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Advocacy 101 from the Daughters of Zelophehad
This Shabbat in parashat Pinchas, we read the story of the daughters of Zelophehad (Numbers 27:1–11). After Zelophehad died, leaving no sons, his five daughters, Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah, went before Moses, Eleazer the priest and the Jewish people and advocated for their rights to inherit the land their father left behind. Based on the logic of their argument, and the need for self-subsistence, God instructed Moses to grant the daughters their land, and set the precedence that hence, women ought to inherit their father’s property if there was no other direct kin. Within the patriarchal structures of Biblical-era society, this is an enormous moment for Jewish women’s empowerment, and this story is applicable today.
Advocacy 101 from the Daughters of Zelophehad
This Shabbat, in parashah Pinchas, we read the story of the daughters of Zelophehad (Numbers 27:1–11).
Happy 50th Birthday Medicare and Medicaid!
Fifty years ago, on July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Social Security Act Amendments, which established Medicare and Medicaid and dramatically changed the landscape of health insurance in America. Before the programs went into effect, approximately half of all seniors lacked insurance and many other people, especially people with disabilities, families with children, pregnant women and low-income Americans were unable to afford the medical services they needed. Today, Medicare and Medicaid provide health insurance to about one in three Americans—that’s more than 100 million people!
Reform Movement Condemns Series of Suspicious Church Fires
Contact: Max Rosenblum or Claire Shimberg
202.387.2800 | news@rac.org
Protect LGBT Students from Discrimination
Currently, federal law explicitly protects students from discrimination in school based on race, color, national origin, sex and disability. However, no federal law explicitly protects students from discrimination based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity or their association with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.
New Report Addresses Racism and Gender in Israel
Several years ago I attended an urgent Knesset session un which MK Danny Danon told a hushed crowd that Jewish girls, mostly new immigrants, were being kidnapped in the middle of the night by Arab men.
Reform Jewish Movement to Join NAACP on Historic Civil Rights March from Selma, AL to Washington, DC
Contact: Max Rosenblum or Joy Friedman
202.387.2800 | news@rac.org
Plight of Rohingya Muslims Continues
The persecution and plight of the Rohingya Muslims is nothing new. In fact, the United Nations has identified them as “one of the world’s most persecuted minorities.” The Rohingya are a Muslim ethnic minority living in northern Rakhine State in western Burma. For decades, they have faced severe persecution and violence at the hands of the government.
How My Texas Congregation Led the Way to Support Immigrant Families
Our congregation in McAllen, TX, is the go-to congregation for donations in support of immigrant families; the response from the Reform Jewish community has been amazing.
Beyond Marriage Equality
On Wednesday night at the ESPY Awards, Caitlyn Jenner accepted the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, named after the African American tennis star who died of AIDS in 1993. In her moving speech, Caitlyn described the struggles trans people face, including bullying, suicide and even murder, and the importance of education and accepting trans people and their identities. Caitlyn’s speech highlighted several of the many issues that the LGBT community and their allies now have to address following the Supreme Court’s marriage equality decision.