April 6, 2020

As our nation continues to confront the devastating impacts of the Coronavirus pandemic, access to health insurance has never been as critical as it is now. Vital for all Americans under any circumstances, the need for health insurance and access to health care is even more pressing in this moment, especially for the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs, and consequently their health insurance as well, due to the economic downturn associated with this pandemic.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) permits the President to initiate a special enrollment period at a time of crisis, and President Trump has previously done so in areas afflicted by natural disasters. Today, our entire nation faces disaster. Thus, the Central Conference of American Rabbis is dismayed by the Trump Administration’s announcement that it will not open a special enrollment period for Americans to access health insurance through the ACA, and we urge the President to reconsider. The security that health insurance provides, both to individual citizens and to health care providers, is essential for all of our citizens as our nation faces this unprecedented health crisis.

As the CCAR has affirmed in numerous resolutions in quoting Shulchan Aruch, “even the synagogue’s needs take a backseat to the requirement to care for the indigent sick” (Yoreh Dei-ah 249.16). At this moment of widespread and escalating need, we call on President Trump to reverse his earlier decision immediately and to open a special enrollment period enabling all Americans who need health insurance to access it through the Affordable Care Act.

Rabbi Ronald Segal
President

Rabbi Hara Person
Chief Executive

Central Conference of American Rabbis

This document is being shared simultaneously with URJ congregational presidents, CCAR rabbis, ACC cantors, ARJE educators, ECE-RJ educators, and NATA executive directors. This is a call to leadership for our Reform Movement. Please take the time to read it, and may it guide all of us during these challenging times.

March 31, 2020

Dear Friends,

We begin with thanks for the extraordinary leadership you are all providing amidst the unprecedented challenge of this pandemic. As clergy, educators, staff, and lay leaders, you have offered safety, wisdom, assurance, and compass to your communities when they need it most. Your voices have brought comfort, your insights have raised awareness, and you have been teachers in every moment: from the pastoral care you give to the worship you offer to the decisions you make, you have embodied the best of a Reform Jewish tradition that brings the wisdom of the ages into the crucible of the everyday.

The crisis is still growing, and we all confront the challenge of making wise decisions at the limits of knowledge. But we know that as sure as any text we illuminate or melody we share, our decisions offer our most compelling teaching: our most powerful Torah is the lived example we offer.

And that is where we would express this concern: we are worried that as a Movement, we still have significant improvement to make in observing sufficient restrictions to help flatten the curve of the spread of COVID-19. We are well aware that the impact of the virus has been more severe in some regions of the country than in others, and that regional governments have taken different stances regarding required restrictions on activity, sometimes varying not only state by state, but county by county or city by city. The risk of an array of diverse and sometimes conflicting regulations is that our congregants may choose the voice that is most convenient for them to hear or simply act without sufficient caution because the standards are unclear. Amidst that potential confusion, the example set by congregational leadership can not only provide clarity, it can save lives.

That is why we urge you to take the most restrictive steps possible in order to help limit the spread of disease.  Affordable technologies like Zoom and Facebook Live make it possible for congregations to reach into the homes and hearts of their members without being in the same space, and without service leaders being in our Temple buildings. Even where other activity might still be permitted by local authorities, we strongly recommend that congregational leaders observe and endorse a strategy of shelter-in-place, by which:

• the only in-person function that congregations offer be graveside funerals attended by ten people or fewer, dependent on rules set by local cemeteries, with those present observing appropriate social distancing;
• any other congregational activity, from worship services to shivah minyanim to classes, meetings, and programs, regardless of the number of participants, take place via Zoom, Facebook Live, or other affordable technologies. Congregations should not facilitate or endorse any physical gathering of persons who do not already live in the same house, including bar/bat mitzvahs;
• even in our many communities where members feel a strong visual attachment to a beloved worship space, and even recognizing that the on-screen sight of worship leaders in a familiar space can be a source of comfort at a time of disruption, services and all other activities be streamed exclusively from leaders’ homes;
• lay and professional congregational leaders refrain from requiring any staff member to engage in work activity that the staff member might consider dangerous or uncomfortable in this environment.

We have begun to see the connective power of technologies we once regarded only as distancing. Clergy, staff, and laypeople alike have expressed both heartbreak at the inability of friends to offer physical comfort to mourners, and at the same time the remarkable consoling power of prayer, song, and story shared via Zoom.  Congregants in many communities have quickly and warmly adapted to seeing their rabbis, cantors, and educators leading services, lighting candles, offering learning, and sharing community from home, and inviting congregants to join them. The URJ, CCAR, ACC, ARJE, NATA, ECE-RJ, and PEP-RJ, stand ready to help with resources and ideas as your congregation makes the transition to either creating or providing links to online offerings. The examples of Jewish creativity in the face of crisis continue to grow each day, consistent with the creative genius our people has shown throughout the generations.

We know that circumstances vary from region to region and congregation to congregation, and we know that you as leaders will make the best decisions for your communities. We also understand that the realities of your home situation may reflect your decision-making process. But as diverse as circumstances might be, the overarching Jewish value common to every circumstance is pikuach nefesh, the supreme value of saving a life. We would be remiss if we didn’t express in the strongest possible terms our conviction that whatever the present impact of the virus on your community, the greatest caution will save the greatest number of lives.

At this season of Pesach, we wish you seders, in whatever virtual form, of meaning and hope. May all of us, and those we lead, know safety and strength. On this night of vigil, may our staying home once again save lives. May this be a season of life and promise for you and all of your loved ones.

Rabbi Ron Segal, President, Central Conference of American Rabbis

Rabbi Hara Person, Chief Executive, Central Conference of American Rabbis

Jennifer Kaufman, Chair, Union for Reform Judaism

Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President, Union for Reform Judaism

Cantor Seth Warner, Vice President, American Conference of Cantors

Rachel Roth, Chief Operating Officer, American Conference of Cantors

Dr. Katherine Schwartz, RJE, President, Association of Reform Jewish Educators

Rabbi Stanley Schickler, RJE, Executive Director, Association of Reform Jewish Educators

Jack Feldman, President, National Association of Temple Administrators

Michael Liepman, Executive Director, National Association of Temple Administrators

Tricia Ginis, Executive Director ECE-RJ

Lori Kowit, President ECE-RJ

Bryan Bierman, President, Program and Engagement Professionals of Reform Judaism

Reform Movement Resources:

• URJ COVID-19 resources

• CCAR Resources

March 27, 2020

The Central Conference of American Rabbis condemns, in the strongest terms, moves by the states of Louisiana, Ohio, and Texas to eliminate access to abortion services while our nation faces the Coronavirus pandemic.

Reform rabbis trust women, as well as transgender men and gender-nonbinary persons who may become pregnant, to make the best decisions about their own bodies, in consultation with their own physicians—and, if they choose, their members of the clergy. CCAR rabbis stand ready to assist those struggling with unwanted pregnancies, now as always.

Efforts to eliminate abortion rights during this pandemic are a thinly veiled attempt to take advantage of the health crisis to challenge the constitutional rights of women and those who become pregnant. Such efforts pose an unacceptable health risk to the lives of pregnant persons, rather than saving lives as anti-abortion forces claim, as those who need an abortion will seek one, even by unsafe, illegal means at the risk of their own lives if necessary. People who are pregnant cannot wait until the pandemic is over to secure abortions, as their pregnancies will have advanced beyond the point when these states permit abortion, a fact of which anti-abortion forces are well aware.

Contrary to claims, the practice of abortion does not threaten or compromise the ability of physicians to provide appropriate care for Americans diagnosed with Coronavirus. Abortion services are provided in clinics rather than in hospitals that are unquestionably needed to treat pandemic patients at this time. Nor do abortion procedures require use of medical equipment and supplies needed for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. As evidence of the safety of the procedure, abortion providers have, in fact, called upon all states to join those that already permit doctors, upon consultation with their patients, to prescribe medical (non-surgical) abortion via telemedicine.

In the name of Jewish tradition’s highest value, pikuach nefesh, saving life—in this case, the lives of persons in need of abortions—the Central Conference of American Rabbis calls upon state leaders in Louisiana, Ohio, and Texas to rescind these unconstitutional abortion bans, and urge other states not to follow suit. We also call upon our federal courts to invalidate these bans immediately, to recognize their true intent—another attempt by anti-abortion forces to eliminate the constitutional right to freedom of choice. And, as an additional measure to help reduce the risk of infection during this pandemic, we call on all states to allow for the provision of medical abortion via telemedicine.

Rabbi Ronald Segal
President
Central Conference of American Rabbis

Rabbi Hara Person
Chief Executive
Central Conference of American Rabbis

March 12, 2020

The Central Conference of American Rabbis joins communities of faith worldwide in prayer at this unprecedented time as this rapidly spreading virus continues to claim lives, resulting in extensive illness, wreaking economic havoc, and generating widespread anxiety and fear. We pray for the souls of all who have died from the COVID-19 illness and extend sincere wishes of comfort to their grieving families.

As synagogues and other houses of faith, communal institutions, and professional organizations—including the CCAR—are forced to cancel public conventions, conferences, in-person gatherings, and even religious services, we similarly urge every individual to join in lifesaving efforts to reduce any possible risk of infection through increased hygiene and social distancing. As we collectively fight to save lives and eliminate this virus, we encourage all who are able to avail themselves of online gatherings and conventions, virtual learning and classes, live streaming of worship services, even pastoral care via telephone or video conferencing. While human touch undeniably adds meaning to our relationships and our lives, these efforts are necessary to preserve our health. As Jewish tradition counsels: “Each of us is enjoined to guard our lives” (Joshua 23:13), and “Saving even one life is tantamount to saving the entire world” (Sanhedrin 4:9).

Reform rabbis are especially concerned about the most vulnerable members of our own communities—the elderly, the infirm, those without adequate health care, and all who live in underresourced conditions. Thus, we urge our national and international leaders to concentrate legislative responses on assuring adequate health care for all, sufficient free or low-cost virus testing equipment for all who need it, and measures to preserve employment for those working in industries most vulnerable to the pandemic’s impact. And we pray, too, that our rabbinic colleagues, our communities, and our national and global communities may find the bitachon—the deep sense of trust—needed to help us all manage our anxieties and fears.

A Jewish folktale relates that King Solomon was once presented with a “magic” ring inscribed with the words “Gam zeh ya’avor—this too shall pass.” In his wisdom, Solomon realized even as these words kept him grounded in jubilant times, they also provided him tremendous comfort when he was troubled. This virus and its ever-widening impact could endure for some time. However, may we find a measure of comfort in the sure knowledge that, as with the greatest tragedies in our people’s past and world history, this virus, too, will pass.

Whether in trying times or times of our greatest rejoicing, the rabbis of the CCAR are present for our communities and for one another. With God’s help and our shared determination, we will persevere with strength and courage.

Rabbi Ronald Segal
President
Central Conference of American Rabbis

Rabbi Hara Person
Chief Executive
Central Conference of American Rabbis

December 29, 2019

The Central Conference of American Rabbis is alarmed by the epidemic of violent antisemitic attacks in the New York area—in Brooklyn, in Jersey City, and now in Monsey. We grieve the deaths of all who were murdered and pray that the mourners be consoled. We pray for healing for all who have been injured. And we pray, too, for the safety of our people in the New York region, across the country, and around the world.

Antisemitism is as old as the Jewish people, but its rise in the last three years is especially alarming. Antisemitism, now as always, is perpetrated by those who hold a wide variety of hateful, extremist ideologies. Tragically, these extreme ideologies have once again seeped into the mainstream today.

We note that the victims of violent antisemitism in this most recent wave in the New York area have primarily been ultra-Orthodox Jews and those who live and work in proximity to them. Regardless of one’s choices about Jewish observance, all Jews should be free to practice their religion and traditions fully and without fear. When any Jew is targeted we are all targeted; we all share the pain of baseless hatred.

Reform rabbis are grateful to government officials, law enforcement officials, and prosecutors who have placed a high priority on protecting Jewish, and particularly ultra-Orthodox, communities in the current environment and we encourage others to follow their example. Perpetrators of hatred and each of these crimes should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

We pray for the day that every American Jew – and all people – “may sit under their vines and fig trees, with none to make them afraid” (Micah 4:4).

Rabbi Ronald Segal
President
Central Conference of American Rabbis

Rabbi Hara E. Person
Chief Executive
Central Conference of American Rabbis

White supremacy has no place in the White House.

As entities who represent a broad diversity of American Jewish life, we share a deep concern about White House advisor Stephen Miller’s support for white supremacist ideology and the disturbing ways in which his dangerous views have influenced U.S. immigration policy.  Such views have no place in the White House or as a basis of American policy.

On November 12, the Southern Poverty Law Center released a report detailing emails that White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller had sent during 2015 and 2016 in which he shared “white nationalist literature, pushed racist immigration stories and obsessed over the loss of Confederate symbols after Dylann Roof’s murderous rampage.” Such views are reprehensible on their own, but they are entirely unacceptable for someone tasked with shaping the laws, interests, and values of the United States. We reject claims that criticism of Mr. Miller’s views is antisemitic. His personal faith should not be called into question but also should not be used to shield him from legitimate criticism.

This nation was founded and has been strengthened by immigrants seeking religious freedom and opportunity. Indeed, some of our country’s lowest moments have been when we have excluded or discriminated against groups based on their nationality or heritage, including our brutally oppressive treatment of Native Americans, the Chinese Exclusion Act, the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, and the immigration quotas imposed in 1924 that disproportionately restricted Jews, Italians, Greeks and Poles, with devastating consequences for those later fleeing Nazi brutality.

Throughout history, Jews have been forced by persecution and discrimination to leave their homes in search of safety and security. We have also been the targets of vicious libels and dangerous stereotyping that have fomented mistrust and, alarmingly, as has been occurring again in our own country, acts of tragic and deadly violence. Both history and contemporary experience make us especially sensitive to any efforts that classify fellow human beings as “other.” We are all made in the image of God and worthy of dignity and respect.

We call on President Trump to dismiss Stephen Miller immediately and to make clear that white supremacy has no place in the White House or the United States of America.

Central Conference of American Rabbis

The Rabbinical Assembly

Reconstructing Judaism

Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association

Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism

Union for Reform Judaism

November 19, 2019

The Central Conference of American Rabbis denounces the change in United States policy, declared by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, regarding the legality of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Having long opposed expansion and growth of those settlements, we fear that this change in policy attenuates the already-limited extent to which the United States may be seen as an appropriate facilitator for a Middle East peace process.

The CCAR has for decades voiced strong support for a two-state solution, which offers the only viable future for Israel, the Palestinian people, a peaceful Middle East, and a Jewish and democratic State of Israel. We recognize with regret that current Palestinian leadership is not a viable partner for peace, we deplore the violence that threatens Israelis’ lives and well-being daily, and we note that Israeli government policies and practices often multiply hardships of Palestinians living under occupation. Still, we continue to favor any and all measures that may increase confidence on both sides and lead to fruitful peace negotiations. Moreover, the CCAR advocates for the United States’ role in facilitating peace negotiations and this announcement by Secretary of State Pompeo dramatically compromises our country’s ability to do so.

We urge the Trump Administration to continue the United States’ long-standing policy opposing West Bank settlement expansion and growth and to work diligently and creatively to do this country’s part in building a peaceful future in the Middle East.

Rabbi Ronald Segal
President
Central Conference of American Rabbis

Rabbi Hara E. Person
Chief Executive
Central Conference of American Rabbis

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

“We are compelled to express our deep concern about the coarseness of public discourse, led in too many ways by President Trump.”

As we begin the month of Elul, we enter a time of introspection and reflection culminating in the Jewish High Holidays. Individually and communally, we consider our actions, their impacts on others, and our responsibility to do whatever we can to improve ourselves and our community in the year to come.

In this spirit, we reflect upon and are compelled to express our deep concern about the coarseness of public discourse, led in too many ways by the president of the United States.

Since taking office, President Trump’s words and actions have sowed division, spread fear, and expressed hateful views that go far beyond the legitimate expressions of policy differences that characterize healthy political debate. In unprecedented ways, he has verbally attacked people and communities of color, immigrants, and people with disabilities, looking for political advantage in turning Americans against one another. He has also failed to consistently and unequivocally condemn words and acts of hate from others. We must all expect more from the president of the United States.

In recent days, President Trump even suggested that Jews who vote for Democrats are “disloyal.” Regardless of whether he was referring to disloyalty to Israel or to the United States, this reprehensible statement evokes centuries-old anti-Semitic tropes about Jews having dual loyalties and/or being untrustworthy citizens of their nations. The implication that religion should dictate political affiliation is noxious to the American value of religious freedom that has strengthened this nation since its founding.

We also oppose the notion that President Trump’s words should be excused because of his support for Israel and opposition to BDS. We are Zionists who also oppose the BDS movement, which would result in the end of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state – but we reject the president’s use of Israel as a wedge issue and his inflammatory verbal and online attacks on those who hold other views.

Let us be clear: This is not about policy differences or partisanship. Moral Jews – moral Americans – can in good conscience differ on policies, candidates, and parties. We celebrate such diversity in the Reform Jewish Movement, knowing that political differences must never overshadow the respect due to every person, within whom lives a Divine spark. We also know that racism, xenophobia, white supremacy, misogyny, anti-Semitism, homophobia, and hate existed well before President Trump’s election, and individuals on the left bear some responsibility for their spread, as well. At the same time, centuries of racism and white supremacy have left an indelible imprint and open wounds on the United States that President Trump has particularly exploited and exacerbated.

The words of the High Holiday prayer book are written in the collective, reminding us that responsibility for misdeeds and their correction lies with the community as much as the individual. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel also observed that while “Some are guilty; all are responsible.” Indeed, decency knows no party. Whether we are Republicans, Democrats, or Independents, conservatives, moderates, or liberals, we all bear the responsibility to uphold the norms of ethical speech and moral conduct that have made our democracy great. That responsibility lies particularly with our national leadership, and especially with our president. Speech that demeans and demonizes creates an atmosphere of permission for further intolerance. Hate speech is hate speech, and hate speech leads all too easily to hate crimes. We all have roles to play in stemming the spread of hate, and elected officials tasked with pursuing the common good – chief among them the president – have a special obligation to uplift, rather than diminish, the public they serve.

The great sage Hillel, when asked if he could summarize the whole of Torah while standing on one foot, replied, “What is hateful to you do not do unto others. The rest is commentary.” (Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 31a) As we approach the Jewish High Holiday season, our tradition reminds us that there is no statute of limitations on t’shuvah, repentance. At any time, the “gates of repentance” are open to all by walking new paths that lift us up beyond old patterns, returning us to the rhetoric of responsibility.

We pray, therefore, that President Trump is inspired by this spirit of t’shuvah to turn from the path of hate speech he has walked.

We pray that all politicians commit to upholding the values of fairness and decency, joining together across lines of difference to say, “Enough is enough.”

We pray that all Americans, regardless of political association, religious affiliation, or support for certain policies, will loudly and unambiguously call for an end to a politics infused with bullying, hateful diatribes, and personal character assaults.

We pray that each of us becomes a model to others, demonstrating how to reject hate and celebrate the dignity and worth of every human being. As the Talmud teaches, “Human dignity is so important that it overrides even a biblical prohibition.” (Babylonian Talmud, Brachot 19b)

May the new year be a year of healing, wholeness, justice, and compassion for all.

Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President
Daryl Messinger, Chair
Union for Reform Judaism

Rabbi Ron Segal, President
Rabbi Hara Person, Chief Executive
Central Conference of American Rabbis

Cantor Claire Franco, President
Rachel Roth, Chief Operating Officer
American Conference of Cantors

Dr. Kathy Schwartz, President
Rabbi Stan Schickler, Executive Director
Association of Reform Jewish Educators

Lori Kowit, President
Fern Katz, First Vice President
Tricia Ginis, Executive Director
Early Childhood Educators of Reform Judaism

Steven Portnoy, President
Men of Reform Judaism

Abigail Goldberg Spiegel, FTA, President
Michael Liepman, Executive Director
National Association for Temple Administration

Maya Levy, President
Beth Rodin, Managing Director
NFTY: The Reform Jewish Youth Movement

G. Leonard Teitelbaum, Board Chair
Michael Kimmel, Executive Director
Reform Pension Board

Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director
Barbara Weinstein, Director, Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism
Isabel P. “Liz” Dunst, Chair, Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism
Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism

Susan C. Bass, President
Rabbi Marla J. Feldman, Executive Director
Women of Reform Judaism

Rabbi Kelly Levy, Co-President
Rabbi Leah Berkowitz, Co-President
Rabbi Mary Zamore, Executive Director
Women’s Rabbinic Network

Bryan Bierman, President
Program and Engagement Professionals of Reform Judaism

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

The Central Conference of American Rabbis is dismayed by President Donald J. Trump’s politically charged and divisive statement referring to Jews who vote for Democrats: “I think it shows either a total lack of knowledge, or great disloyalty.” The deployment of this classic antisemitic trope should raise serious concerns for every member of the Jewish community, regardless of one’s political party.

Throughout our history, Jews have been maligned by the dangerous, antisemitic speech of individuals in positions of power who accused us of placing loyalty to Israel or Judaism over loyalty to the lands of our sojourn. Often, those accusations have contributed to violence against Jews and expulsion.

American Jews are well informed voters—Republicans, Democrats, and Independents—who are deeply devoted to American values, including bipartisan support for Israel. The suggestion that Jews, or any religious group, should be affiliated with any one political party is un-American and should be challenged directly and unequivocally.

Rabbi Ronald Segal
President

Rabbi Hara E. Person
Chief Executive

Central Conference of American Rabbis