DOCSLIB.ORG

June 16, 2020 Chairman Eliot Engel Ranking Member Michael Mccaul House Foreign Affairs Committee House Foreign Affairs Committee Washington, D.C

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
June 16, 2020 Chairman Eliot Engel Ranking Member Michael Mccaul House Foreign Affairs Committee House Foreign Affairs Committee Washington, D.C June 16, 2020 Chairman Eliot Engel Ranking Member Michael McCaul House Foreign Affairs Committee House Foreign Affairs Committee Washington, D.C. 20515 Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Chairman Engel and Ranking Member McCaul: As more than 350 Jewish clergy members from 36 states and the District of Columbia, we write today to raise our voices in support of global lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) human rights. As we mark Pride Month, our faith reminds us that all people are created b’tzelem Elohim, in the divine image, and that we must not stand idly by in the face of injustice. Unfortunately, we know that LGBTQI+ communities face hate and discrimination, and we are deeply concerned about COVID-19’s disproportionate impacts on the lives and dignity of LGBTQI+ people across the world. We strongly urge the House Foreign Affairs Committee to demonstrate its commitment to supporting the needs of LGBTQI+ people during this crisis, including the addition of non-discrimination language and bolstering protections for LGBTQI+ people and other vulnerable groups in international assistance funding and future COVID-19 relief packages, and to hold an LGBTQI+-focused hearing as soon as time allows. Too often, skewed interpretations of religious doctrines are used to stigmatize LGBTQI+ people, justifying the creation and defense of discriminatory laws and norms. As faith leaders, we unequivocally denounce these attempts to use religion to justify oppression. In 70 countries across the globe, being LGBTQI+ is criminalized and, in some countries, a person can be sentenced to death simply because of who they are or whom they love. LGBTQI+ people also face countless barriers to employment, housing, healthcare, and other services, preventing many people from living a life of dignity. With the onslaught of COVID-19, we are also gravely distressed about the ways this pandemic will exacerbate the struggles of LGBTQI+ people across the world. LGBTQI+ people are further cut off from access to the services they need most, including sexual and reproductive health services, increasing their isolation and vulnerability to human rights violations. Furthermore, amidst global instability, LGBTQI+ individuals are facing increasing hateful rhetoric and violence—with some people even blaming the LGBTQI+ community for the spread of COVID- 19. For example, in March, Ugandan authorities raided a shelter and arrested 20 LGBTQI+ people, charging them with COVID-related offense as a guise to target this community. We know from our own Jewish history what it’s like to face stigma, violence, and discrimination simply because of one’s identity. This period of global instability will undoubtedly increase these challenges, especially in the most repressive contexts. As 363 Jewish clergy members united for justice and equality, we call on the House Foreign Affairs Committee to support the unique needs of LGBTQI+ people during this global pandemic. This includes the addition of non-discrimination language and protections for LGBTQI+ people and other vulnerable groups in international assistance funding and future COVID-19 relief packages and holding a LGBTQI+-focused hearing as soon as the Committee is able. This hearing would allow for LGBTQI+ activists from around the world to raise their voices in opposition to hate and discrimination, and it would provide an opportunity to discuss important legislation, including the Greater Leadership for the Benefit of Equality (GLOBE) Act (H.R. 3874), that would promote the work of LGBTQI+ human rights defenders across the globe. At a time when religion is increasingly distorted to justify denying rights to LGBTQI+ people, we collectively reaffirm that our Jewish texts, heritage, and shared history demand that we stand with marginalized communities – including LGBTQI+ people – across the world. We urge the Committee to do the same. It is only by supporting the rights of the most marginalized populations and opposing hate and discrimination that we can build a more just world. Sincerely, The undersigned 363 Rabbis and Cantors Congregations and institutions listed for affiliation purposes only. Rabbi Susan Abramson Temple Shalom Emeth Rabbi Jaime Aklepi Burlington, Massachusetts Temple Beth Am Pinecrest, Florida Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder Atlanta, Georgia Rabbi Katy Allen Ma'yan Tikvah Wayland, Massachusetts Rabbi Ruth Adar San Leandro, California Cantor Sheri Allen Fort Worth, Texas Rabbi David Adelson HUC-JIR New York, New York Rabbi Uri Allen Roslyn Heights, New York Rabbi Rachel Adler Hebrew Union College Los Angeles, California Rabbi Alana Alpert Rabbi Eliot Baskin Congregation T'chiyah Temple Emanuel Detroit, Michigan Greenwood Village, Colorado Rabbi Thomas Alpert Rabbi Jordana Battis Temple Etz Chaim Temple Shir Tikva Franklin, Massachusetts Wayland, Massachusetts Rabbi Daniel Alter Rabbi Renee Bauer Temple Beth Emeth Madison, Wisconsin Ann Arbor, Michigan Rabbi David Baum Rabbi Noah Arnow Congregation Shaarei Kodesh Kol Rinah Boca Raton, Florida St. Louis, Missouri Rabbi Shelley Becker Rabbi Melanie Aron New York, New York Los Gatos, California Rabbi Lisa Bellows Cantor Deborah Avery Congregation Beth Am Temple Shalom Buffalo Grove, Illinois Dallas, Texas Rabbi Marci Bellows Rabbi Benjamin Barer Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek Washington, District of Columbia Chester, New York Rabbi Meir Bargeron Rabbi James Bennett Fort Wayne, Indiana Congregation Shaare Emeth St. Louis, Missouri Rabbi Barry Baron Colgate University Rabbi Arlene Berger Vestal, New York Rabbi Marc Berkson Rabbi Daniel Bogard Emanu-El B'ne Jeshurun Central Reform Congregation Milwaukee, Wisconsin St. Louis, Missouri Rabbi Marjorie Berman Rabbi Anne Brener Reconstructionist Rabbinical College Academy for Jewish Religion California Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania Los Angeles, California Rabbi Nicole Berne Rabbi Julie Bressler Scottsdale, Arizona Temple Beth Shalom Needham, Massachusetts Cantor Jennifer Bern-Vogel Los Angeles, California Rabbi Philip Bressler Beit Am - Mid-Willamette Valley Jewish Community Rabbi Linda Bertenthal Corvallis, Oregon Temple Emanuel Davenport, Iowa Cantor Vera Broekhuysen Temple Emanu-El of Haverhill, MA Rabbi Binyamin Biber North Andover, Massachusetts Humanist Chaplaincy at American University - Washington, DC Silver Spring, Maryland Rabbi Caryn Broitman Martha's Vineyard Hebrew Center Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts Rabbi Jonathan Blake Westchester Reform Temple White Plains, New York Rabbi Deborah Bronstein Har HaShem Boulder, Colorado Rabbinic Pastor Larissa Blechman Winchester, Virginia Rabbi Lester Bronstein White Plains, New York Rabbi Neil Blumofe Congregation Agudas Achim Austin, Texas Rabbi Rachel Brown Beachwood, Ohio Cantor Shoshana Brown Rabbi Noah Chertkoff Fall River, Massachusetts Congregation Shalom Milwaukee, Wisconsin Rabbi Joel Buchband Valley Stream J.C. Rabbi Steven Chester Valley Stream, New York Oakland, California Rabbi Danny Burkeman Rabbi Micah Citrin Temple Shir Tikva Temple Beth David Natick, Massachusetts Westwood, Massachusetts Rabbi John Bush Rabbi Aryeh Cohen Oak Lawn, Illinois Los Angeles, California Rabbi Adalah Caplowe Rabbi Emily Cohen Boca Raton, Florida Lab/Shul Brooklyn, New York Rabbi Reba Carmel Cheltenham, Pennsylvania Rabbi Heidi Cohen Irvine, California Rabbi Shulamit Cenker Greater St. Louis Community Rabbi Rabbi Michael Cohen St. Louis, Missouri Dallas, Texas Cantor Anna May Chapman Rabbi Judith Cohen-Rosenberg Brooklyn, New York Westbury, New York Rabbi Jordana Chernow-Reader Rabbi Hillel Cohn Fairmount Temple Congregation Emanu El Shaker Heights, Ohio San Bernardino, California Cantor Sanford Cohn Rabbi Mark Diamond The Emanuel Synagogue Loyola Marymount University West Hartford, Connecticut Los Angeles, California Rabbi Glynis Conyer Rabbi Lucy Dinner Suffern, New York Temple Beth Or Raleigh, North Carolina Rabbi David Cooper Kehilla Community Synagogue Rabbi Aderet Drucker Berkeley, California The Den Collective Bethesda, Maryland Rabbi Laurie Coskey San Diego, California Rabbi Rebecca Dubowe Moses Montefiore Congregation Bloomington, Illinois Rabbi Jill Crimmings Minnetonka, Minnesota Rabbi David Eber Chicago, Illinois Cantor Don Croll Beth El Binah Dallas, Texas Rabbi Renee Edelman Temple Shaarey Shalom Short Hills, New Jersey Rabbi Faith Joy Dantowitz Temple B’nai Abraham Morgan Hill, California Rabbi Judith Edelstein New York, New York Rabbi Beth Davidson Temple Adath Yeshurun Rabbi Laurence Edwards Auburn, New Hampshire Chicago, Illinois Rabbi Josef Davidson Rabbi Lisa Edwards Ballwin, Missouri Beth Chayim Chadashim Los Angeles, California Rabbi Denise Eger Rabbi Patricia Fenton West Hollywood, California Los Angeles, California Rabbi Jean Eglinton Rabbi Brian Field Tampa, Florida Denver, Colorado Rabbi Brian Fink Brooklyn, New York Rabbi Stephen Einstein Congregation B’nai Tzedek (Emeritus) Fountain Valley, California Rabbi Stephen Fisch Plano, Texas Rabbi Bruce Elder Congregation Hakafa Rabbi Allie Fischman Highland Park, Illinois URJ Camp Newman Richmond, California Rabbi Susan Elkodsi Malvnere, New York Rabbi Adam Fisher Port Jefferson Station, New York Rabbi Rachel Esserman Temple Concord Rabbi Nancy Flam Northampton, Massachusetts Cantor Shulamit Fairman Kehilla Community Synagogue Berkeley, California Rabbi Allison Flash Newcastle, Washington Cantor Kenneth Feibush Temple Sholom of West Essex Montclair, New Jersey Rabbi Robin Foonberg Congregation B'nai Israel Long Beach, California Rabbi Michael Feinberg New York, New York Rabbi Karen
Load more

Recommended publications
  • July 30, 2019 Dear Legislator, We Write to You As Rabbis and Cantors
    July 30, 2019 Dear Legislator, We write to you as rabbis and cantors affiliated with T’ruah and J Street to ask that you defend the free speech of all Americans by opposing any efforts to pass legislation penalizing supporters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. At both the federal and state level, this type of deeply misguided legislation undermines a core principle of American democracy. These laws do nothing to protect the State of Israel, and they would injure the American Jewish community. While proponents of imposing legislative penalties on BDS supporters portray their efforts as “pro-Israel,” none of these laws have any impact on bringing about a peace agreement, or on wiping out anti-Semitism. Instead, these laws and the debate around them distract us from the real work of supporting Israel -- namely, working toward a two-state solution and a long-term peace agreement that creates a better future for both Israelis and Palestinians, each with self-determination in their own state. J Street and T’ruah do not support or advocate for the Global BDS movement. At the same time, we firmly believe that legislating against boycotts, which are a form of speech protected under the First Amendment, opens the door to much broader government control of public discourse. With our democratic institutions under attack, we must hold the line on our constitutional freedoms. We follow proudly in the footsteps of Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, a renowned Zionist leader, who wrote in the 1927 free-speech case Whitney v. ​ California that our country’s founders “eschewed silence...coerced by law — the argument of ​ force in its worst form.” A true commitment to the First Amendment means we must defend free speech even and especially when we find it objectionable or offensive.
    [Show full text]
  • RECONSTRUCTIONIST RABBINICAL COLLEGE and JEWISH RECONSTRUCTIONIST COMMUNITIES
    RECONSTRUCTIONIST RABBINICAL COLLEGE and JEWISH RECONSTRUCTIONIST COMMUNITIES 2015 ANNUAL REPORT Watch the video at www.RRC.edu/AR15 RECONSTRUCTIONIST HOME | RABBINICAL EDUCATION | OUR GRADUATES | COMMUNITY | YOU MAKE A | CAMP JRF | FINANCIALS | TAKE ACTION RABBINICAL COLLEGE & BEYOND ENGAGEMENT DIFFERENCE and JEWISH RECONSTRUCTIONIST COMMUNITIES This is the script of a video WHO, you ask, is the WE that you can watch at holding a hand out to www.RRC.edu/AR15 you right now? Is this you? ME. I am a student at RRC because the How about this? College believes in my unique vision for Or this? . Jewish engagement and leadership, and supports If so, let’s join together . me with extensive training in sacred texts, We believe that all of us are a flexible curriculum, responsible for Judaism, and for reconstructing it in each generation, to create the Judaism innovative ritual practices, mentoring in social activism and multifaith conversation, and we want to live today…and tomorrow. entrepreneurial training. When I took my first internship, I felt ready to help … We know that people take many different paths towards meaningful Jewish living, and we ME. I’m a newly elected congregation president with big dreams for our community. must nurture each individual journey. I devote countless hours to finding and engaging people like you. People who can bring open hearts and minds to create something larger than each of us individually—a We embrace and celebrate the diversity of Jews, and see our role as nourishing each other’s community of fellow travelers who learn together, celebrate together and weather hard spirits through mutual support.
    [Show full text]
  • Religion and Lgbtq People in Us History
    Published online 2016 www.nps.gov/subjects/tellingallamericansstories/lgbtqthemestudy.htm LGBTQ America: A Theme Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer History is a publication of the National Park Foundation and the National Park Service. We are very grateful for the generous support of the Gill Foundation, which has made this publication possible. The views and conclusions contained in the essays are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the U.S. Government. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the U.S. Government. © 2016 National Park Foundation Washington, DC All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted or reproduced without permission from the publishers. Links (URLs) to websites referenced in this document were accurate at the time of publication. THEMES The chapters in this section take themes as their starting points. They explore different aspects of LGBTQ history and heritage, tying them to specific places across the country. They include examinations of LGBTQ community, civil rights, the law, health, art and artists, commerce, the military, sports and leisure, and sex, love, and relationships. STRUGGLES21 IN BODY AND SPIRIT: RELIGION AND LGBTQ PEOPLE IN US HISTORY Drew Bourn Introduction The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once observed that eleven o'clock on Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in the United States.1 But segregation goes beyond a separation between black churches and white churches. There is a tremendous variety of religious communities in the US - Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Christians, Buddhists, Pagans, and others.
    [Show full text]
  • Ethnicity and Faith in American Judaism: Reconstructionism As Ideology and Institution, 1935-1959
    ETHNICITY AND FAITH IN AMERICAN JUDAISM: RECONSTRUCTIONISM AS IDEOLOGY AND INSTITUTION, 1935-1959 A Dissertation Submitted to the Temple University Graduate Board In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY By Deborah Waxman May, 2010 Examining Committee Members: Lila Corwin Berman, Advisory Chair, History David Harrington Watt, History Rebecca Trachtenberg Alpert, Religion Deborah Dash Moore, External Member, University of Michigan ii ABSTRACT Title: Ethnicity and Faith in American Judaism: Reconstructionism as Ideology and Institution, 1935-1959 Candidate's Name: Deborah Waxman Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Temple University, 2010 Doctoral Advisory Committee Chair: Lila Corwin Berman This dissertation addresses the development of the movement of Reconstructionist Judaism in the period between 1935 and 1959 through an examination of ideological writings and institution-building efforts. It focuses on Reconstructionist rhetorical strategies, their efforts to establish a liberal basis of religious authority, and theories of cultural production. It argues that Reconstructionist ideologues helped to create a concept of ethnicity for Jews and non-Jews alike that was distinct both from earlier ―racial‖ constructions or strictly religious understandings of modern Jewish identity. iii DEDICATION To Christina, who loves being Jewish, With gratitude and abundant love iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation is the product of ten years of doctoral studies, so I type these words of grateful acknowledgment with a combination of astonishment and excitement that I have reached this point. I have been inspired by extraordinary teachers throughout my studies. As an undergraduate at Columbia, Randall Balmer introduced me to the study of American religious history and Holland Hendrix encouraged me to take seriously the prospect of graduate studies.
    [Show full text]
  • Rabbi Deborah Waxman January 2014 Page 1 A
    Rabbi Deborah Waxman January 2014 Page 1 A RECONSTRUCTIONIST RESPONSE TO THE PEW STUDY Much ink has been spilled over the recent Pew Research Center’s study Portrait of Jewish Americans.1 I offer now both reflections on the study itself and the reactions to it, and a Reconstructionist response. In brief, I believe the Reconstructionist movement is well-poised to act on the tremendous positive Jewish identification reported by the study through continuing conceptual work and incubation of engaging ideas and practices. Findings and Reactions The study begins with an overarching claim that 94% of American Jews are proud to be part of the Jewish people, and 46% are very proud. In this era of majority society’s expansive embrace of American Jews and abundant choices in identities and commitments (including the choice to be “nothing,” to pass without judgment or difficulty as “American”), almost every Jew asked asserts pride in his or her Jewishness. This could easily be cause for celebration. Yet the initial reactions to the survey results were gloomy, even dire, because of other findings. The survey reports a marked decline in the religiosity of American Jews, especially compared to the “greatest generation,” those Jews who fought in World War II in the European and Asian theaters and on the home front and who, after the war’s end, built most of the institutions of postwar American Judaism. Where 93% of Jews in the greatest generation said their Jewish identity was based on religion, only 68% of millennials— the youngest generation of Jewish adults—identify their Jewishness with the religion of Judaism, while the remainder identify as Jews on the basis of ancestry, ethnicity or culture.
    [Show full text]
  • RE Final Draft
    Connected to Community: Jewish Ritual, Meaning, and Gender at Brandeis University Master’s Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Brandeis University Hornstein Program for Jewish Professional Leadership Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies Sylvia Barack Fishman, Advisor Amy L. Sales, Reader In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Jewish Professional Leadership and Near Eastern and Judaic Studies by Rachel Elizabeth Eisen May 2016 Acknowledgements One of the first classes I took as a graduate student was called “Half-Jews, Queer- Jews, and Bu-Jews: Mapping Jewish Identities in America,” taught by then-PhD-candidate Emily Sigalow. I went into the class intrigued by intersectional identities and I came out intrigued by qualitative research. Although I had no idea what I wanted to study for my (then still so far off) master’s thesis, I knew how I wanted to study it. This thesis has truly been a labor of love, emphasis on labor. Beyond Emily’s class, I had very little idea of what goes into sociological research, and, in my typical fashion, I dove straight in, and asked questions later. I am grateful to Emily not only for introducing me to this field of research but also for introducing me to her dissertation advisor, Sylvia Barack Fishman. Professors Fishman and Amy L. Sales, my advisors in this thesis, have offered me guidance and support throughout, encouraging me all along. I am also indebted to Harry Abrahams, Jewish Student Life Associate at Brandeis Hillel, Rabbi Peretz Chein of Chabad House Brandeis, Rabbi David Pardo of the Jewish Learning Initiative at Brandeis, and Rabbi Elyse Winick, the Jewish Chaplain at Brandeis, along with multiple student leaders at Brandeis Hillel, for their assistance in recruiting research participants.
    [Show full text]
  • Preventing Harm, Promoting Justice: Responding to LGBT Conversion Therapy in Australia
    PREVENTING HARM, PROMOTING JUSTICE Responding to LGBT conversion therapy in Australia Timothy W. Jones • Anna Brown • Lee Carnie • Gillian Fletcher • William Leonard ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many thanks to the survivors of conversion therapy who agreed to speak with us and share some of their experiences. Telling your stories often came at a personal cost and we hope that this report respects the complexities and richness of your experiences and contributes to greater understanding and improved practice in the area of pastoral care of LGBT people within and outside religious communities. Thank you to the members of project steering committee for your advice: • Ro Allen, Victorian Commissioner for Gender and Sexuality • Nathan Despott (Brave) • Luke Gahan • Jamie Gardiner • Matt Glover (MGA Counselling Services) • Emma Halliday, Sean Mulcahy and Dale Park (Victorian Gay & Lesbian Rights Lobby) • Michelle Kolev and Linda Cropley (Freedom2b) • Angus McLeay (Equal Voices) • Nicole O’Connor • Shaun Staunton (Beyond Blue) • Jonathan Tandos, clinical psychologist We thank the Transforming Human Societies Research Focus Area at La Trobe University for providing funding for the project. We also thank Baker & McKenzie for generously hosting the steering committee meetings and providing pro bono research support, and thank Beau Paterson for his research support as a HRLC paralegal. We acknowledge the Wurundjeri people as the traditional custodians of the land on which we work. We pay respect to elders past, present and emerging. © GLHV@ARCSHS, La Trobe University & Human Rights Law Centre 2018 For more information contact: GLHV@ARCSHS La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, 3086 T: +61 3 9479 8760 E: [email protected] W: www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs Human Rights Law Centre Level 17, 461 Bourke St, Melbourne, VIC, 3000 T: + 61 3 8636 4450 E: [email protected] W: www.hrlc.org.au ISBN: 978-0-9953969-1-3 Suggested citation: Jones, T, Brown, A, Carnie, L, Fletcher, G, & Leonard, W.
    [Show full text]
  • Surpass Shelf List
    Beth Sholom B'Nai Israel Shelf List Barcode Call Author Title Cost 1001502 Daily prayer book = : Ha-Siddur $0.00 ha-shalem / translated and annotated with an introduction by Philip Birnbaum. 1000691 Documents on the Holocaust : $0.00 selected sources on the destruction of the Jews of Germany and Austria, Poland, and the Soviet Union / edited by Yitzhak Arad, Yisrael Gutman, Abraham Margaliot. 1001830 Explaining death to children / $0.00 Edited by Earl A. Grollman. 1003811 In the tradition : an anthology $0.00 of young Black writers / edited by Kevin Powell and Ras Baraka. 1003812 In the tradition : an anthology $0.00 of young Black writers / edited by Kevin Powell and Ras Baraka. 1002040 Jewish art and civilization / $0.00 editor-in-chief: Geoffrey Wigoder. 1001839 The Jews / edited by Louis $0.00 Finkelstein. 56 The last butterfly $0.00 [videorecording] / Boudjemaa Dahmane et Jacques Methe presentent ; Cinema et Communication and Film Studio Barrandov with Filmexport Czechoslovakia in association with HTV International Ltd. ; [The Blum Group and Action Media Group 41 The magician of Lublin $0.00 [videorecording] / Cannon Video. 1001486 My people's Passover Haggadah : $0.00 traditional texts, modern commentaries / edited by Lawrence A. Hoffman and David Arnow. 1001487 My people's Passover Haggadah : $0.00 traditional texts, modern commentaries / edited by Lawrence A. Hoffman and David Arnow. 1003430 The Prophets (Nevi'im) : a new $0.00 trans. of the Holy Scriptures according to the Masoretic text. Second section. 1001506 Seder K'riat Hatorah (the Torah $0.00 12/11/2019 Surpass Page 1 Beth Sholom B'Nai Israel Shelf List Barcode Call Author Title Cost service) / edited by Lawrence A.
    [Show full text]
  • The Honorable Michael R. Pompeo Secretary of State U.S. Department of State 2201 C Street NW Washington, D.C
    The Honorable Michael R. Pompeo Secretary of State U.S. Department of State 2201 C Street NW Washington, D.C. 20250 August 22, 2019 Dear Mr. Secretary, As we mark the second-year anniversary of the continued campaign of genocide against the Rohingya people of Burma on August 25, we call on you to prioritize the pursuit of justice and accountability for the Rohingya people and all ethnic minorities in Burma. As 575 rabbis and Jewish clergy from 38 states across the U.S. and from many Jewish denominational backgrounds, we collectively serve tens of thousands of American Jews and represent this call-to-action from many more communities and congregations. As clergy, we have not—and will not—stay silent in the face of genocide. We know all too well, from our own Jewish history, what happens when the international community does not stand up unequivocally in defense of oppressed minorities subject to state-sanctioned hate, oppression and violence. The Department of State released a report in September 2018 documenting atrocities in Northern Rakhine State, which attests that the violence against the Rohingya people was “extreme, large- scaled, widespread” and “well-planned.” We were deeply disappointed that the report failed to legally determine that there were international crimes committed against the Rohingya people by the Burmese military. The horrifying atrocities outlined in the report—with the full weight and expertise of the Department of State behind it—surely must trigger meaningful U.S. response and actions. We call on you, Mr. Secretary, as you lead the Department, to defend the rights and dignity of the Rohingya people and other ethnic minorities.
    [Show full text]
  • No. 16-2424 Plaintiff-Appellant, And
    Case: 16-2424 Document: 61 Filed: 04/26/2017 Page: 1 No. 16-2424 IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SIXTH CIRCUIT EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION, Plaintiff-Appellant, and AIMEE STEPHENS, Intervenor, v. R.G. & G.R. HARRIS FUNERAL HOMES, INC., Defendant-Appellee. On Appeal from a Final Judgment of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan Case No. 2:14-cv-13710, Hon. Sean F. Cox Brief of Seventy-Six Members of the Clergy; Americans United for Separation of Church and State; The Anti-Defamation League; Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice; Central Conference of American Rabbis; Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc.; The Interfaith Alliance Foundation; Keshet; Muslim Advocates; People for the American Way Foundation; Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association; Reconstructionist Rabbinical College / Jewish Reconstructionist Communities; Union for Reform Judaism; The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism; and Women of Reform Judaism as Amici Curiae Supporting Appellant and Intervenor and Reversal STEVEN M. FREEMAN RICHARD B. KATSKEE DAVID L. BARKEY CARMEN GREEN MIRIAM L. ZEIDMAN KELLY M. PERCIVAL* Anti-Defamation League BRADLEY GIRARD 605 Third Avenue 10th Floor Americans United for Separation New York, NY 10158 of Church and State (212) 885-7700 1310 L Street, NW Suite 200 Washington, DC 20005 (202) 466-3234 Counsel for Amici Curiae * Admitted in California only; supervised by Richard B. Katskee, a member of the D.C. Bar. Case: 16-2424 Document: 61 Filed: 04/26/2017 Page: 2 UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SIXTH CIRCUIT Disclosure of Corporate Affiliations and Financial Interest Sixth Circuit Case Number: 16-2424 Case Name: EEOC v.
    [Show full text]
  • Crown and Courts Materials
    David C. Flatto on The Crown and the Courts: Separation of Powers in the Early Jewish Im.agination Wednesday February 17, 2021 4 - 5 p.m. Online Register at law.fordham.edu/CrownAndCourts CLE COURSE MATERIALS Table of Contents 1. Speaker Biographies (view in document) 2. CLE Materials The Crown and the Courts: Separation of Powers in the Early Jewish Imagination Panel Discussion Cover, Robert M. THE FOLKTALES OF JUSTICE: TALES OF JURISDICTION (view in document) Cardozo Law Review. Levinson, Bernard M. THE FIRST CONSTITUTION: RETHINKING THE ORIGINS OF RULE OF LAW AND SEPARATION OF POWERS IN LIGHT OF DEUTERONOMY (view in document) Yale Journal of Law & the Humanities. Volume 20. Issue 1 Article 3. The King and I: The Separation of Powers in Early Hebraic Political Theory. (view in document) The Crown and the Courts: Separation of Powers in the Early Jewish Imagination Biographies Moderator: Ethan J. Leib is Professor of Law at Fordham Law School. He teaches in contracts, legislation, and regulation. His most recent book, Friend v. Friend: Friendships and What, If Anything, the Law Should Do About Them, explores the costs and benefits of the legal recognition of and sensitivity to friendship; it was published by Oxford University Press. Leib’s scholarly articles have recently appeared in the Yale Law Journal, Virginia Law Review, Georgetown Law Journal, University of Pennsylvania Law Review, University of Chicago Law Review, California Law Review, and elsewhere. He has also written for a broader audience in the New York Times, USA Today, Policy Review, Washington Post, New York Law Journal, The American Scholar, and The New Republic.
    [Show full text]
  • About the Sydney Jewish LGBTQI Community
    Shabbat Dinner for the LGBTQI community, May 18, 2018 We chose this date for our event as the closest Shabbat to May 17, the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. This booklet is dedicated to Dr Magnus Hirschfeld on the anniversary of his birth 150 years ago this week, on May 14, 1868. Dr Hirschfeld was a German-Jewish pioneer advocate for sexual minorities and the understanding of human sexuality. On May 15, 1897 in Berlin, Dr Hirschfeld founded the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee to campaign for the social recognition of gay, bisexual and transgender individuals, and against their legal persecution. His organisation is considered the very first LGBT rights organisation in history. Contents 1. NSW Jewish Board of Deputies Motion on Marriage Equality 2. Australian Jewish News “NSW Jewish Board of Deputies support same-sex marriage” 3. JWire “Australia ready for Same Sex Marriage equality” 4. “After the Postal Survey: What Next?” by Rabbi Benjamin Elton 5. Australian Jewish News “Marriage rites are rights for all” 6. Justice Stephen Rothman AM Letter to the Editor of the Australian Jewish News 7. Australian Jewish News “Emanuel makes history with same-sex wedding” 8. Star Observer “Sydney synagogue hosts first legal Jewish same-sex wedding” 9. About Dayenu, Sydney’s Jewish GLBTI group 10. Australian Jewish News “Mardi Gras ‘the biggest ever’” 11. About Rosh Pina, an independent, affirming Orthodox Jewish network 12. Visit the Sydney Jewish Museum 13. Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Holocaust Memorial 14. Yom HaShoah
    [Show full text]