Saturday, November 19, 2005

Seven Jewish Social Justice Groups Oppose Alito

Seven Jewish Organizations have indicated their Opposition to the Nomination of
Judge Samuel Alito for Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court


Judge Alito is an activist judge who legislates from the bench, often limiting legislative efforts that would end discrimination and protect individuals.
We, the undersigned American Jewish organizations, devoted to civil rights and social justice, impelled by the core teachings of our ancient tradition, call upon the Senate to carry out its constitutional responsibility and reject the nomination of Samuel Alito as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

With the selection of Judge Samuel Alito as his nominee for the Supreme Court seat vacated by Sandra Day O'Connor, President Bush has put the rights, opportunities, and security of all Americans in jeopardy. Justice O'Connor has been a pragmatic conservative and has been often a pivotal vote to preserve basic rights and landmark laws relied upon by generations of Americans. Judge Alito, by contrast, has a long activist record of hostility to established guarantees of equal opportunity for women, older Americans, racial, religious, and ethnic minorities, security for families, protection of the environment, privacy and reproductive rights, and religious freedom for all.

Judge Alito's fifteen years service on the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit provides ample data from which to gain the measure of his constitutional philosophy. Unfortunately, many of Judge Alito's opinions show that he does not share the values of the American mainstream. He has voted consistently to shrink protections against discrimination, to limit women's right of choice, and to erode the wall of separation between church and state, and he has been chastised on several occasions by his colleagues for his refusal to follow established precedent. He would have made it harder for victims of discrimination in the workplace and victims of discrimination based on disability to prove their case by making it much harder for cases to ever make it to trial. He sided with corporate polluters in a ruling that made it much harder for victims of pollution to sue, even when the polluters were guilty of breaking the law. The Supreme Court eventually rejected Alito's position. Alito's questioning of the right of the Congress to give citizens the authority to sue polluters could be a serious limitation in federal environmental legislation. Most troubling is his willingness to overturn legislation passed by the U.S. Congress by a very narrow and archaic reading of the interstate commerce clause, a reading that harks back to the pre-New Deal decisions of the Court. If its logic were followed, it could invalidate such New Deal laws as Social Security. Despite his repeated lip service to "strict construction" and "original intent," in Judge Alito the President has indeed chosen a radical judicial activist.

As Jews, we are members of a community whose laws command us to care for the disadvantaged among us. Everything in Judge Alito?s record suggests that he lacks a commitment to preserving civil rights and civil liberties, to maintaining the rights of the less powerful, and to rectifying the historical racial inequities of this country. His past decisions do not encourage the belief that he will either diligently protect the free exercise of religion, or ensure that government respects citizens of every religion, and of none, by endorsing no particular creed. His opinions suggest that he cannot be counted on to honor the Court?s precedents on the rights of privacy, gender equality, and individual self-determination.

It is clear that Alito's confirmation would put Americans' rights at risk. Our Jewish tradition recognizes that the well-being of a society depends largely on the strength of its legal system. Among the first commands that God gives the Jewish people when they prepare to establish a new society in the land of Israel is "Appoint judges and chiefs in all of your dwellings. . . and they shall govern the people with due justice." (Deuteronomy 16:18) The rabbinic tradition understands the term "due justice" as a requirement to appoint fair judges (Sifrei Devarim Shofetim) and even goes so far as to compare appointing an inappropriate judge to spreading idol worship - considered the root of all evil behavior - among the people (Talmud Sanhedrin 7b). In contrast, according to the rabbis, "all who judge faithfully are considered as partners with God in creation." (Talmud Shabbat 10a)

These traditions, combined with our knowledge of the significance and history of the U.S. Supreme Court, make us aware of the potential power of Alito to move the Court in a direction that may determine U.S. policy for years to come.

We ask that our Senators take seriously their right and duty of advice and consent; that they reject his nomination as one out of consonance with the mainstream traditions of American jurisprudence. We encourage our Senators to employ every means at their disposal to block his confirmation.

Jewish Community Action (www.jewishcommunityaction.org) St Paul/Minnesota
Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (www.jcua.org) Chicago
Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (www.jfrej.org) New York City
National Council of Jewish Women (www.ncjw.org) National
Progressive Jewish Alliance (www.pjalliance.org) Los Angeles and San Francisco
Shalom Center (www.shalomctr.org) National
Tekiah: A Jewish Call to Action (www.tekiah.org) Boston

Union for Reform Jews Votes Against War in Iraq

Resolution Calls for Exit Strategy and Specific Goals for Troop Withdrawal

HOUSTON, Nov.18, 2005?Representatives of the 1.5 million Reform Jews in North America voted almost unanimously to call on the Bush Administration to immediately provide a clear exit strategy for the War in Iraq, with some troop withdrawal to begin after the December 15 elections.

More than 2,000 voting delegates from more than 500 congregations in all 50 states participated in the session at the Union for Reform Judaism?s Biennial Convention, meeting in Houston Nov. 16-20.

?The sentiment was clear and overwhelming,? said Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, President of the Union. ?American Jews, and all Americans, are profoundly critical of this was and they want this Administration to tell us how and when it will bring our troops home.?

The Union, which represents the largest branch of Judaism in North America, has a long history of opposition to war and was the first religious organization to oppose the War in Vietnam (JALSA members may recall that it was the Women?s Division of American Jewish Congress that had been the first Jewish organization to oppose the War in Vietnam). In 1965, the Union?s General Assembly called for a cease-fire in Vietnam; four years later, the General assembly demanded an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of all troops no later than December 31, 1970.

While other mainstream religious organizations have expressed opposition to the war, no other Jewish organization has taken this step. The Union is the largest grassroots Jewish body in the United States, and this decision therefore has special significance.

In addition to the development of an exit strategy, the resolution calls on the Bush administration to provide more transparency regarding all aspects of the war and calls for a bi-partisan, independent commission to determine the lessons learned from this war?s failures. It also condemns ?in the strongest possible terms,? violations of the Geneva Conventions, including torture and abuse of prisoners and detainees in US custody, and condemns those who would use opposition to the war as a justification for anti-Israel efforts.

Dr. Michael Rankin, who served in Vietnam and has treated those wounded in every subsequent war as a Navy physician, said that 40 years ago he asked himself, ?Why in God?s name are we here??

?There are just wars and unjust wars,? Rankin said. ?This is not a just war

The full text of the resolution is available at http://biennial.urj.org/highlights/resolutions/.

Friday, November 18, 2005

Interfaith Letter in Support of Affordable Housing in Newton

November 17, 2005

The Honorable David Cohen
President Lisle Baker and Members of the Board of Aldermen
Chairperson Andrew Stern and Members of the Community Preservation Committee
Chairperson Cathleen Clement and Members of the Zoning Board of Appeals

Re: Covenant Residences on Commonwealth

The undersigned members of the Newton clergy wish to convey our support for the proposed B'nai B'rith Housing project on Commonwealth Avenue. This development will include fifty-six homeownership units, eleven of which will be affordable to families at or below 70% of median income. We strongly urge the City to provide the financial support needed to bring this project to fruition.

More of this post is available by clicking here

This is the balance of the article.

As clergy of differing faiths, we are united in our strong belief that providing shelter for the less wealthy among us is a shared responsibility. This obligation arises out of our humanity, and our concern that housing that is affordable, safe, and sanitary is available to people at all income levels.

The eleven new units of housing that are included in the proposal for B’nai B’rith Housing’s fifty-six unit development that will provide an option for people who cannot purchase a house at Newton's average price of $800,000. Today, the median income of families in Newton is $86,000. Having more affordable units will help Newton to keep its doors open to families and elders who do not have these kinds of resources, and cannot afford Newton’s average prices. We are confident that all of Newton will be enriched by the addition of these new units, and by the presence of the people who will inhabit them.

The voters of Newton chose to implement the Community Preservation Act, which provides funding for City support for affordable housing. The B’nai B’rith plan will provide such housing options, and would be a wonderful use of our CPA funds. As City officials, we hope that you will decide to allocate CPA funds to this project so that we can add to the affordable housing stock in our City.

Thank you for your attention, and your efforts to ensure that Newton welcomes those at all income levels within our City.

Respectfully yours,

Rabbi Eric Gurvis Temple Shalom
Sister Marie LaBollita Our Lady Help of Christians Church
Rev. John Stendahl Lutheran Church of the Newtons
The Rev. Kenneth F. Baily Newton Highlands Congregational Church, UCC
Rabbi Samuel Chiel Newton
Rabbi Barbara Penzner Temple Hillel B'nai Torah
Rabbi Scott Rosenberg Temple Reyim
Rabbi Paul H. Levenson Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Chayai Shalom
Rabbi Benjamin Samuels Congregation Shaarei Tefillah
The Rev. Miriam C. Gelfer Grace Episcopal Church

Grand Rabbi Y.A. Korff, Zvhil-Mezbuz Beiss Medrash/Congregation B'nai Jacob