Letter Supporting the For The People Act (H.R. 1/S.1)

Reconstructing Judaism and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Associations were among 22 national Jewish organizations urging the passage of the For The People Act (H.R.1/S.1)  The letter, sent to the House of Representatives in February, has as of March 2021 been sent to the Senate after the bill’s passage by the House. 

The letter’s text follows:

Dear Member of Congress:

The 79 undersigned local, state, and national Jewish organizations write in strong support of the transformational democracy reform package the For the People Act (H.R. 1/S. 1), and urge you to prioritize its passage. As Jews, we are commanded tzedek, tzedek tirdof, to pursue justice. By enacting this bill, we can enhance integrity, fairness, and transparency in our nation’s elections, create a democracy that values all voices, and build a more just society.

The 2020 election has underscored the urgent need for democracy reform, and the commonsense reforms in the For the People Act address many of these problems. This legislation aims to accomplish three overarching goals: (1) protecting and strengthening the sacred right to vote, (2) ending the dominance of big money in politics, and (3) implementing anti-corruption, proethics measures to clean up government. Without structural democracy reform, our nation will remain unable to fully address important, substantive priorities, especially critical amid a pandemic, including protecting and expanding affordable health care, stopping the spread of COVID-19, and providing the assistance and support people need to care for themselves and their families.

The reforms in the For the People Act are necessary to advance racial justice and ensure that our government works for all people, not just a powerful few. President Joe Biden has stated that a “first priority” of his administration is to lead on a comprehensive set of democracy solutions like those reflected in H.R. 1/S. 1. As such, we urge a vote on this bill as soon as possible. With your support, we can make these urgently-needed reforms a reality. Together, we can create a democracy that represents, reflects, and responds to us all.

Sincerely, Jewish Council for Public Affairs National Council of Jewish Women

• National Organizations
• ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal
• Ameinu
• American Jewish Congress
• Anti-Defamation League
• Avodah
• Aytzim: Ecological Judaism
• Bend the Arc
• Jewish Action
• Habonim Dror North America
• J Street
• Jewish Labor Committee
• Jewish Women International
• Keshet
• MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger
• Moving Traditions
• Rabbinical Assembly
• Reconstructing Judaism
• Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association
• Society for Humanistic Judaism
• T’ruah
• The Workers Circle
• Union for Reform Judaism
• Uri L’Tzedek

[For a full list of state and local signatories, see the attached PDF].