Blog

Moving Closer to Health Care for All

On Wednesday, Gallup reported that the uninsured rate among adults in the fourth quarter of 2014 averaged 12.9 percent, down from 13.4% in the third quarter of 2014. This past quarter’s uninsured rate is a 4.2 percentage point decrease since the Affordable Care Act‘s requirement that all Americans have health insurance went into effect one year ago. While these numbers illustrate a significant improvement in the percentage of Americans with health insurance, we must not lose sight of the importance of ensuring that all Americans are insured. 

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.

A Tribute and a Thank You to Rabbi David Saperstein

To be honest, before I started as a legislative assistant, I didn’t know much about the RAC or David Saperstein. I knew that David was a sort of Washington macher and that the RAC was an institution that united both my desire to live and work by Jewish values and my passion for politics and social justice. So, when I found out I got the job in March 2013, I was pretty sure my dreams of becoming the next Josh Lyman were coming true.

A Note of Farewell

Today I will assume my responsibilities as the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. It is a great honor. It is linked with the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism with what has been the abiding passion of my heart: to make real the Jewish prophetic ideals of justice, peace, freedom, equality and compassion, in America, in Israel, in the lives of human beings everywhere. The greatest blessing of my life was to do so for 40 years at the RAC. Imagine: someone giving you a job to do what you love doing more than anything in the world, day in and day out. Of course, by this point in his journey, Moses had approached the Promised Land and we have a bit longer to go, but…

We Can’t Wait Another Year to Close Guantanamo

This Sunday, January 11, marks 13 years since the first detainees arrived at the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center. The facility was opened in 2002 to hold and interrogate individuals suspected to be related to the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent “War on Terror” launched by the Bush Administration. Over the past 13 years, 779 prisoners have been held at Guantanamo, 127 of whom remain there today: detained without a trial or even held indefinitely.

Left Out: News from the Western Wall

When I had the chance go to the Kotel, or the Western Wall, I was able to walk up to the men’s section, find an open section of wall, and run my hands over the coarse, grey stone that I’d heard about ever since I learned the letter aleph. I had an unexpectedly intense connection with my Jewish identity, the kind of clichéd connection I thought only existed in the stories of Birthright trip promoters. I treasure that experience, but I know that part of the reason I was able to have that experience was because I’m fortunate. As a man, I could wear a tallit at the Kotel without being arrested, and I could go to the spacious men’s section instead of the crowded, smaller, women’s section. Because of these things, I was able to have a much better experience than my female counterparts.

A New Year’s Resolution to Ensure Safety for Survivors of Abuse

During my senior year of college, I worked as a courtroom advocate at the St. Louis County Domestic Violence Court, a division of the court system that deals exclusively with orders of protection in cases of domestic violence. I worked with petitioners – survivors of domestic abuse filing for an order – to assist their navigation of the legal system and to connect them to community resources to ensure they could feel safer in their everyday lives. I say safer, and not safe, because individuals

The Jewish Caucus in the New Congress

The 114th Congress opens this week, welcoming 12 new senators and 52 new representatives. As these new members take office – and move into their new offices on Capitol Hill – they become key players in our work to repair the world.

Where Are We in the Fight Against Anti-Semitism?

Last week, the Simon Wiesenthal Center released a list of its top 10 worst anti-Semitic offenses of 2014. Founder and dean of the organization, Rabbi Marvin Hier, explained to The Jerusalem Post that the list is meant to highlight how “rhetoric at the top has filtered down to average people,” meaning that repeat offenders were not included. The list includes the recent outbreak of anti-Semitism in the UK, the spread of hate in academia, a rape and assault in Paris and certain individuals who personally expressed anti-Semitism , among others.

High School Students Lobby for LGBT Equality at L’Taken

Last month, at L’Taken, Jason and Bailey of Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas lobbied their members of Congress in support of comprehensive non-discrimination protections for LGBT individuals, on the heels of an announcement by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), the lead sponsor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in the Senate, that he intends to introduce comprehensive LGBT non-discrimination legislation in the next Congress.