615 N. Broad St. Philadelphia, PA 19123 | 215.627.6747
615 N. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19123 | 215.627.6747
We celebrated a moment of courage and righteousness yesterday when Pennsylvania’s first (unsanctioned) same sex-marriage license was issued! Whether this advocacy strategy will be the action that leads to same-sex marriage rights in Pennsylvania, our culture is moving in the right direction.
Here’s some analysis from Equality Pennsylvania:
Last month, Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Reform Movement’s Religious Action Center, circulated the important letter below, supporting the rights of Bedouins in Israel. This week, Haaretz included this update.
Dear Prime Minister Netanyahu:
On behalf of the Union for Reform Judaism whose nearly 900 congregations encompass more than 1.3 million Reform Jews across North America and the Central Conference of American Rabbis, which represents more than 2,000 Reform rabbis, we write to express our concern about legislation currently pending in the Knesset commonly known as the “Begin Plan,” which will move large numbers of Bedouin from unrecognized villages to recognized ones.Continue reading
Today at the Constitutional Center, in response to being named in Whitewood-v-Corbett, the federal lawsuit based on the right to marry and equal protection, filed on July 9, 2013 on behalf of 21 Pennsylvanians who wish to marry in Pennsylvania or want the commonwealth to recognize their out-of-state marriages or to grant benefits, state Attorney General Kathleen Kane refused to defend Pennsylvania’s same sex marriage ban.
Every plaintiff in Whitewood-v-Corbett has a story. Here is one:
We do not support LGBT Equality in spite of the fact that we are religious; we support equality because we are religious and understand that we are all created b’tzelem Elohim, in the image of God. Join us at RS this Friday evening at our 6:00 pm Shabbat service for a Shehecheyanu, our blessing for gratitude, celebrating the Supreme Court decision to strike down DOMA. Learn more about the the decision in the light of progressive Jewish values, here.
In the past decade, the Florida tomato fields have been home to slavery cases involving more than 1000 workers. Today, we are close to ending slavery in these fields once and for all. T’ruah is proud to partner with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to end slavery and trafficking, and to guarantee wage and safety protections for the workers who pick our tomatoes.Visit truah.org to learn more about how to create a new day in the tomato fields.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe7QTTk9XY4]
Inspired by Ted Martin, ED of Equality Pennsylvania’s remarks at RS tonight? Call for LGBT Anti-Discrimination legislation co-sponsors and thank your representatives who have sponsored; identify and contact your representative here: http://equalityfederation.salsalabs.com/o/35029/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1131
More information about anti-discrimination legislative efforts in Pennsylvania:Continue reading
When the Israelite scouts went to survey the land in last week’s Torah portion Shlach Lecha from the Book of Numbers, were Caleb and Joshua really the only ones who saw the land of Israel as a land flowing with milk and honey? Or, as the midrash (legend) asks, were there others who shared this dissenting view but chose to keep silent. Perhaps what makes Caleb special is his description in the Torah as having a ruach acheret, a different spirit. It’s the ruach acheret that compells us to speak out, even when we hold the dissenting view (based on last week’s Union for Reform Judaism Ten Minutes of Torah). (Thank you to the URJ for this image).
This month, we affirm our Jewish values of justice and righteousness as we celebrate Gay Pride month. Congregation Rodeph Shalom and Congregation Beth Ahavah invite you to join us for education and advocacy! This Wednesday, June 5 at 7:00 pm, Ted Martin, the executive director of Equality Pennsylvania will speak at RS on: “Love and Let Love: The State of LGBT Civil Rights in Pennsylvania.” And Friday, June 7 at our 6:00 pm service we will celebrate Gay Pride as well as Shabbat.
Why does Congregation Rodeph Shalom share with Congregation Beth Ahavah (whose mission it is to welcome LGBT Jews and who resides at Rodeph Shalom) such passion for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender rights? Rabbi Kuhn laid out the source of advocacy in a Bulletin article last year, (March 1, 2012 Bulletin) when he called for Marriage Equality (just weeks before President Obama did!). Continue reading
On Tuesday, May 21, lift up your voices together and call your Senators and tell them that you support comprehensive immigration reform to address our nation’s broken system. Along with others across the country, tell Congress that you demand reform that does justice to our American and Reform Jewish values. To get a reminder text about the call-in day, text “GESHER” to 877-877. On Tuesday, call your Senators at 877-897-0174.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=BWRqqFfQMao#!]
We were freed from the slavery of Egypt, not to wander aimlessly, but to discover our people’s purpose through Torah. Tues. evening and Wed., we celebrate the gift of the revelation of Torah. Learn about the festival of Shavuot with this great new Jewish content website from a Reform perspective, and participate in our RS celebrations:
Tuesday, May 14, 7:00-9:00 pm, Shavuot Night of Study: Without the sleep deprivation of the all-night study tradition, we will engage in a discussion about what our “What is Our Food Worth?” conversation that was started with Mark Bittman spoke at RS in March. Nourish the soul with intellectual and spiritual search and nourish the body with some traditional dairy treats.Continue reading
