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Family and Medical Leave Denied to Same-Sex Couples in Non-Marriage Equality States
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was signed into law 22 years ago to allow workers to take a maximum 12 weeks unpaid time off of work to care for a new child (including adopted and foster children); care for a sick child; act as a caregiver for a parent; address personal serious health concerns; and care for wounded service members. After the decision in United States v. Windsor, in which the part of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) defining marriage as between a man and a woman for federal purposes was struck down, the Department of Labor announced that FMLA would apply to eligible employees in same-sex marriages if the employee resided in a state that recognized their marriage. Rachel Laser, Deputy Director of the Religious Action Center, submitted comments last August to the Department of Labor in support of this change when it was proposed.
How the RAC's work created change in 2019
Throughout 2019, the Religious Action Center worked across North America, and at the state level in the United States, to advance principles of justice, wholeness, and compassion.
This Year, Bring Torah into the Voting Booth
Taking Torah into the voting booth also means that pikuach nefesh, saving human life, is Judaism’s highest mitzvah, so consider your voting options carefully.
Mazal Tov to the Recipients of our Travel Justly grants!
On Wednesday, the Religious Action Center announced the eleven congregations and Reform Movement affiliates across the U.S. and Canada who won "Travel Justly" grants, which they will use to put into action a wide variety of sustainability and environmental initiatives. The projects include congregational gardening, donating eco-friendly light bulbs to a Mitzvah Corps volunteer site in Costa Rica and an initiative to create a ride-sharing program for synagogue events.
It's Election Season: 7 Key Actions to Take Between Now and Nov. 3rd
Election Day is fast approaching, but our work is not done yet. There’s still time to make a difference and ensure every voice is heard and every vote is counted this election.
Repairing the World: The Legislative Assistant Experience
If someone told me as a high school senior that after graduating college, I’d find myself working in Washington, D.C. for the largest Jewish denomination in North America, I would have been skeptical. In the years following my Bar Mitzvah, I barely set foot in temple.
A Vote for ARZA is a Vote for Progressive Zionism: Why We're on the ARZA Slate
By Shira and friend of the RAC, Ronit Zemel, incoming Assistant Director of Harlam Day Camp
In the front hallway of our home growing up was a picture of our great grandfather, Rabbi Solomon Goldman, standing next to Chaim Weizmann at one of the gatherings of the World Zionist Congress in the late 1930s. This picture is a hallmark of our upbringing as liberal Zionist Jews. We heard lore of our grandmother’s grade school education at the Riali school in Haifa. Our dad told us stories of his first time in Israel as a thirteen year old, peering out into the still forbidden Old City from a lookout tower in Jerusalem. Then we had the opportunity to see Israel for ourselves; to see the vibrant Jewish life in cafes and the shuk, on buses and in kibbutz fields. Israel is a part of the fabric of our family.
At Consultation: Economic Justice Means Paid Sick Days
At the Consultation on Conscience on April 26-28, 2015, you will have the opportunity to learn about and take action on paid sick days by asking your members of Congress to support the Healthy Families Act (S. 497/H.R. 932).
Over 40 million Americans do not currently have access to paid sick days, and we need to pass the Healthy Families Act to ensure that more people do not have to make the difficult choice between going to work and caring for a sick loved one, or for themselves.
This legislation would allow workers in businesses with at least 15 employees to earn up to seven days of job-protected paid sick leave each year. Workers would earn one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. People working in a business with fewer than 15 employees would be able to earn up to seven job-protected days of unpaid sick leave annually.
Record number of Ohio Reform Jews turnout to advocate for GVP and criminal justice reform
On Wednesday, nearly 200 Reform Jews from across Ohio gathered at the Statehouse in Columbus to advocate for just policies in the Buckeye State.
An open call for lawyers to volunteer on immigrant justice cases
One week after participating in the HIAS Immigrant Justice delegation to San Diego, I was still haunted by memories of the men, women, and children getting up in the early hours of the day to be at the U.S. border at 4:00 a.m.