CCAR Joins Jewish Organizational Coalition in a New Statement Rejecting False Choice Between Jewish Safety and Democracy

Posted on by The CCAR

April 15, 2025

 The CCAR joined a coalition along with the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, the Union for Reform Judaism, National Council of Jewish Women, American Conference of Cantors, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, Rabbinical Assembly, Reconstructing Judaism, and Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association to release the following statement.

The rule of law, freedom of inquiry, access to vibrant places of higher education, and strong democratic norms and institutions have allowed American Jewry to thrive for hundreds of years.

There should be no doubt that antisemitism is rising—visible, chilling, and increasingly normalized in our public discourse, politics, and institutions. It requires urgent and consistent action by our nation’s political, academic, religious, and civic leaders. At the same time, we firmly reject the false choice between confronting antisemitism and upholding democracy. Our safety as Jews has always been tied to the rule of law, to the safety of others, to the strength of civil society, and to the protection of rights and liberties for all.

At this moment, Jews are being targeted and held collectively accountable for the actions of a foreign government. Jews are being pushed out of certain movements, classrooms, and communities for expressing a connection to their heritage or to the Jewish homeland. And, horrifically, some voices in the public square are justifying or celebrating the murder of Jews. Dangerous antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories that over the past decade have already fueled a cycle of hate crimes and violence—including the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in U.S. history in Pittsburgh—have been mainstreamed by too many political leaders, civil society influencers, social media platforms, and others.

In recent weeks, escalating federal actions have used the guise of fighting antisemitism to justify stripping students of due process rights when they face arrest and/or deportation, as well as to threaten billions in academic research and education funding. Students have been arrested at home and on the street with no transparency as to why they are being held or deported, and in certain cases with the implication that they are being punished for their constitutionally-protected speech. Universities have an obligation to protect Jewish students, and the federal government has an important role to play in that effort; however, sweeping draconian funding cuts will weaken the free academic inquiry that strengthens democracy and society, rather than productively counter antisemitism on campus.

These actions do not make Jews—or any community—safer. Rather, they only make us less safe.

We reject any policies or actions that foment or take advantage of antisemitism and pit communities against one another; and we unequivocally condemn the exploitation of our community’s real concerns about antisemitism to undermine democratic norms and rights, including the rule of law, the right of due process, and/or the freedoms of speech, press, and peaceful protest.

It is both possible and necessary to fight antisemitism—on campus, in our communities, and across the country—without abandoning the democratic values that have allowed Jews, and so many other vulnerable minorities, to thrive.

We appreciate the civil society, academic, and local, state, and national leaders who are committed to seriously and thoughtfully addressing the threat of antisemitism. We remain committed to working alongside university leadership and public officials at every level to ensure policies and practices that protect the Jewish community as well as other marginalized communities and uphold for all people the principles of justice, fairness, and equal protection under the law. That is the only path to true safety.


CCAR statements are grounded in the history of CCAR resolutions and platforms. We strive to represent the overall voice of the CCAR leadership and the Reform rabbinate on critical issues of the day. The CCAR is a diverse community of rabbis, and we recognize the multiplicity of viewpoints that exist within our membership. We encourage those of differing perspectives to engage in respectful dialogue. It is our hope that these statements provide the Reform community with deeper understanding of important issues that impact our lives as Jews and as global citizens.

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Central Conference of American Rabbis Statement of Concern for Vulnerable Colleagues, Our Families, and the Communities We Serve

Posted on by The CCAR

April 8, 2025

The Central Conference of American Rabbis is deeply concerned about the welfare of its members, its members’ families, and members of the communities we serve whose lives, health, homes, and livelihoods have been placed at risk by executive orders and proclamations issued by the current administration since it took office in January, 2025.

Our Talmudic sages taught that the needs of one’s own community take precedence over the needs of those who are more distant.[i] We therefore begin by addressing needs in our own community. Awareness of risk to members of our own communities enhances our consciousness of and sensitivity to similar concerns throughout American society.

Some CCAR members and their immediate family members are foreign citizens who are living, working, and going to school in the United States, legally. In addition, the communities we serve include immigrants and refugees who possess a wide variety of legal statuses, including some whose immigration status is undocumented. All of these CCAR members and members of our communities are living in fear. Rabbis are often outspoken about a variety of issues, not always in ways that align with the current government or any that came before it. When immigrants who are in the United States legally are detained and threatened with deportation because of unpopular public advocacy, even advocacy we abhor,[ii] we fear for the rights of our immigrant colleagues. Can they continue exercising the American right of free speech without risking deportation, separation from their families, and loss of livelihood? The communities we serve may also include immigrants who have committed minor infractions that make them vulnerable to deportation, even if the offense is not punishable by incarceration. We are concerned for them all—and for millions more like them, beyond our immediate sphere.

Some CCAR members are transgender or nonbinary. Still more are parents of transgender and nonbinary children. The communities we serve embrace transgender and nonbinary people of all ages, including children who are receiving life-saving, gender affirming medical care under the care of their physicians and their parents. President Trump has erased the identities of transgender and nonbinary Americans, deriding those identities as results of a supposedly radical, dangerous, and false ideology rather than as expression of who they know themselves and their children to be. He has sanctioned discrimination and persecution of transgender and nonbinary Americans.[iii] Now, in his Proclamation of Child Abuse Prevention Month,[iv] President Trump has labeled gender affirming care as child abuse. With this proclamation, the President of the United States has threatened the removal of children from the parents who love them and parents from the children upon whom they lavish their loving care. His words may even be understood to threaten the prosecution and incarceration of parents and healthcare professionals who are providing that lifesaving care to children entrusted to their care.

Some CCAR members, members of their families, and the communities we serve are Jews of Color. From his first day in office President Trump has indiscriminately ended Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts within, and well beyond, the United States government.[v] In the span of these three months, the horrific experience of Black Americans from the time their ancestors were first brought to these shores is being denied or minimized, and fewer People of Color are being represented in the leadership fabric of American life. Jews of Color legitimately fear resurging segregation and discrimination. Moreover, as with all People of Color in the United States, Jews of Color are increasingly suspected of being immigrants and refugees, potentially subject to deportation.

While few CCAR members are federal civil servants, some have spouses or other family members who are. So, too, are a significant number of members of the communities we serve, heavily concentrated in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area but spread across the nation. The lives of federal civil servants and their families have been cast into chaos, with more than a quarter million having lost their jobs in the first quarter of 2025,[vi] and many more legitimately fearing that they could be next. People of Color, including Jews of Color in our communities, are disproportionately affected by these draconian and often arbitrary reductions in the federal workforce, having long been overrepresented among federal civil servants, because they have faced less workplace racial discrimination in government than in the private sector.[vii]

Some CCAR members are disabled, are immunocompromised, are gay men or lesbians, and/or are members of other vulnerable minorities who have reason to feel threatened by actions that President Trump and his administration have taken or have suggested are forthcoming. Members of Reform rabbis’ families and the communities we serve, which includes Jews and people with other identities, are equally vulnerable. Our history has taught us that whenever vulnerable minorities are attacked, Jews will ultimately be vulnerable because we are Jewish.

Attacking members of vulnerable minority communities betrays the promise of America. As President and Chief Executive of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, we call upon President Trump and his administration to stop harming our colleagues, members of their families, and members of the communities we serve, among all Americans whose identities make them vulnerable. In the meantime, Reform rabbis urgently call upon Congress and our courts to uphold American values, respect each unique American identity, and protect all law-abiding citizens of this great nation, especially those who are most vulnerable.

Rabbi David A. Lyon, President
Rabbi Hara E. Person, Chief Executive
Central Conference of American Rabbis

[i] Bava M’tzia 71a.

[ii] Reform Movement Statement on Importance of Law and Due Process, March 12, 2025, https://urj.org/press-room/reform-movement-statement-importance-rule-law-and-due-process.

[iii] President Donald J. Trump, Defending Women [sic] from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth [sic] to the Federal Government, January 20, 2025, https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/defending-women-from-gender-ideology-extremism-and-restoring-biological-truth-to-the-federal-government/.

[iv] President Donald J. Trump, Proclamation of National Child Abuse Awareness Month, April 3, 2025, https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/national-child-abuse-prevention-month-2025/#:~:text=We%20affirm%20that%20every%20perpetrator,Liberty%20generations%20into%20the%20future.

[v]President Donald J. Trump, Ending Radical [sic] and Wasteful [sic] Government DEI Programs And Preferencing, January 20, 2025, https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-radical-and-wasteful-government-dei-programs-and-preferencing/.

[vi] Andy Medici, “How many federal employees have lost their jobs so far in 2025?”, Houston Business Journal and KHOU-11 Houston, April 3, 2025, https://www.khou.com/article/money/business/houston-business-journal/2025-federal-government-job-cut-total/285-55fcc5ed-8279-46dd-b569-ceadde0cbae8.

[vii] Terry Collins and Philip M. Bailey, “Federal jobs were seen as a gateway to the middle class for Black America, then came DOGE,” USA Today, March 24, 2025, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/03/24/defund-black-federal-jobs-trump-musk-doge/81751847007/.


CCAR statements are grounded in the history of CCAR resolutions and platforms. We strive to represent the overall voice of the CCAR leadership and the Reform rabbinate on critical issues of the day. The CCAR is a diverse community of rabbis, and we recognize the multiplicity of viewpoints that exist within our membership. We encourage those of differing perspectives to engage in respectful dialogue. It is our hope that these statements provide the Reform community with deeper understanding of important issues that impact our lives as Jews and as global citizens.

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CCAR PRESS AND WRJ ANNOUNCE RELEASE OF COVENANT OF JUSTICE: PRAYERS, POEMS, AND MEDITATIONS FROM WOMEN OF REFORM JUDAISM

Posted on by The CCAR

April 2025

Compilation joins book series of inspirational prayers, readings written by laypeople, students, and clergy.

New York, NY – CCAR Press, a division of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, and Women of Reform Judaism announce the joint publication of Covenant of Justice: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations from Women of Reform Judaism.

This volume includes a foreword by Lynn Magid Lazar, Blair C. Marks, and Susan C. Bass, three former WRJ Presidents who also helped fund the book’s publication, and an afterword by WRJ Executive Director Emerita Rabbi Marla J. Feldman. Additionally, WRJ CEO Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch wrote introductions to frame each section with WRJ resolutions and liturgical commentary.

Covenant of Justice is the sixth book in the Covenant book series, each containing a compilation of poems, prayers, and meditations written by women+ for women+ that elevate their voices in religious and spiritual realms. The prayers, poems, and reflections in the book address key topics, including racial equity, climate justice, gender equality, and reproductive rights. With a focus on action rooted in the Jewish value of tikkun olam (repairing the world), the collection serves as both an educational resource and a call to action.

“Covenant of Justice is a testament to the rigorous work that WRJ has led, in partnership with CCAR, to bring women and other marginalized voices fully into the religious life of our Reform Jewish community. This book, in addition to the full ‘Covenant’ series, showcases feminist perspectives too often left out of spiritual texts and interpretations. It is most fitting that this publication will have its first debut at our upcoming Social Justice Conference,” said WRJ CEO Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch.

In 1919, the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods (NFTS, now WRJ) asked CCAR to prepare a book of biblical selections and prayers for women called NFTS Books of Prayer. This book was eventually published in 1948 and later evolved into the series. “CCAR Press is honored to collaborate with WRJ in publishing of Covenant of Justice, which superbly continues the ‘Covenant’ series’ legacy of highlighting the voices of women from across the Reform Movement. We are proud of this partnership and know that the book will enrich our community for many years to come,” said Rabbi Hara Person, Chief Executive, Central Conference of American Rabbis.

There can be no justice without poetry. This volume draws from thousands of years of Jewish tradition and the lives of Women of Reform Judaism to sing the song of justice for countless future generations,” said Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director, Religious Action Center. 

“What a treasure! In prayers and poems, the prophetic voices of women motivate us to act for justice. This book inspires and empowers,” added Ruth Messinger, Global Ambassador, American Jewish World Service.

Covenant of Justice: Prayer, Poems, and Meditations from Women of Reform Judaism is available for purchase at covenantofjustice.ccarpress.org

To request review copies, interview opportunities, or to book author events, please contact: Raquel Fairweather-Gallie, Marketing and Sales Manager, CCAR Press: rfairweather@ccarnet.org.

Central Conference of American Rabbis Installs Rabbi David Lyon as President for the 2025–2027 Board Term

Posted on by The CCAR

The Reform rabbinical association welcomed Rabbi Lyon to the CCAR Board of Trustees during the organization’s yearly Reform rabbinical convention.

March 24, 2025, Chicago, IL: The Central Conference of American Rabbis installed Rabbi David Lyon at the organization’s yearly convention, held this year in Chicago.

Rabbi Lyon is the Senior Rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel in Houston, Texas, where he will continue to serve during his term as CCAR President.

He has served on the CCAR Board of Trustees since 2015, in roles including member-at-large, Vice President of Financial Affairs, and President-Elect. He has contributed to the CCAR’s Continuing Rabbinic Education Committee, which resulted in a bylaw change with permanent continuing education expectations for all CCAR members; helped re-envision a new collaborative approach to CCAR’s development department, increasing CCAR revenue and securing major gifts; and chaired a Task Force on Admissions that reset rules for admissions to CCAR for ordained rabbis of non-HUC seminaries, among many other substantial contributions to the Reform rabbinate.

“Serving on the CCAR Board is an honor and a natural extension of my rabbinate. The conversations and decisions made by the CCAR Board impact our Reform colleagues in all the diverse places and ways they serve. I am honored to lead the 2025–2027 CCAR Board and Reform rabbinate of over 2,200 rabbis to listen to their needs, prepare them for an ever-changing landscape, and to provide rabbinic education, counsel, and tools. Just as I am privileged to serve the Houston Jewish community, I am blessed to serve my colleagues through the CCAR, the home for excellence in Reform rabbinic leadership, now and in the future.And, being from Chicago and being installed in Chicago, surrounded by hundreds of my rabbinic colleagues feels like a full-circle Jewish moment.”
Ordained in 1990 at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in Cincinnati, Rabbi Lyon has served as Senior Rabbi at Congregation Beth Israel for twenty-one years and previously served Congregation Shaarey Zedek in East Lansing, Michigan, and Temple Shalom in Dallas, Texas.

“Rabbi Lyon has been a stabilizing and calming force for the CCAR during his decade-long commitment to the CCAR Board. He leads with respect and integrity, is open to a diversity and plurality of viewpoints, and embraces new ways of thinking and collaborating while respecting tradition and always remaining grounded in Jewish values. He takes seriously the future of the rabbinate and needs of younger rabbis beginning or in the middle of their rabbinic journey while ensuring that rabbis in all phases of their careers have the tools and support they need,” said CCAR Chief Executive Rabbi Hara Person.

Rabbi Lyon is the 66th President in the 136-year history of the CCAR, succeeding Rabbi Erica Asch. He resides in Houston with his wife, Lisa. Together they have four grown children and four grandchildren.

___

The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) is the Reform Rabbinic leadership organization. The CCAR strengthens the Jewish community by providing religious, spiritual, ethical and intellectual leadership and wisdom. CCAR and its members lead the Reform Movement on important spiritual, social, cultural and human rights issues, as it has done since 1889. CCAR also is the center for lifelong rabbinic learning, professional development, and resources for the more than 2,200 rabbis who serve more than 2 million Reform Jews throughout North America, Israel and the world. Since its founding, the CCAR has also served as the primary publisher of the Reform Movement through CCAR Press and its imprint Reform Judaism Publishing.

Contact: Tamar Anitai, CCAR Director of Strategic Communications, tanitai@ccarnet.org

The Reform Jewish Quarterly Winter 2025

Posted on by Raquel Fairweather-Gallie

CCAR Journal: The Reform Jewish Quarterly

Published by the Central Conference of American Rabbis

Order the issue

Winter 2025: Opening the Doors to LGBTQIA+ Clergy: Past, Present, and Future

From the Editor

  • At the Gates
    Guest Editors: Rabbi Ellen Lippmann and Rabbi Ariel Tovlev, MAJE

Articles

  • The CCAR Ad Hoc Committee on Homosexuality and the Rabbinate, 1985–1990 — Rabbi Yoel H. Kahn, PhD
  • Allies, Activists, and Opponents in the Pre-History of the Ad Hoc Committee on Homosexuality and the Rabbinate — Rabbi Margaret Moers Wenig
  • Hineinu: A Little-Known Chapter in the Fight for LGBTQIA+ Ordination — Rabbi David Edleson
  • One Rabbi’s Journey to Serve the Congregation of Israel — Rabbi Eric Weiss
  • The Emergence of Transgender Spirituality — Rabbi Aria Caligiuri
  • Intersections of Identity: Exploring LGBTQIA+ Conversions to Judaism — Rabbi Lynne D. Goldsmith and Mara J. Waller, PhD
  • Emergent Engagement in Euphoria: The Nonbinary Hebrew Project as a Fractal Roadmap Toward Liberation — Lior Gross
  • Thrice Blessed — Cantor Evan Kent
  • From Out of the Aron Kodesh/Holy Closet: A Lifetime of Lessons — Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum
  • Opening the Tent Doors and Practicing Audacious Hospitality — Rabbi Andrew F. Klein
  • The Job Search from Hell — Rabbi Robin Nafshi
  • My Almost Silenced Prayer — Rabbi Dr. Nachshon Siritsky
  • Trans Shechinah — Joy Ladin, PhD
  • Weaving the Pink, Blue, and White Mishkan: A Trans Rabbinical Student’s Reflection on Drag Bans and Student Pulpits — Benjamin Luks-Morgan
  • But the Sea Is Always Open: Exploring Trans-Affirming Mikveh When the Mikvehs Are Closed — Rabbi Max Zev Reynolds
  • Turn It and Turn It — Eliana Rubin
  • Nonbinary Liturgy — Cantor Ze’evi Tovlev
  • The Trans Halakha Project — Laynie Soloman and Rabbi Becky Silverstein
  • Black Queer Jewish Joy — Rabbi Kelly Whitehead
  • Thirty-Eight Years at HUC-JIR/NY: Four Before the Decision, Thirty-Four Since — Rabbi Nancy H. Wiener, Dmin, BCC
  • Panel Discussion

Book Reviews

  • And the Sages Did Not Know: Early Rabbinic Approaches to Intersex by Rabbi Sarra Lev, PhD — Reviewed by Rabbi Ariel Tovlev
  • Loaves of Torah: Exploring the Jewish Year Through Challah by Rabbi Vanessa Harper— Reviewed by Rabbi Rebecca Rosenthal
  • Circumventing the Law: Rabbinic Perspective on Legal Loopholes and Integrity by Elana Stein Hain — Reviewed by Rabbi Karen R. Thomashow

Poetry

  • Victim, Pioneer, Soldier — Rabbi Karen Bender
  • We Keep Praying — Rabbi Mónica Gomery
  • The Babe’s Legacy — Yermiyahu Ahron Taub
  • Mazal Tov! — Roger Nash
  • How Could God? — Rabbi Stephen S. Pearce, PhD

Subscriptions and Ordering 

Back issues are available at $35 per issue plus shipping. To order copies of the CCAR Journal, please visit ccarpress.org.

To subscribe, please email CCAR Press at info@ccarpress.org.

Reform Movement Statement on Importance of Rule of Law and Due Process

Posted on by The CCAR

March 12, 2025

We have been deeply pained by the abhorrent harassment of Jewish students, faculty, and allies and the poor response from too many campus administrators since October 7, 2023. At schools across the country, opposition to Israel’s war against Hamas has too often crossed the line into antisemitism resulting in Jews being physically assaulted, ostracized, prevented from attending classes, and shouted down when lecturing in front of the classroom; it is unacceptable and must end. We appreciate the commitment of those who have condemned these disruptive campus actions, held perpetrators accountable, and appreciate as well those schools that have improved their responses over time.

At the same time, we must be wary of the danger of trampling on civil liberties and tarnishing the transparent justice system that is a hallmark of our nation. We do not know all the details involving the arrest and detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a leader of Columbia University’s demonstrations where targeting of Jews has been particularly virulent. We also do not know yet to what extent he personally is guilty of such targeting. Statements from government officials, including the President and Secretary of State, have given varied pretexts for his arrest and potential deportation. As the facts continue to emerge, we are clear that as Americans, we must protect due process, the essential right to protest, and the expression of free speech, even when such speech is hateful, causes pain, or targets us. There are a range of appropriate ways to condemn and address such problematic speech. As the case proceeds, we expect the government to make its case rooted in the law and that Mr. Khalil will be given the opportunity to defend himself as due process demands.

We appreciate the Administration’s commitment to fighting antisemitism and urge that it do so in ways that strengthen the nation’s core principles, rather than undermine them. Jewish safety and the nation’s greatness – past, present, and future – depend on it. We weaken them at our peril.

Union for Reform Judaism 
Shelley Niceley Groff (she/her), Chair
Rabbi Rick Jacobs (he/him), President

Central Conference of American Rabbis
Rabbi Erica Asch (she/her), President
Rabbi Hara E. Person (she/her), Chief Executive

American Conference of Cantors 
Cantor Seth Warner (he/him), President
Rachel Roth (she/her), Chief Operating Officer


CCAR statements are grounded in the history of CCAR resolutions and platforms. We strive to represent the overall voice of the CCAR leadership and the Reform rabbinate on critical issues of the day. The CCAR is a diverse community of rabbis, and we recognize the multiplicity of viewpoints that exist within our membership. We encourage those of differing perspectives to engage in respectful dialogue. It is our hope that these statements provide the Reform community with deeper understanding of important issues that impact our lives as Jews and as global citizens.

Back to CCAR Statements

Central Conference of American Rabbis and Union for Reform Judaism Join Lawsuit Protecting Religious Freedom Principles

Posted on by The CCAR

February 11, 2025: The Central Conference of American Rabbis and Union for Reform Judaism have proudly joined more than a dozen national faith denominations as plaintiffs in a major federal lawsuit defending religious freedom. The suit challenges rescission of a longstanding “sensitive locations” policy that strictly limited ICE from immigration enforcement actions in houses of worship.

The lawsuit is rooted in our commitment to defending our right and ability to fulfill without government interference the holy and prophetic tenets of our faith, including worship, community building, education, programming, and more. We welcome people into our buildings without regard to their status in this country. The sensitive locations policy ensures that all these things happen freely and without the intrusion of U.S Immigration and Law Enforcement (ICE). This lawsuit will ensure our ability to choose to continue that holy work, free from government interference. For us, this is a matter of principle. The United States’ dedication to religious freedom, established in the First Amendment to the Constitution, is a unique and central blessing of our democracy. It has allowed Jewish life—and all religious life—to flourish in this country over the centuries. Without these protections in place, Americans of all faiths will be at risk.

The lawsuit is led by a team from the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection (ICAP), a non-profit, public interest litigation firm housed at Georgetown University Law Center. The suit is premised on protections established by the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), which affirmed that any action taken by the government that imposes on religious freedom must do so through the least restrictive means. In this case, we have joined with a host of national faith denominations who share our belief that the Department of Homeland Security’s lifting of the sensitive locations policy fails to meet RFRA’s standards and will have significant and harmful impacts on our religious freedom.

The lawsuit imposes no obligations on any individual Reform congregation, clergy, or congregant. As always, every synagogue, rabbi, and congregant is free to decide their own policies and practices, as well as make their own determination on the services they provide or do not provide.

Given the increase in ICE activity, we suggest that every congregation engage in thoughtful, advance planning in consultation with their congregation’s legal advisors and local immigration law experts who can best guide them on their circumstances and local/state laws when it comes to immigration issues that may impact the synagogue’s members, program participants, and overall activities.

For more information about the CCAR and URJ’s commitment to immigration justice, rooted in the biblical directive to welcome the stranger, or immigrant, mentioned thirty-six times in the Torah, visit the RAC website.

Read more about this lawsuit and read the frequently asked questions.

___

The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) is the Reform Rabbinic leadership organization. The CCAR strengthens the Jewish community by providing religious, spiritual, ethical and intellectual leadership and wisdom. CCAR and its members lead the Reform Movement on important spiritual, social, cultural and human rights issues, as it has done since 1889. CCAR also is the center for lifelong rabbinic learning, professional development, and resources for the more than 2,100 rabbis who serve more than 2 million Reform Jews throughout North America, Israel and the world. Since its founding, the CCAR has also served as the primary publisher of the Reform Movement through CCAR Press and its imprint Reform Judaism Publishing.

Contact: Tamar Anitai, CCAR Director of Strategic Communications, tanitai@ccarnet.org

Central Conference of American Rabbis and Union for Reform Judaism Join Lawsuit Protecting Religious Freedom Principles

Posted on by The CCAR

February 11, 2025

The Central Conference of American Rabbis and Union for Reform Judaism have proudly joined more than a dozen national faith denominations as plaintiffs in a major federal lawsuit defending religious freedom. The suit challenges rescission of a longstanding “sensitive locations” policy that strictly limited ICE from immigration enforcement actions in houses of worship.

The lawsuit is rooted in our commitment to defending our right and ability to fulfill without government interference the holy and prophetic tenets of our faith, including worship, community building, education, programming, and more. We welcome people into our buildings without regard to their status in this country. The sensitive locations policy ensures that all these things happen freely and without the intrusion of U.S Immigration and Law Enforcement (ICE). This lawsuit will ensure our ability to choose to continue that holy work, free from government interference. For us, this is a matter of principle. The United States’ dedication to religious freedom, established in the First Amendment to the Constitution, is a unique and central blessing of our democracy. It has allowed Jewish life—and all religious life—to flourish in this country over the centuries. Without these protections in place, Americans of all faiths will be at risk.

The lawsuit is led by a team from the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection (ICAP), a non-profit, public interest litigation firm housed at Georgetown University Law Center. The suit is premised on protections established by the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), which affirmed that any action taken by the government that imposes on religious freedom must do so through the least restrictive means. In this case, we have joined with a host of national faith denominations who share our belief that the Department of Homeland Security’s lifting of the sensitive locations policy fails to meet RFRA’s standards and will have significant and harmful impacts on our religious freedom.

The lawsuit imposes no obligations on any individual Reform congregation, clergy, or congregant. As always, every synagogue, rabbi, and congregant is free to decide their own policies and practices, as well as make their own determination on the services they provide or do not provide.

Given the increase in ICE activity, we suggest that every congregation engage in thoughtful, advance planning in consultation with their congregation’s legal advisors and local immigration law experts who can best guide them on their circumstances and local/state laws when it comes to immigration issues that may impact the synagogue’s members, program participants, and overall activities.

For more information about the CCAR and URJ’s commitment to immigration justice, rooted in the biblical directive to welcome the stranger, or immigrant, mentioned thirty-six times in the Torah, visit the RAC website.

Read more about this lawsuit and read the frequently asked questions.

Rabbi Hara Person, Chief Executive, Central Conference of American Rabbis
Rabbi Erica Asch, President, Central Conference of American Rabbis

Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President, URJ
Shelley Niceley Groff, North American Board Chair, URJ    


CCAR statements are grounded in the history of CCAR resolutions and platforms. We strive to represent the overall voice of the CCAR leadership and the Reform rabbinate on critical issues of the day. The CCAR is a diverse community of rabbis, and we recognize the multiplicity of viewpoints that exist within our membership. We encourage those of differing perspectives to engage in respectful dialogue. It is our hope that these statements provide the Reform community with deeper understanding of important issues that impact our lives as Jews and as global citizens.

Back to CCAR Statements

Jewish Groups’ Statement on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Posted on by The CCAR

February 7, 2025

Jewish tradition teaches of the Divine spark in every person. As Jewish groups that are committed to protecting and advancing the safety and security of our community, we know we have an invaluable tool to leverage: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is about creating a culture that is welcoming to and reflective of people of all ages, races, religions or no religion, genders, sexual orientations, dis/abilities, socio-economic backgrounds, and any systemically marginalized group. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is the heir to efforts to open access to schools, professional associations, social clubs, and even entire neighborhoods that for decades were restricted against Jews. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is a descendant of efforts to integrate classrooms that were limited to white students. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is the progeny of campaigns to make buildings and sidewalks accessible to those with disabilities or to parents pushing babies in a stroller. All these achievements, now regarded with nearly universal pride, were and are about making our communities equally inclusive for all, for the benefit of all. Why? Because people and society overall are stronger when arbitrary barriers to participation are removed.

Every person’s safety and ability to thrive depends on fostering a culture in which all people belong and can equally bring to bear their unique talents, gifts, and indeed their whole selves. Yet too often, the American story has been one in which leaders – national, state, local, communal – have sought to gain or hold power by sowing division. And too often, individuals have helped them succeed through active encouragement or passive silence.

Some Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion champions have spoken or acted in ways that have caused us pain, including through overt expressions of antisemitism, and others have shared visions of the future that differ from our own; none can speak authoritatively and comprehensively about what Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is or is not. Rather, it is for each of us to do the work of opening the doors of opportunity for all. It is not only possible, but necessary, to advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts in a way that is truly inclusive of Jewish safety, identities, and history.

We also know that Jews are made less safe when Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are suppressed. Under the guise of opposing such initiatives, federal agencies have banned Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorations; conspiracy theorists and other extremists who vocally oppose both Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Jewish vibrancy are emboldened; and our inclusive, pluralistic democracy is tested. Jews who identify as People of Color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and women feel all these harms even more acutely.

In the face of attacks on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, we will not be silent. Telling the full story of our people has been essential to Jewish life; Americans of all backgrounds, ethnicities, religions, and identities deserve the same. In a Jewish community and broader society comprised of varied racial and ethnic, observance, and economic backgrounds, we reject the dynamics of division and fear and embrace a commitment to help each and every person thrive. 

Sincerely,

Union for Reform Judaism
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
National Council of Jewish Women
ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal
American Conference of Cantors
Association of Reform Jewish Educators
Avodah
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action
Carolina Jews for Justice
Central Conference of American Rabbis
Coastal Roots Farm
Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action
Early Childhood Educators of Reform Judaism
Habonim Dror North America
Hebrew College
Jewish Community Relations Council – St. Louis
Jewish Council on Urban Affairs
Jewish Social Justice Roundtable
Jews for a Secular Democracy
Jewtina y Co.
Kesher Pittsburgh
Keshet
Kirva
Lab/Shul
MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger
Men of Reform Judaism
Mitsui Collective
Moving Traditions
National Association for Temple Administration
New York Jewish Agenda (NYJA)
Reconstructing Judaism
Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association
Society for Humanistic Judaism
T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
Women of Reform Judaism
Womens Rabbinic Network
The Workers Circle


CCAR statements are grounded in the history of CCAR resolutions and platforms. We strive to represent the overall voice of the CCAR leadership and the Reform rabbinate on critical issues of the day. The CCAR is a diverse community of rabbis, and we recognize the multiplicity of viewpoints that exist within our membership. We encourage those of differing perspectives to engage in respectful dialogue. It is our hope that these statements provide the Reform community with deeper understanding of important issues that impact our lives as Jews and as global citizens.

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Jewish Organizations’ Statement on Ending Engagement on X/Twitter

Posted on by The CCAR

January 2025

In Jewish tradition, the prohibition on “lashon hara,” or “evil speech,” reminds us of words’ power to harm. The great sage Maimonides taught that even when true, speaking disparagingly of others is “the evil tongue.” (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Deot 7:2.) Speech, whether spoken or written, can cause pain, shame, and instigate action to devastating effect. Words can also uplift and heal. They must always be chosen with care, designed to call in rather than call out, to lift up rather than tear down. 

That is why, after careful consideration, we are choosing to stop actively posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, which has become rife with toxic speech. We will transition away from active engagement on X in the first quarter of 2025. 

As Jewish groups committed to healing what is broken in our world, we aim to do our work through means that similarly foster repair. In study after study, as well as our lived experiences, X has become a platform that promotes hate, antisemitism, and societal division. Under the leadership of Elon Musk, X has reduced content moderation, promoted white supremacists, and re-platformed purveyors of conspiracy theories. Musk himself has re-posted content that is antisemitic and xenophobic, promoting it to his millions of followers.

The hateful posts on X are harmful to Jews and people of all faiths and no faiths. In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, elected officials and disaster response officials who happen to be Jewish were attacked in posts on X that used virulent antisemitic terms and tropes, undermining efforts to help all individuals impacted by the hurricane and diminishing trust in civic institutions. In addition, X has become the largest purveyor of antisemitic content among the major social media platforms post-October 7.

No social media site is free of challenges, and social media’s impact on individuals and society overall requires greater study and effective responses. Some of us may maintain accounts on X to ensure our handles are not assumed by other entities with values contrary to our own. But rather than contribute to the coarsening of discourse that is so pervasive on X, going forward, we will post content elsewhere.

Sincerely,


ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal
American Conference of Cantors
Association of Reform Zionists of American (ARZA)
Avodah
Central Conference of American Rabbis
Early Childhood Educators of Reform Judaism (ECE-RJ)
Jewish Women’s Archive
Keshet
MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger
Men of Reform Judaism
National Association for Temple Administration (NATA)
Programming and Engagement Professionals of Reform Judaism (PEP-RJ)
Reconstructing Judaism
Reform Jewish Community of Canada
Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
The Shalom Center
The Workers Circle
Union for Reform Judaism
Women of Reform Judaism
Women’s Rabbinic Network (WRN)


CCAR statements are grounded in the history of CCAR resolutions and platforms. We strive to represent the overall voice of the CCAR leadership and the Reform rabbinate on critical issues of the day. The CCAR is a diverse community of rabbis, and we recognize the multiplicity of viewpoints that exist within our membership. We encourage those of differing perspectives to engage in respectful dialogue. It is our hope that these statements provide the Reform community with deeper understanding of important issues that impact our lives as Jews and as global citizens.

Back to CCAR Statements

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