Raechel Banks

Raechel Banks was a legislative assistant at the Religious Action Center.
Economic Justice

Pe’ah and the Truth Behind Block Grants

Raechel Banks

As the House and the Senate release and mark up their budgets this week, there’s a lot of jargon being tossed around. You may have heard that the House-proposed budget include “block grants” for SNAP and Medicaid. What does that mean - and why should Jews care

Rise up Maccabean Style for Rights of the Disabled

Rabbi Lynne Landsberg
Raechel Banks
The sages of the Talmud had a debate about how we are to light the Chanukah menorah: Should we begin with eight candles and remove one each night, or begin with one and add through the holiday?
Hanukkah

Reform Movement Tells Congress: Deficit Reduction Must Not Increase Poverty

Raechel Banks
Yesterday the Religious Action Center sent a letter to all Members of Congress urging them to protect the poor in any deficit reduction agreement. As the end of year approaches and we near the “fiscal cliff,” Members of Congress are meeting with increasing urgency to create a deal that would reduce the deficit, or produce a framework to do so, before January 1. People of faith across the nation are speaking out on the rapid pace of these negotiations and the potential harm they could cause the programs that help the poorest among us.