Today Reconstructing Judaism joined with a diverse group of Christian and Jewish denominations in filing a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that would generally prevent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) agents from entering our houses of worship to conduct enforcement actions.
How did we get here? Our nation is so divided, and a majority appears to have chosen the politics of grievance and of anger, anchored in “othering” millions – including many of us, and many of our neighbors. A tremendous number of Americans fear the loss of our democratic norms; the abrogation of our own rights as well as the rights of others; a rejection of our determination to dismantle systemic racism and to combat antisemitism; and an abandonment of rational, fact-based decision-making, let alone basic civility. We are anxious about the fates of people and nations around the world.
Reconstructionist Judaism has, throughout its history, venerated American democracy, elevating representative government to a religious value — while remaining determined to rectify its shortcomings.
Looking to make sense of all that’s unfolding in American democracy and absorb it through a Jewish framework? Hoping to add new meaning to Tisha B’Av?
Philanthropy and private giving are a vital part of American democracy and deeply ingrained in Jewish communal life. Historian Lila Corwin Berman, Ph.D., has, through her scholarship, shed light on the history of Jewish philanthropy while raising questions about how it is practiced. Who benefits from philanthropy? Who gets to decide how dollars are spent? Do good intentions lead to good results? Does philanthropy advance democracy?
If ethno-nationalism is bad for Jews as a minority in the Diaspora, then ethno-nationalism practiced by Jews as the majority, holding state power, is also bad.
The Hebrew word for “voice” is kol. Powerfully, it is also the word for “vote.” This election season, we must all raise our voices as loudly as we possibly can to defend democracy and vote for candidates who do so.
Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement
Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis
Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues
Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives
