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Despite Setbacks, Work to End Gun Violence Continues
Continuing the same trend we’ve seen over many months, Congress has not made progress to address the crisis of gun violence, but federal inaction hasn’t stopped states from enacting their own laws. In Oregon, Governor Kate Brown signed into law the Oregon Firearms Safety Act, which will make background checks universal on all gun sales in the state, making it the eighth state to do so. And on the other side of the Columbia River, Washington enacted the Sheena Henderson Act, which allows family members to be notified when police return guns to loved ones, when those guns had been taken for safety considerations. The act was named after a Spokane woman who was shot to death the day after police returned guns to her husband who suffered from mental illness after he was judged not to be a safety threat.
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!
On June 2nd, Wear Orange and Take Action Against Gun Violence
The Reform Jewish community, via the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC) and the North American Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY), are partnering with a broad coalition of national or
NFTY and the RAC Partner with Broad-Based Gun Safety Coalition for “Wear Orange” Campaign
On Thursday, the 15th anniversary of the historic Million Mom March, NFTY and the RAC announced that we would be founding partners in “Wear Orange” (www.WearOrange.org), a new campaign to reduce gun violence in America. The campaign honors the 88 Americans whose lives are cut short by gun violence every day -- and the countless survivors whose lives are forever altered by shootings each year – by designating June 2, 2015 as the first annual National Gun Violence Awareness Day.
And we’re inviting you – especially Reform Jewish teens -- to take part! Everyone who agrees that we should do more to save lives from gun violence to do one simple thing: Wear Orange.
Wear Orange, Take Action on June 2
NFTY and the RAC are partnering with a broad coalition of national organizations to promote “Wear Orange,” a new national campaign to end gun violence in America. As part of the first National Gun Violence Awareness Day on June 2, the campaign is asking supporters to wear orange as a sign of solidarity and commitment to change in the face of an all too tragic status quo.
With Each Story, Recommitting to End Violence Against Women
In late April, Nigerian armed forces rescued 93 women and 200 girls who had been held by the terrorist group Boko Haram. When news broke of the rescue, there was early hope that these girls were the schoolgirls abducted from a Chibok school in April of last year—the subjects of the global campaign to “Bring Back Our Girls.” It turns out this was a different group of girls and women altogether, 300 of nearly 2,000 kidnapped by Boko Haram since the beginning of 2015. It is not clear how long these women were held, but we do know from their testimony that Boko Haram subjected them to extreme violence, including rape, forced marriage and sexual slavery. We sigh with relief that these women are no longer captive, while we offer prayers for those still in captivity, and for mental, physical and emotional healing for those who have been freed as they begin to rebuild their lives.
Meet the 2021-2022 Eisendrath Legislative Assistants
We are excited to dive into our work as the 2021-2022 Eisendrath Legislative Assistants! We bring a diverse set of interests and experiences to the RAC but share a deep commitment to the pursuit for a more just, compassionate, and equitable world. We are proud to represent and join the Reform Movement and its values in this crucial moment in history.
Hate Crimes Continued to Rise in 2020: Will the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act Give Us Hope for the Future?
In late August, the FBI released its annual compilation of hate crimes statistics, summarizing all hate crimes reported to the FBI in 2020. The data is alarming and only tells part of the story, as an increasing number of law enforcement agencies did not report data to the FBI. A new law will strengthen hate crimes data collection, reporting, and response measures, giving us hope that future statistics will be more accurate.
World Malaria Day in Review
Two weeks ago, on April 25, the global community celebrated World Malaria Day, a day when advocates around the world raised awareness and took action to end malaria. Leading up to the day, a number of champions in the fight against malaria, including three of our college fellows, shared their stories on the RAC blog. We were also thrilled to celebrate World Malaria Day at Consultation on Conscience, the Reform Jewish Movement’s flagship public policy conference which began the day after World Malaria Day.
A Letter to My Charlottesville Congregation
I write this as the Sines vs. Kessler trial commences. This long-awaited lawsuit seeks to hold the organizers of the deadly 2017 Unite the Right rally accountable for their actions. Bone-chilling evidence will be presented in this trial that will make us realize how close we came to experiencing an even greater tragedy than the death of Heather Heyer and the wounding of so many others.