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A Woman’s Place is on the Money
When I was in 8th grade, my family and I took a vacation to England. It was an awesome trip, from visiting Oxford (or Hogwarts, as I recognized it) to Big Ben to the London Eye. Something else stands out about my first trip across the pond: seeing Queen Elizabeth’s face on pound notes was the first time I saw a woman’s face on paper money.
Over the past several months, the call to put a woman’s likeness on the twenty dollar bill has risen to national attention. Suggestions have ranged from Sojourner Truth to Emma Lazarus to Margaret Sanger. A grassroots campaign, Women on $20s, held an online election in which hundreds of thousands of voters chose Harriet Tubman as their top choice to appear on the bill.
Healthy Families, Healthy Nation
This Fourth of July weekend, we gathered together to celebrate our nation’s birthday and the values for which it stands. It is clear from their writings and the way they shaped our founding documents that the Framers and revolutionaries were concerned with the most basic articulation of justice and equality (as much as the prejudices of the time and of their lives would allow). Throughout American history, we’ve expanded and nuanced those rights, recognizing that laws about justice and equality touch even family life and workplaces. So, this early July as we celebrate the United States, we also celebrate state-level laws that are taking effect. Earlier this month, Connecticut’s paid sick days law, as well as laws in California, Massachusetts and in Eugene, Oregon are being implemented.
Catholic and Jewish Faith Traditions Call for Climate Action
Though Pope Francis may not know it, he and the ancient rabbis have a lot in common.
Making DREAMs a reality
By Jenny Swift
When I was a senior in high school, the question I was asked by family and friends more times than I would like was where I would be attending college next year. For students who are undocumented the question might be different: what will you be doing next year? It’s a small difference, but a noticeable one. Tens of thousands of children who have grown up in this county and have attended and graduated from public schools are stuck, without the opportunity to advance, because the documentation required to apply to college, and more importantly, federal aid, is often out of the grasp of students whose parents brought them to this country when they were small children. Future doctors, lawyers, teachers, and the scientist who will cure cancer are all unable to reach their true potential due to immigration laws that keep children down, not raise them up to achieve the American dream.
Recap: Catholic and Jewish Faith Traditions Call for Action on Climate
By Jennifer Queen
Listen to the full text of the July 15: Interfaith Update on Papal Encyclical webinar here.
Though Pope Francis may not know it, he and the ancient rabbis have a lot in common. As I participated in the Interfaith Update on the Papal Encyclical webinar yesterday, Rabbi Tarfon’s words, “it's not your obligation to finish the work, but neither are you free to desist from it,” from Pirkei Avot (2:15-16), continually came to mind. The conversation between Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner and Rachel Laser from the Religious Action Center, founder of the Catholic Climate Covenant Dan Misleh, and Mark Rohlena from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, unfolded around Laudato Si: Sulla cura della casa commune (or Praised Be You: On the care of the common home), Pope Francis’ encyclical, released in June.
Galilee Diary: Free to Be You and Me
Rabbi Huna in the name of Bar Kappara said that Israel deserved to be redeemed from Egypt for four reasons: They never changed their names, they never changed their language, they never engaged in gossip, and they never engaged in sexual immorality.
The 7 Vital Signs of a Healthy Congregation
by Ron Wolfson
As one who has worked in the field of synagogue transformation for more than 20 years, I am often asked, “What are the vital signs of a healthy congregation?” Here are seven vital signs I look for in taking the pulse of a community:
A Feminist and the Wall
By Joelle Leib
During my time at Scripps College, a women’s college in Claremont, California, I have learned much about feminism and the critical fight for gender equality. Luckily for me and my female millennial peers, American women have made tremendous strides in the past few decades, so much so that Hillary Clinton is now a frontrunner in the Democratic presidential primary. Yet as someone who also identifies as a Zionist as well as a feminist, a great deal must still be accomplished before these two identities can be completely reconciled.
The Taxing Challenge of Lifting Americans Out of Poverty
Our Jewish values encourage us to advocate for systems that can lift people out of poverty. Jewish history also provides us with an example for helping the needy. During Talmudic times, much of tzedakah (justice) was done though tax-financed, community-run programs that helped those in needed, paralleling the entitlement security that we fight for and continue to fight for today. Through the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC), we can help provide for individuals in need through the tax system, a structure already in place. We need to ensure that this benefit does not just exist, but that the benefits will lift families out of poverty.
Beyond Marriage Equality
On Wednesday night at the ESPY Awards, Caitlyn Jenner accepted the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, named after the African American tennis star who died of AIDS in 1993. In her moving speech, Caitlyn described the struggles trans people face, including bullying, suicide and even murder, and the importance of education and accepting trans people and their identities. Caitlyn’s speech highlighted several of the many issues that the LGBT community and their allies now have to address following the Supreme Court’s marriage equality decision.