The Work in Process: RAC Day of Action 2023
After a day of climate action lobbying with the Religious Action Center (RAC) on Capitol Hill, I found myself staring at a small patch of purple flowers planted between the sidewalk and the street. It was an adrenaline-fueled day, and the jarring contrast of these tall, weedy pops of color against the street traffic and brutalist architecture compelled me to pause, then cry.
Remarks from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Jewish American Heritage Month Event
The following blog post is adapted from the invocation given by Rabbi Jonah Pesner and remarks given by Jordan Berg-Powers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Jewish American Heritage Month event celebrating Jewish contributions to agriculture and the fight against hunger in America.
The URJ at 150 and Founding of the RAC
Sixty-two years ago, the founders of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (the RAC) stood in the White House Garden and presented President John F. Kennedy with a historic Torah from the Isaac Mayer Wise Temple in Cincinnati, Ohio. This auspicious anniversary allows us to look back on milestones like this one with pride as we renew our inspiration.
Bans of our Bodies Weekend of Action Prayer
The following blog post is adapted from remarks given by Rabbi Esther Lederman, Director of Congregational Innovation for the Union for Reform Judaism, at the Bans Off Our Bodies Weekend of Action Interfaith Gathering.
Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories
March is Women’s History Month, a celebration that recognizes and celebrates the contributions of women throughout the nation’s history. This year’s Women’s History Month theme is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.” At the Religious Action Center of
Clean Air Must Be a Right, Not a Privilege
I spent the first year of the pandemic in South Korea, but even before the pandemic, I wore masks because of the bad air days. South Korea's rapid transition from a war-torn nation to an industrial superpower with a GDP equivalent to the State of New York exacted a terrible cost on Korean air quality.
What You Need to Know About the Case That Can Determine the Future of Medication Abortion
Any day now, Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk will issue a ruling in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine et al v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration et al, a case that asks the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas to order the Food and Drug Administration to rescind its 20-year-old approval of mifepristone (one of two medications commonly used in medication abortion)--a major decision that could pull the drug off the market nationwide.
RAC Day of Action: Building Power for Purpose in Washington D.C.
Reform communities across North America have strengthened our Movement's collective power by engaging voters and advocating for racial justice. Let's continue this work on May 10-11 together in Washington, D.C.
The Reform Movement’s 2023 Campaign for Climate Justice
Power for Purpose: The Reform Movement’s 2023 Campaign for Climate Justice is our opportunity to bring the full strength of our movement together to address the climate crisis and deliver a clean, healthy, and livable future for all communities, particularly those most impacted by climate pollution.
Testimony in Opposition to Nebraska’s LB626 Bill
I am offering testimony today in opposition to LB 626. My name is Rabbi Deana Sussman Berezin and I am one of the Rabbis at Temple Israel in Omaha, a Reform Jewish congregation of 650 families, and a board member of the Nebraska Religious Council for Reproductive Freedom.