Displaying 21 - 30 of 44
Remembering that Slavery is Not Just an Injustice of the Past
Too often, we conceive of slavery as problem of the past, a moral lapse that has been corrected. The truth is, however, that more people are enslaved today than were enslaved at any other point in world history. The International Labor Organization, an agency of the United Nations, estimates that 21 million people across the globe are trafficked into forced labor, bonded labor, forced child labor and sexual servitude—all forms of modern slavery.
January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, so named by the President in order to acknowledge this nation’s painful history of slavery and to highlight the nation’s commitment to freedom. For many Americans, January is also the exciting lead-up to the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, this flagship of America’s pastime has become marred by some of the darker aspects of society today. According to leading advocates and law enforcement agencies, the culminating event of football season brings with it some of the largest sex trafficking operations in the country. While there is no concrete way to measure the number of people that have been, or will be trafficked in Glendale, Arizona over the weekend, Miami police in 2010 estimated that 10,000 people had been trafficked as prostitutes for that year’s game.
RAC Submits Public Comments to President’s Policing Task Force
The Task Force on 21st Century Policing, which President Obama created by Executive Order in December, convened for the first time on Tuesday, January 13. The first listening session was on “Building Trust and Legitimacy” and included testimony from five different panels of witnesses representing members of the law enforcement community, local politicians and mayors, community representatives and civil society leaders. The Task Force also solicited public comments – see below for an excerpt of the RAC’s comments and click here to read the comments in full.
UN General Assembly Meets for the First Time to Discuss Anti-Semitism
Just one week ago, on January 22, 2015, following a request by Member States in October 2014, the UN General Assembly convened a meeting to address concerns of a rise in anti-Semitism and related violence around the world. Representatives from some 60 countries came to speak about the necessity of stamping out anti-Semitic violence and discrimination worldwide.
Crossing the Sea of Reeds was Easier than Crossing the "Sea of Peace"
As I started reading this week's portion, Parashat B'shalach, I could not believe its implication for what is currently happening in Israel.
Civil Rights: Music, Torah, and our Tradition
On the coat-tails of the recent civil unrest in Ferguson, MO, we see racial tension that was perhaps lurking just below the surface stirred up into a national battle-cry for accountability and equality.
Jewish Values: Protecting Endangered Species
Not only does the way we treat the environment affect human health, but it also has drastic affects on other living creatures that require sustenance and safe habitats to survive. Our environment is continually changing, causing habitats to be altered and modified.
Reform Movement Mourns Slain NYPD Officers and Prays for Healing
Contact: Max Rosenblum or Claire Shimberg
202.387.2800 | news@rac.org
Reform Movement Condemns Today's Terrorist Attack in Paris
The World Union for Progressive Judaism issued the following statement today in response to news of a terrorist attack at the Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris that killed 12:
The World Union for Progressive Judaism expresses our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the victims murdered on Wednesday January 7, when hooded gunmen stormed the Paris offices of a weekly satirical magazine, killing at least 12 people, including two police officers, in the worst terrorist attack on French soil in decades. The WUPJ condemns this act of exceptional barbarism. Rabbi Daniel H. Freelander, President of WUPJ states: "We join our French congregations in expressing our horror at the targeted killings in Paris Wednesday morning. This abhorrent act raises the concern of all who value free speech and religious diversity. Our future ultimately depends on the determination of governments to defend and protect pluralism, and show no tolerance for the descent into this kind of violence." As an organization founded on and guided by a fervent belief in cultural pluralism and political liberalism, we consider any attack on any symbol of free expression anywhere to be an assault on the pillars of Progressive Judaism: justice and equality, democracy and peace, personal fulfillment and collective obligations. Our European Union for Progressive Judaism leaders, Leslie Bergman (President) and Miriam Kramer (Chairman), add: "The leadership of the EUPJ deplores the atrocity which took place earlier today in Paris. Free speech is a cornerstone value of our faith and together with the citizens of France we mourn the brutal deaths of those who were assassinated." As Paris mourns and the world consoles, we continue to hope that the souls of all humankind will one day be stirred by the heartfelt prayers and commitment to "Choose life, so that you and future generations may live." (Deuteronomy 30:19) Rabbi Daniel H. Freelander, President WUPJ Michael Grabiner, Chairman WUPJ Dr. Philip Bliss, WUPJ Advocacy Committee Chair
Combatting Bisexuality Erasure
Last month, I wrote about the importance of ensuring that our advocacy is trans inclusive, however, trans individuals are not the only people who are commonly erased in larger conversations about LGBT rights. Often times, the ‘B’ in LGBT is also overlooked, leading to the erasure and, at times, even rejection of bisexual identities.
Reform Movement Responds to Ferguson Grand Jury Decision
Contact: Max Rosenblum or Claire Shimberg
202.387.2800 | news@rac.org