As humanity recovers from this crisis, we have the opportunity to build a more sustainable, just society that promotes both our health and the health of our planet. 

The Book of Proverbs instructs us to “speak up for those who cannot speak...to raise our voices on behalf of the vulnerable and downtrodden.” (Proverbs 31:8-9). The individuals who make up America’s prison population are isolated, vulnerable, and voiceless.

If we are to heed the call of freedom that Passover offers us, we must not close our eyes to the degradation currently taking place right outside our door.

I carry the trauma of my ancestors, who were kidnapped and enslaved, who survived post-abolition racist terrorism, and who survived devastating Jim Crow laws. I also carry the history of the Jewish people, who have survived countless acts of violence, forced conversion, and genocide.

I run the Squirrel Hill Health Center, a nonprofit federally funded community health center in Pittsburgh. Many people have asked me what it feels like in the trenches. The answer? We feel very much alone.

Led by the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, the Reform Jewish community is working with partner organizations across a broad range of issues to urge Congress to pass robust legislation to protect vulnerable individuals and communities.

On March 8, we observe International Women’s Day (IWD), a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

Learn how a trip in the South helped a group of Reform Jewish teens confront racial inequality and explore their own connections to promoting racial justice.