 2:15, which command us to “till and tend” God’s Earth and our Movement’s longstanding work to address the devastating effects of climate change.

The new Legislative Assistants jumped into work this week and are already busy with meetings, research, writing press releases and more. Get to know the class of 2014-2015 before you meet them at the October CSA gathering. I know you’ll enjoy working with them as much as we do. This morning, the new LAs visited the Israeli Embassy and met with its Director of National Initiatives, a.k.a Katharine Nasielski (RAC LA 2011-2013). The meeting was an excellent opportunity to hear directly from Israel’s representatives in the U.S. about their priorities and interests – and an equally excellent opportunity to show off yet again the fantastic professional successes of former LAs.

It might not be 5775 just yet, but we know that this new year will be filled with sweetness, joy, and of course, justice. We are so thrilled that the 2014-2015 class of Eisendrath Legislative Assistants is here, ready to dive into their issues and join with our Movement to l'taken et haolam (repair the world). This bright, inquisitive, thoughtful class is already heading to their first coalition meetings, staffing projects, getting started on programming, and getting to know the ways of the RAC and Washington, D.C. We so look forward to the work they will do this year! From left to right in the group picture, they are:

By The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research Do you know anyone who has Parkinson’s disease (PD)? It’s likely – the neurodegenerative disease affects one in 100 people over the age of 60, and more than 5 million people worldwide. Today, medicines exist to alleviate motor symptoms of the disease, but currently there are no treatments that can slow or stop its progression.

As the full force of the 2014 election cycle begins, we are reminded of the importance of participating in our democracy and making our voices heard on the important policy issues of today. We know that as Reform Jews, we have a unique perspective to share.