Faith in the Public Square

Beginning today, Reform Jews across the United States will   meet virtually with their U.S. Senators   to advocate in support of the   For the People Act   and the   John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act   as part of the Reform Movement’s   Racial Justice Campaign .   According to the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism  (RAC): Despite the ongoing pandemic and   a patchwork of barriers to the ballot box across the country , more than 159 million Americans voted in the 2020 elections, the highest rates seen in over a century. However, some state elected officials want to roll back this progress by creating more barriers to vote. That is why we need federal legislation to protect the freedom to vote. Noting that the right to vote is fundamental in a democracy, the RAC urges people to ensure that elections are accessible for all. "The For the People Act (H.R.1/S.1) is a broad bill, that among its provisions, will protect the freedo...

People of faith have not been silent in the face of our nation’s gun violence. They have supported reasonable gun laws for many years and now, in the light of recent shootings, their words continue to guide us. The National Council of Churches issued a statement this week that read, in part: The unchecked gun violence in this nation must end. In 1967, the NCC adopted a statement calling for Firearms Control while proclaiming at the time that it represented “a long overdue measure which might have prevented much tragic loss of life.”   Over 50 years later, these basic common-sense changes to our gun laws still have not been enacted and they are far beyond overdue.                . . . “I stand firmly with the vast majority of Americans who are demanding an end to gun violence and the passage of legislation that requires greater screening, longer waiting periods for background checks, and the elimination of rapid fire guns,” stated Rev. D...