Statements from CCAR

The CCAR applies Jewish thought to create timely statements that draw upon policy as determined by CCAR resolutions. These statements provide our members and the communities they serve with responses to issues of the day grounded in Jewish values and text, and provide a Jewish perspective on contemporary events to the wider world.

  • October 7, 2024 The Central Conference of American Rabbis marks the first anniversary of Hamas’s barbaric October 7 massacre. On that bitter day, Hamas murdered twelve hundred Israelis and foreign nationals living among them, and took hundreds more into brutal captivity. The year that has passed since last October 7 has been one of grief...

  • September 23, 2024 The Central Conference of American Rabbis is grateful that both major candidates in the 2024 United States Presidential Election, Vice President Kamala Harris and Former President Donald Trump—together with their running mates—have taken strong stances in response to antisemitism. Antisemitism is a significant and growing problem in the United States, finding a...

  • September 20, 2024 The Central Conference of American Rabbis is appalled by the false statements of Former President Donald J. Trump and Senator J.D. Vance, candidates for President and Vice President of the United States, claiming that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio have stolen, killed, and eaten house pets. The claim endangers members of the...

  • September 16, 2024  The Central Conference of American Rabbis grieves the death of our beloved Director of Placement Emeritus Rabbi Arnold I. Sher. Rabbi Sher actively served the CCAR and each of its members with friendship and devotion for eighteen years, 1990 to 2008.   While many have been called “a rabbi’s rabbi,” and Rabbi Sher...

  • September 1, 2024 “A cry is heard in Ramah—wailing, bitter weeping—Rachel weeping for her children. She refuses to be comforted for her children, who are gone.”  Jeremiah 31:15   We join with millions around the world, including the tens of thousands of Israelis currently pouring into the streets, who are expressing their grief and anger over...

  • July 15, 2024 The Central Conference of American Rabbis deplores the attempt to assassinate Former President Donald J. Trump at a political rally. We grieve the death of Corey Comperatore, who was murdered in the incident, and we pray for the healing of the wounded. We are grateful that Former President Trump survived the assassination...

  • June 5, 2024 The Central Conference of American Rabbis is dismayed by President Biden’s Executive Order, closing America’s southern border under a wide range of conditions and suspending the rights of refugees and asylum seekers yearning for America’s protection from life-threatening oppression in their countries of origin. This Executive Order comes only a week after...

  • March 20, 2024 We are deeply disturbed by the condemnatory statement issued yesterday by the Conference of Presidents (COP) following a meeting with Majority Leader Schumer. Though the critical COP statement was made in the name of the CEO and President, it claims to speak for COP “membership” when in fact it clearly fails to...

  • February 26, 2024 The Central Conference of American Rabbis is appalled by a recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos should be considered as children, and therefore, that destroying an embryo frozen for in vitro fertilization in a laboratory constitutes actionable death of a minor child. This ruling further attenuates reproductive freedom in a...

  • January 30, 2024 A Statement from Reform Movement Institutions With an eye toward the future we envision, we offer these steps we hope Israelis and Palestinians will take at this moment of intense challenge and deep pain. We do so because of the bond and love we feel for our Israeli siblings. Our commitment to...

  • January 11, 2024  As we mark the 100th day of the war initiated by Hamas’s brutal terrorist attack on communities in southern Israel, the North American Reform Movement raises our collective Reform Jewish voice to demand the liberation of the more than one hundred thirty hostages held in captivity by Hamas since October 7.   The...

  • December 7, 2023 The Central Conference of American Rabbis mourns the death of our beloved rabbi, teacher, and friend, David Ellenson, former President and Chancellor Emeritus of our Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion. David was a mensch of the highest order who imparted wisdom and kindness in addition to sharing his voluminous knowledge and...

  • November 22, 2023 Every day since October 7, 2023, we have prayed for the release of the 240 hostages kidnapped into Gaza from Israel. We are grateful and relieved that a deal to release some of the hostages has been agreed to, along with increased humanitarian aid for innocent civilians in Gaza, and we pray...

  • October 30, 2023 The Central Conference of American Rabbis stands in solidarity with its members who serve in Israel. These rabbis are members of MARAM, the association of Reform Rabbis in Israel, our partner organization. Moreover, we stand in awe of our Israeli colleagues’ selfless service at this most tragic time in the history of...

  • October 30, 2023 The Central Conference of American Rabbis is profoundly concerned about the welfare of Jewish students on North American college and university campuses. Even in the immediate aftermath of Hamas’s brutal October 7 attack on Israeli civilians living near Gaza, anti-Israel demonstrations erupted on many campuses. Protests have increased as Israel has taken...

  • October 27, 2023 As we approach Shabbat and mark three weeks since Hamas’ horrific attack on Israel, our hearts are heavy and our souls pained as Israel continues the excruciating task of burying the over 1400 people murdered by Hamas. With each day, more details emerge about the unspeakable violence perpetrated on October 7 against Israelis.  ...

  • October 20, 2023 Two weeks after Hamas’s horrific attack on Israel, our shared pain over the lives so violently taken grows deeper each hour. The agony of bereaved families, the torment of those awaiting news of kidnapped loved ones, and the anguish of the survivors know no bounds. As we have always done in difficult...

  • October 7, 2023 The Central Conference of American Rabbis stands in solidarity with the State of Israel and all of its residents in the midst of the horrifying, deadly attacks of Hamas terror—unleashed by land, sea, and air. We grieve the lives lost, which continue to grow in number. Those killed include children and adults...

  • August 15, 2023 The Central Conference of American Rabbis calls for the immediate release of Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter who has been wrongly incarcerated in Russia, facing false charges of espionage, since March 2023. Gershkovich is a Jewish U.S. citizen, whose parents found refuge in this country in 1979 after fleeing oppression...

  • July 24, 2023 Today is a sad day for Israel’s democracy. The passage of the amendment removing the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction to overrule decisions and appointments of Israel’s Government using the legal standard of “reasonableness” will reduce the checks and balances placed on the government. This is the first significant step of the ruling coalition...

  • June 30, 2023 In response to the United States Supreme Court’s ruling in 303 Creative v. Elenis, Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, released the following statement on behalf of the Union for Reform Judaism, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, and the wider Reform Movement institutions: “We...

  • June 29, 2023  In response to the Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College ending race-based affirmative action, Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, issued the following statement on behalf of the Union for Reform Judaism, Central Conference of American Rabbis,...

  • June 2023 Dear Colleagues, We are almost at the end of Pride Month, with many of us having celebrated in our communities, camps, and congregations. This year, though, the joy of Pride is dampened by renewed oppression of the LGBTQ+ community, particularly of transgender and nonbinary folks, in states that have adopted oppressive laws that...

  • June 27, 2023 In response to the Supreme Court’s decision in Moore v. Harper, Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, issued the following statement on behalf of the Union for Reform Judaism, Central Conference of American Rabbis, and wider Reform Movement: We celebrate the Supreme Court’s decision in Moore v....

  • May 25, 2023 The White House’s new national strategy to combat antisemitism is a strong and innovative approach in the battle against rising hate in America. We commend President Biden and the Administration for their thorough, all-encompassing whole-of-government effort to produce a strategy that is inclusive and recognizes the diversity and plurality of our Jewish...

  • May 17, 2023 The Central Conference of American Rabbis grieves the continuing scourge of gun violence in the United States. Mass murders have become too numerous to name. All too often, troubled people, espousing extremist ideology, perpetrate mass tragedy while wielding semiautomatic weapons intended for military use. These murders happen so often that American society risks becoming numb. Yet...

  • April 10, 2023 The Central Conference of American Rabbis deplores Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk’s ruling to invalidate the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone twenty-three years ago. Since 2000, millions of Americans have relied upon mifepristone as part of a safe regimen to terminate a pregnancy. Mifepristone is essential to reproductive justice in America....

  • March 28, 2023 We are relieved PM Netanyahu has finally responded to months of protests by nearly every sector of Israeli society that vigorously opposed the government’s judicial revolution. However, this temporary pause has come at an exorbitant price. To keep his fragile coalition intact, Netanyahu struck a deal with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to...

  • March 20, 2023 The Central Conference of American Rabbis deplores the violence and incitement directed at the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who have repeatedly taken to the streets in pro-democracy protests.     We are appalled that National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and other extremists in the Israeli government have wrongly labeled peaceful protestors as “anarchists.”...

  • February 28, 2023 The Central Conference of American Rabbis condemns recent terrorist attacks on Jewish Israelis in the Occupied West Bank. We mourn the deaths of brothers, Hillel and Yigal Yaniv—and, most recently, an American citizen, Elan Ganeles.   Reform rabbis join Israelis, the Jewish people, and decent human beings everywhere in demanding that the perpetrators...

  • January 29, 2023 The Central Conference of American Rabbis condemns, in the strongest terms, the murder of at least eight Israelis at an East Jerusalem synagogue. We mourn the deaths of the victims, each of them a unique and precious soul created in the Divine image. We pray for the healing of the injured. Security...

  • January 9, 2023 The Central Conference of American Rabbis is committed to the principles of democracy in North America, in Israel, and around the world. In addition to the free exercise of voting rights, those principles include the right, and even the responsibility, to hold democratically elected leaders to account. In that spirit, we join...

  • December 14, 2022 The Central Conference of American Rabbis is alarmed by the increasing normalization of antisemitism in American public discourse. The most painful moments in Jewish history teach that antisemitic rhetoric leads to violence. We are all too aware of the surge in antisemitic incidents since 2017, as documented by the Anti-Defamation League. Failure...

  • November 14, 2022 Jews around the world are experiencing a rise in antisemitism on a scale not seen in nearly 80 years. As such, it is deeply disturbing to see members of Israel’s likely new governing coalition advancing an effort to shun those worldwide who identify as Jews—including those who are fleeing horrific violence, persecution,...

  • November 2, 2022 Today, we affirm Israel’s robust democracy, reflected in the more than 71% turnout for the fifth election in four years. We love Israel and are committed to the vision of Israel as a democratic, pluralistic Jewish state.    Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to become prime minister, and we congratulate him on his...

  • October 12, 2022  Recent years have seen an increase in reports of Jewish college students facing antisemitic comments, vandalism, and efforts at exclusion from university-recognized social or academic groups. 2022 has been marred by such controversies at schools like the University of Vermont and UC Berkeley School of Law. This is unacceptable anywhere, but especially...

  • August 3, 2022 The Central Conference of American Rabbis celebrates the defeat Tuesday of a proposed constitutional amendment in Kansas which would have declared that the state’s constitution does not include a right to abortion. The CCAR congratulates and commends its members in Kansas and the communities they serve, who were at the forefront of...

  • July 13, 2022  The Reform Jewish Movement strongly condemns Presbyterian Church (USA)’s declaration falsely charging that Israel is an apartheid state, with the passage of Amendment INT-02 at its recent General Assembly. The Reform Movement is equally appalled that the Church entertained a recommendation to remove the term “antisemitism” from its official lexicon, preferring the...

  • July 4, 2022 We mourn the six lives taken today in Highland Park, IL and pray for all those injured, beloved members of our Reform Jewish community among them. On this day celebrating American independence, it is clear that Americans’ ability to live independent of the fear of gun violence is ever more elusive. With...

  • July 1, 2022 The Central Conference of American Rabbis bemoans Thursday’s Supreme Court decision in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency, which severely limits the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate carbon emissions that have led to the disastrous climate crisis facing our planet. In our Resolution on the Climate Crisis, issued in May of...

  • June 29, 2022 The Central Conference of American Rabbis is deeply concerned by this week’s Supreme Court ruling in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District. The Court ruled in favor of public high school football coach, Joseph Kennedy, who engaged in public prayer while on duty and “invited” students to join him. Reform rabbis are long...

  • June 24, 2022 The Central Conference of American Rabbis condemns, in the strongest terms, the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and deplores the reversal of the precedent set a half-century ago in Roe v. Wade. Roe guaranteed a right to reproductive health care, enabling tens of millions of pregnant people...

  •  June 23, 2022 The Central Conference of American Rabbis deplores Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling striking down reasonable gun violence legislation, specifically a New York State law that established appropriately strict limits on carrying firearms outside the home. The CCAR has long supported legislation to prevent gun violence, which has only become more critically needed in...

  • May 24, 2022 With hundreds of millions of Americans, the Central Conference of American Rabbis is horrified by the mass murder at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. With at least 18 students, a teacher, and the assailant dead, this killing is the deadliest in an elementary school since the Sandy Hook massacre a decade...

  • May 17, 2022 The Central Conference of American Rabbis mourns the tragic loss of life in yet another hate-motivated mass murder—this time, targeting Black Americans in Buffalo, New York. The murder of ten individuals, with others wounded, again highlights the deadly consequences of combining the proliferation of assault weapons in America with the normalization of...

  • May 5, 2022 The Central Conference of American Rabbis continues to oppose, now with increasing alarm, proposed and enacted state laws targeting transgender young people. These laws include, but are not limited to, prohibitions against gender-affirming healthcare for transgender minors, mandates that transgender youth may participate in athletic competitions only in accordance with their sex...

  • May 3, 2022 The Central Conference of American Rabbis is deeply disturbed by what appears to be the decision of a majority of justices of the United States Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. Though we are aware that the leaked draft by Justice Samuel Alito in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health is a...

  • May 3, 2022 In response to the leak of a draft of a Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that would overturn Supreme Court precedent and end the right to an abortion established in Roe v. Wade, Women of Reform Judaism Executive Director Rabbi Marla Feldman, Central Conference of American Rabbis...

  • April 12, 2022 The Central Conference of American Rabbis, today as throughout its history, stands with our North American Reform Jewish seminary, Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion. Today as every day, the CCAR stands with each of its members, at times of celebration and innovation and at times of grief and anger, often holding...

  • March 4, 2022 The Central Conference of American Rabbis grieves the loss of its beloved past president, Rabbi Martin S. Weiner, z”l, who died at home in the loving embrace of his family on March 3, 2022. Marty Weiner lived his life with authentic humility. Human relationships, which he understood through Buberian theology, were of...

  • February 17, 2022 Today the Union for Reform Judaism released the findings of their investigation into sexual misconduct. We recognize that this is a painful time for many of us connected to the Reform Movement, its history, its institutions, and its impact on our lives, and the lives of our family and friends. We appreciate...

  • February 7, 2022 The Central Conference of American Rabbis is horrified by the terror visited upon several of our nation’s historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), which were hit with bomb threats last week. We are only grateful that the HBCUs acted quickly, as did law enforcement, that no explosives were found, and nobody was...

  • February 3, 2022 The Central Conference of American Rabbis condemns, in the strongest terms, the deployment of racist and antisemitic symbols and slogans at protests against Canadian public health measures. The swastika, the Confederate flag, and the hatred they represent have no place on Canada’s Parliament Hill. The CCAR stands in solidarity with its Canadian...

  • February 1, 2022 We strongly reject the report produced by Amnesty International entitled: “Israel’s Apartheid Against Palestinians: Cruel System of Domination and Crime Against Humanity. ” The report is replete with discredited and inaccurate allegations, including a deeply wrong accusation of apartheid. It is particularly incumbent upon those of us who have condemned the Occupation...

  • January 31, 2022 The Central Conference of American Rabbis mourns the death of its past president, Rabbi Simeon J. Maslin, z”l. His colleagues will miss the extraordinary scholarship, his gorgeous singing voice, his cherubic smile with a gleam in his eye, and the way that he made each rabbi and—indeed, any person with whom he...

  • January 21, 2022   The Central Conference of American Rabbis demands that the United States Senate move expeditiously to a vote to confirm Dr. Deborah Lipstadt as U.S. Ambassador for Global Antisemitism. Antisemitism has been dramatically on the rise, in the U.S. and around the world, since 2017. Just days ago, antisemitism hit home hard...

  • January 16, 2022 The Central Conference of American Rabbis is grateful for the safe release of our colleague, Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, and three congregants who had been taken hostage during Shabbat morning services at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas. Throughout Shabbat and into Saturday night, Reform rabbis, the communities we serve, and our partners...

  • November 4, 2021   The Central Conference of American Rabbis is dismayed by antisemitic incidents that have stricken Austin and San Antonio within the last two weeks. Reform rabbis were appalled by actions such as Holocaust deniers touting their lies outside the San Antonio Jewish Community Campus while a Holocaust symposium was taking place inside....

  • October 8, 2021   The Reform Jewish Movement is appalled by the brutal assault on innocent Palestinians in and around their homes in Khirbet al-Mufkara, in the South Hebron Hills on September 29, 2021.     The horrific attack by dozens of masked West Bank settlers threatened Palestinians’ lives and vandalized their property. The assailants wounded six innocent people, including...

  • September 24, 2021 The Central Conference of American Rabbis is appalled by the hasty deportation of some 1,400 Haitian migrants and asylum seekers. Many of these people left Haiti in the wake of the catastrophic 2010 earthquake, finding homes and work in Central and South America, before walking across Mexico in the hope of finding...

  • The Central Conference of American Rabbis strongly supports H.R. 5323, legislation to fully fund replenishment of Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system. The Iron Dome is a miracle of technology. Developed by Israel’s defense industry, it has served as an essential component of security when the Jewish State has been under missile attack, primarily and...

  • September 1, 2021 In response to a new Texas anti-abortion law that came into effect today, leaders of Reform Jewish Movement institutions issued the following statement: We denounce, in the strongest terms, the law that went into effect today in Texas, effectively making abortion care illegal in that state. In the most insidious state abortion...

  • August 19, 2021 For decades, the Central Conference of American Rabbis has decried human rights abuses in Afghanistan—refugees left homeless by years of civil war predating American intervention, subjugation of women, civilian massacres, and religious persecution, among other atrocities wrought by the Taliban terrorist regime which has now returned to power. Tragically, twenty years of...

  • June 13, 2021   The Central Conference of American Rabbis congratulates Knesset Member Yair Lapid, who has succeeded in assembling a new governing coalition in Israel, uniting a wide array of political parties with vastly different priorities and outlooks. We congratulate incoming Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and all members of the coalition and its Knesset...

  • June 2, 2021   The Central Conference of American Rabbis warmly congratulates Isaac “Bougie” Herzog on his election as the eleventh President of the State of Israel. In his current capacity, as Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel—and in his previous positions as Chairman of the Labor Party and of the Zionist Union alliance—President-elect...

  • May 23, 2021 As North American Jewish denominations representing a significant majority of American Jewry, we join together to uniformly condemn rising incidences of antisemitism. We commend the many religious, civil society and political leaders of goodwill who have denounced these actions and are urging and implementing step to strengthen efforts to combat antisemitism and...

  • May 12, 2021 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6) The Central Conference of American Rabbis grieves the unspeakable loss of life, as violence continues to escalate in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank. We pray for comfort of the mourners, and we pray for healing of all who have been injured. Victims include...

  • March 30, 2021 The Central Conference of American Rabbis proudly marks Transgender Day of Visibility. Reform rabbis are grateful that we see transgender members of the Jewish community—among the rabbis of the CCAR and in the communities we serve. This year’s celebration of Transgender Day of Visibility is marred by hateful and discriminatory legislation, moving...

  • March 24, 2021   The Central Conference of American Rabbis warmly congratulates our member, Rabbi Gilad Kariv, on his historic election to the Knesset. Rabbi Kariv—outgoing Chief Executive of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism and a member of MARAM, the Israeli Council of Progressive Rabbis—will be the first liberal rabbi ever to serve in...

  • March 2, 2021 The Central Conference of American Rabbis hails the historic ruling by Israel’s High Court of Justice, requiring the State of Israel to recognize Reform and Conservative conversions solemnized in Israel for the purpose of citizenship under the Law of Return. Reform rabbis worldwide commend the Israel Religious Action Center, the Israel Movement...

  • March 2, 2021 The Central Conference of American Rabbis is dismayed by a coordinated effort to adopt state legislation that would make voting more difficult. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, some 253 bills are pending in 43 states to shorten early voting periods and voting hours, erect barriers to mail ballots, enhance voter...

  • January 29, 2021 Building on our endorsement of the IHRA definition of antisemitism, the Central Conference of American Rabbis and Union for Reform Judaism joined the American Jewish Congress, Anti-Defamation League, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, National Council of Jewish Women, Rabbinical Assembly, and World Jewish Congress in offering a more complete agenda of vital steps...

  • January 20, 2021 The Central Conference of American Rabbis congratulates Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Kamala D. Harris on their inauguration as President and Vice President of the United States of America. Reform rabbis rejoice for the inauguration of the first woman to hold nationwide elected office, and we celebrate the powerful and profound moment...

  • January 13, 2021 In response to the House of Representatives’ bipartisan vote to impeach President Trump, leaders of the following Reform Movement organizations issued this statement: We applaud the House of Representatives’ bipartisan vote to hold President Trump accountable for his incitement of violence against the United States government and we urge the Senate to...

  • January 6, 2021 The Central Conference of American Rabbis condemns, in the strongest terms, the multiple assaults waged against American democracy from inside and outside the United States Capitol. Inside, a minority of Senators and members of Congress, seeking to subvert the will of the American people, attempted to reverse the result of our recent...

  • November 7, 2020   The Central Conference of American Rabbis congratulates former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Senator Kamala D. Harris on their election as President and Vice President of the United States of America. All Americans can take pride in the tremendous voter turnout shown this year, an affirmation of our democracy....

  • November 4, 2020 Since its earliest days in the 19th century, the Central Conference of American Rabbis has been a stalwart proponent of American democracy. We have therefore been motivated by unprecedented voter turnout, which affirms the vibrancy of our democracy. We write at a moment of great uncertainty, including about the outcome of the U.S....

  • The Central Conference of American Rabbis condemns, in the strongest terms, President Trump’s repeated refusal, most recently during the first 2020 United States presidential debate, to condemn white supremacy and white supremacists, “the most ‘persistent and lethal threat in the United States through 2021,” according to [the Trump Administration’s] Department of Homeland Security. [i] Whether...

  • September 19, 2020   Following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, leaders from the Union for Reform Judaism, Central Conference of American Rabbis, and Women of Reform Judaism released this statement.   Few people have had as long or as profound an impact upon the course of a nation as did Justice Ruth Bader...

  • August 18, 2020 The Union for Reform Judaism, Central Conference of American Rabbis, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, Rabbinical Assembly, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, and Reconstructing Judaism have for many generations been close partners with the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) in the work of making the world more just. We have stood together in the struggles against...

  • August 16, 2020 The Central Conference of American Rabbis mourns the death of its esteemed past president, Rabbi Samuel E. Karff, D.H.L., who died after a brief illness on Shabbat R’eih, August 15, 2020, surrounded by his daughters. Rabbi Karff led the CCAR as President from 1989 to 1991, having previously served as Editor of...

  • July 17, 2020 The Reform Jewish Movement unequivocally condemns the recent antisemitic statements by some public figures. Yet merely condemning antisemitism is insufficient; it must also be accompanied by education. Nor will antisemitic words from individual members of an oppressed minority diminish our support of Black lives or detract from our commitment to the dismantling of...

  • June 15, 2020 The Central Conference of American Rabbis celebrates today’s Supreme Court ruling, at long last acknowledging that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 bars employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Writing on behalf of a striking majority, Justice Gorsuch proclaimed: “An employer who fires an...

  • May 31, 2020 Once again, the lethal reality of systemic racism has shown its evil face. The rabbis of the Central Conference of American Rabbis are horrified by the murders of George Floyd this past week and Ahmaud Arbery three months earlier, heartbreaking deaths which add further to the already long list of extra-judicial executions...

  • May 12, 2020 Across North America and around the world, communities are considering how and when they should emerge from shelter-in-place practices and safely return to in-person activities. On March 31, 2020, several Reform Movement organizations[1] issued a statement Recommendations on Covid-19 declaring that, with the exception of strictly monitored funerals, Reform Jewish communities “should...

  • April 27, 2020 The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), guided by the highest mitzvah in Jewish tradition of pikuach nefesh, the saving of lives, urges federal and state governments as well as local municipalities and communities—in the United States, in Canada, in Israel, and around the world—to be guided by medical science as they...

  • April 20, 2020 The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) and Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) issued this statement following today’s announcement of an agreement to form Israel’s new government: On this eve of Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day – and during an unprecedented global pandemic – we are heartened that Israel has a new...

  • 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...

  • 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,...

  • 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...

  • 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...

  • January 31, 2020   The Central Conference of American Rabbis has long advocated for a secure two-state solution, two states for two peoples, negotiated by Israelis and Palestinians with American support, with the prayer that Israelis and Palestinians may live side by side in peace and security. Therefore, the CCAR expresses deep concern about the...

  • 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...

  • 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...

  • 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...

  • 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...

  • 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...

  • Wednesday, August 21, 2019 The Central Conference of American Rabbis grieves deeply the death yesterday of our beloved Past President, Rabbi Peter S. Knobel. Baruch dayan ha-emet. Rabbi Knobel was an exemplar of our rabbinate. Scholar and Zionist, pastor and prophetic voice, Peter Knobel was as devoted to interfaith relations as he was to meaningful...

  • Sunday, August 4, 2019 The Central Conference of American Rabbis mourns the deaths of more than 30 men, women, and children struck down by domestic terrorists in Gilroy, California, El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio all within the last week. We pray for comfort for the victims’ families and for the healing of scores of...

  • For Immediate Release: Contact: Elliot Levy, 202-800-7409, elliot.levy@berlinrosen.com New York – July 3, 2019 – The Central Conference of American Rabbis has today participated in the filing of a brief amicus curiae in the United States Supreme Court in support of LGBTQ rights in three cases pending before the Court. The CCAR is filing along...

  • Thursday, June 27, 2019 The Central Conference of American Rabbis deplores the U.S. government’s inhumane detention of men, women, and especially children who are seeking refuge in this “Land of the Free.” Reform rabbis are particularly appalled by the renewal of widespread separations of migrant adults and their children, an abhorrent practice supposedly abandoned nearly...

  • Tuesday, May 28, 2019 The Central Conference of American Rabbis condemns the Trump Administration’s latest attack on transgender Americans. By eliminating gender identity as a legitimate reason for health care and refusing to recognize anti-discrimination protections on the basis of gender identity, the Administration places millions of Americans – including Reform rabbis and members of...

  • The Central Conference of American Rabbis is alarmed by the cascade of new state laws intended to end reproductive liberty. While the most draconian measures, signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia and Governor Kay Ivey of Alabama, are the most blatant attempts to end abortion rights altogether, we also oppose the bevy...

  • May 15, 2019 Dear Member of Congress, On behalf of the fifteen undersigned national Jewish organizations, we write to express our support for the Equality Act (H.R. 5). Driven by our Jewish values, we are committed to supporting laws that protect the civil rights and individual liberties of all people. The Equality Act is a...

  • UNION FOR REFORM JUDAISM AND CENTRAL CONFERENCE OF AMERICAN RABBIS STATEMENT ON ISRAEL UNDER ATTACK New York, NY; May 6, 2019 – We hope and pray that the cease fire holds, and at the same time, the Union for Reform Judaism and Central Conference of American Rabbis deplore the massive rocket attack unleashed upon Israel and...

  • The Central Conference of American Rabbis is thrust into mourning once again, together with all decent people worldwide, in the aftermath of another attack on Jews at worship.  We mourn the precious soul lost to this world in Poway, California, at the hands of the murderer. We pray for the healing of all who were...

  • Sunday, April 21, 2019 The Central Conference of American Rabbis grieves the mass slaughter of Christians at prayer on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka. We extend sympathy to the mourners and pray for the healing of the survivors and all who were injured. Today’s atrocity follows upon the mass murder of Jews at prayer in...

  • Friday, March 22, 2019 The Central Conference of American Rabbis is concerned by the allegations in the New York Times article about Michael Steinhardt. We support the brave women who came forward to share their experiences in interactions with Steinhardt. Jewish institutions should foster professional workplace environments based upon the values of dignity, respect, and...

  • Tuesday, March 5, 2019 The Central Conference of American Rabbis resolutely opposes rules issued by the Trump Administration to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which would severely curtail life-saving medical care for millions of low-income women who benefit from the federal Title X program. These changes, set to take effect in sixty...

  • Tuesday, February 26, 2019         For the sake of Zion I will not be silent, For the sake of Jerusalem I will not be still, Till her victory emerge resplendent, And her triumph like a flaming torch. (Isaiah 62:1) The Reform Movement strongly condemns the recent initiative of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu...

  • Wednesday, February 20, 2019 The Central Conference of American Rabbis is grieving today, as we remember Al Vorspan, Z”L, who led our Reform Movement as Senior Vice President of the Union for Reform Judaism and Director of our Commission on Social Action. Al Vorspan died on January 16 at age 95 and is to be...

  • Friday, February 15, 2019 In response to President Trump’s decision to declare a national emergency at the southern border of the U.S., the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism issued the following statement on behalf of the Union for Reform Judaism, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, and the wider Reform Movement institutions: We believe that...

  • Monday, February 11, 2019 The Central Conference of American Rabbis condemns yesterday’s claim by U.S. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) that United States leaders support Israel “because of the Benjamins.” The notion that U.S. support for Israel is based on Jewish money reflects the most vile of classical antisemitic tropes, namely the calumny that Jews control...

  • In the wake of the tragedy that has befallen America and our Jewish community–the murder of 11 members of the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh– congregations are reassessing the steps they have taken and can take towards enhancing security. The question has arisen as to the status of the CSA and URJ’s past recommendations...

  • The rabbis of the Central Conference of American Rabbis are devastated by this morning’s horrific tragedy at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh that has resulted in injury and loss of life. We send our deepest condolences to the families of the victims of this senseless act of violence, and healing prayers to the injured,...

  • President Donald J. Trump 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 CC: The Honorable Andrew R. Wheeler Acting Administrator U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20004 The Honorable Ryan K. Zinke Secretary U.S. Department of Interior 1100 Ohio Drive SW Washington, DC 20242 October 30, 2018 Dear Mr. President, Acting Administrator...

  • The Central Conference of American Rabbis strongly opposes proposals under consideration at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to define gender narrowly, as determined solely by sex organs at birth, an approach which is contrary to medical evidence and denies the life experiences of millions of Americans. The results of these proposed changes...

  • Dear members, We, along with many of you and many in your communities, are devastated by the Senate’s vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. We share the pain and frustration of many at the Senate’s decision, as well as at the deep division and anger this debate has inflamed across our country....

  • The Women’s Rabbinic Network and the Central Conference of American Rabbis commend Dr. Christine Blasey Ford for bravely coming forward about her sexual assault.  From #MeToo to #IBelieveYou to #WhyIDidntReport, this has been an emotionally raw time for our country, and Dr. Ford’s powerful voice has been a beacon of strength and hope for other...

  • The Central Conference of American Rabbis opposes the Trump Administration’s decision to eliminate funding for United Nations refugee assistance programs in Palestinian Territories or programs that encourage coexistence between Israelis and their Palestinian neighbors. Reform rabbis understand that the Palestinian Authority is marked by corruption, and that not all assistance reaches its intended recipients. As...

  • September 12, 2018 The Honorable R. Alexander Acosta Secretary of Labor Department of Labor 200 Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20210 Dear Secretary Acosta: On behalf of the 21 undersigned Jewish organizations, we urge you to rescind the August 10, 2018 Department of Labor (DOL), Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) Directive 2018-03 that...

  • August 31, 2018 The Honorable Charles Grassley Chairman U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary 224 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 The Honorable Dianne Feinstein Ranking Member U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary 152 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Re: Nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to Associate Justice of the Supreme Court...

  • August 15, 2018 The Honorable Donald J. Trump The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, D.C. 20500 Dear Mr. President: We write to you as 36 national Jewish organizations to urge you to set a refugee admissions ceiling of at least 75,000 for fiscal year (FY) 2019. We have joined together to ask you...

  • August 14, 2018 The Honorable Mitch McConnell Majority Leader United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Chuck Schumer Democratic Leader United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 Dear Leader McConnell and Leader Schumer: The undersigned national and state organizations, representing health care consumers and patients, providers, and other stakeholders, are writing to urge the Senate...

  • Friday, August 3, 2018 The Central Conference of American Rabbis views with concern U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s establishment of a “Religious Liberty Task Force.” “As Jews, we know intimately the importance of religious freedom protections, which have allowed us and many other communities of faith to live freely according to our religious beliefs, practices,...

  • Today, the Reform Jewish Movement adds its voice to those calling on the Senate to reject the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. He has many professional and intellectual qualifications, but an examination of Judge Kavanaugh’s record makes it clear that his elevation to the Supreme Court would significantly jeopardize or...

  • The Central Conference of American Rabbis takes note of the awesome opportunity and responsibility facing the President of the United States and every member of the U.S. Senate as they prepare to fulfill their constitutional role in nominating and considering the confirmation of a new member of the Unite States Supreme Court. We are taught,...

  • “As Jews, we understand the plight of being an immigrant fleeing violence and oppression. We believe that the United States is a nation of immigrants and how we treat the stranger reflects on the moral values and ideals of this nation.” Alarmed by the U.S. government’s “zero tolerance” policy of separating children from their migrant...

  • The membership of Central Conference of American Rabbis is devastated to learn of the tragic and untimely death of our friend, colleague, teacher, and leader, Rabbi Aaron Panken. We send our deepest condolences to his wife Lisa Messinger, his children Eli and Samantha, his parents, his sister Rabbi Melinda Panken and her family, and the...

  • April 18, 2018 The statement below is issued by the organizations of the Reform Jewish Movement, the largest movement in Jewish life: We join with our Israeli brothers and sisters, the worldwide family of the Jewish people, and friends of Israel everywhere, to mark with joy the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the State...

  • Thursday, April 12, 2018 The Central Conference of American Rabbis is distressed by violence on Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip, including the firing of live rounds at protesters who threaten neither Israeli lives nor Israel’s territorial integrity.  We urge the Israeli government and IDF to practice restraint in response to the protests that promise...

  • Thursday, April 5, 2018 The Central Conference of American Rabbis condemns Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reversal of a commitment he had made to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, an agreement that would have humanely resolved the plight of thousands of asylum seekers in Israel from Eritrea, Sudan, and other African countries. Equal...

  • Tuesday, February 27, 2018 The Central Conference of American Rabbis mourns the death of a beloved Reform rabbi and giant for justice, Rabbi Lynne Landsberg, z”l. Beginning with her rabbinical ordination in 1981, Rabbi Landsberg became a leader of the CCAR and our Movement as a whole — in the congregations she served, through the...

  • Thursday, February 15, 2018 The Central Conference of American Rabbis is grief-stricken, as America and the world contemplate the murder of at least 17 young people yesterday, with others sustaining terrible injuries, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. This shooting hits us particularly close to home. Children and grandchildren of our own...

  • You shall not wrong nor oppress a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. (Exodus 22:20) January 26, 2018 – The statement below is issued by the following organizations of the Reform Jewish Movement, the largest movement in Jewish life: We strongly urge the Israeli government to reverse its decision and recognize...

  • January 26, 2018 United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 Dear Senator, We, the  undersigned  national  faith-based  and religious  groups, urge  you to  oppose  S. 2311 and similar measures that restrict women’s access to safe, legal abortion. We stand united  across our faith traditions  in opposing measures like S. 2311. This extreme legislation  would  block a...

  • Tuesday, January 23, 2018 The Central Conference of American Rabbis takes note of Monday’s Congressional action, ratified by the President, to reopen the federal government and reauthorize the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), with a bipartisan commitment to address the status of Dreamers before February 8. Reform rabbis celebrate the renewal of CHIP. Assuring access...

  • Friday, January 19, 2018 The Central Conference of American Rabbis views with deep concern the establishment of a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) formally designated for matters of ”conscience and religious freedom.” While conscience and religious freedom are obviously fundamental concerns to Reform rabbis, this HHS initiative seems intended...

  • January 12, 2018 With commitment and resolve, The Central Conference of American Rabbis prepares for this weekend of observances honoring the dreams, visions, and accomplishments of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Reform rabbis are distressed that, nearly a half century after Dr. King was assassinated, American schools are more segregated than ever; voting...

  • Tuesday, January 2, 2018 The Central Conference of American Rabbis wishes peace and blessings in 2018 to our members, the communities we serve, and to all our neighbors and friends, in the United States and Canada, Israel, and around the world. So, too, we extend good wishes to the leaders of all the nations in...

  • The Central Conference of American Rabbis strongly opposes the tax bill currently before the United States Congress. Mindful that Torah requires that those with the greatest wealth provide the largest share of support to the community, Reform rabbis oppose a bill that offers the most significant tax cut to the wealthiest among us. Mindful that...

  • Please read the full statement from the Reform Movement on the URJ’s website.

  • December 3, 2017 – 14 Kislev 5778 The Central Conference of American Rabbis wishes a hearty mazal tov to Gabi Geberovich & Alon Selav, Alona Livne & Ori Berwald, and Elizabeth Komkov & Valentine Voldovskiy, who were married today at Temple Emanu-El in New York City. We extend our best wishes to our colleagues who...

  • November 15, 2017 – Cheshvan 26, 5778 The Central Conference of American Rabbis joyfully anticipates the historic Rabbinical Ordination tomorrow at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Jerusalem. When Leora Ezrachi-Vered, David Laor, Rinat Safania-Shwartz, and Yair Tobias are ordained, our seminary in Jerusalem will have ordained 102 Israelis to serve the growing progressive...

  • November 3, 2017 Mr. Kevin Brady Chairman House Committee on Ways and Means Washington, D.C. 20515 Mr. Richard Neal Ranking Member House Committee on Ways and Means Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Chairman Brady and Ranking Member Neal: The 78 undersigned organizations write to strongly oppose the inclusion of any language in the tax reform package...

  • The CCAR is proud to announce the formation of the Task Force on the Experience of Women in the Rabbinate. This new task force has been a focus of conversation and planning since March 2017. With Ellen Weinberg Dreyfus serving as the chair and Amy Schwartzman as vice-chair, the CCAR is now taking an active...

  • Contraceptive Coverage The Central Conference of American Rabbis objects strongly to the Trump Administration’s announcement today that health insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act are no longer required to include contraceptive coverage. Jewish law permits a woman to use contraception. American law should not be governed by Jewish law, but neither ought individual women’s...

  • The Central Conference of American Rabbis grieves the deaths of at least 58 precious, irreplaceable human beings at the hands of a gunman in Las Vegas last night. We extend our deepest sympathy to the families who mourn their deaths. We pray for the healing of all those who were injured, more than 500 people....

  • September 25, 2017 Member of the United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 Dear Senator: We, the undersigned national Jewish organizations and institutions, are united in our belief that government should work to expand, not limit, access to health care. We are deeply concerned that the Graham-Cassidy health care proposal will significantly undermine access to care...

  • Rabbis Forgo Annual High Holy Days Call with President Wednesday, August 23, 2017 The High Holy Days are an opportunity for reflection and introspection. As the leaders of major denominations in American Jewish life, we have been deeply engaged in both, considering the events of the Jewish year that is ending and preparing spiritually for...

  • The Central Conference of American Rabbis Condemns Invasive Body Searches of HUC-JIR students at Kotel Wednesday, August 23, 2017 The Central Conference of American Rabbis condemns, in the strongest terms, invasive body searches of female students of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, conducted by security forces at the behest of Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, Chief Rabbi...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Condemns President Trump’s Response to White Supremacist Domestic Terrorists  Thursday, August 17, 2017 The Central Conference of American Rabbis is outraged that the President of the United States has repeatedly equivocated in condemnation of the white supremacists who rained terror and violence upon Charlottesville, Virginia last weekend. The President’s failure...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Deplores White Supremacist Violence Sunday, August 13, 2017 The Central Conference of American Rabbis grieves with all decent Americans today, during a weekend of racist and anti-Semitic hate speech and violence that led to murder in Virginia and scarred our nation’s soul. In Pirkei Avot, the Chapters of our Sages, we...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Responds to President Trump on Transgender Equality Wednesday, July 26, 2017 The Central Conference of American Rabbis condemns President Donald J. Trump’s statement that transgender Americans would not be permitted to serve in the United States Armed Forces. Transgender Americans have served honorably in the U.S. military—when they could not...

  • The Central Conference of American Rabbis Grieves the Violent Loss of Life in Recent Days Tuesday, July 25, 2017 The Central Conference of American Rabbis grieves the violent loss of life in the Middle East in recent days, beginning with the July 14 terrorist murder of two Israeli police officers at the holy place known...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Condemns Terrorist Murder of Israeli Police Officers in Jerusalem  Friday, July 14, 2017 The Central Conference of American Rabbis mourns the deaths of two Israeli police officers, Haiel Satawe and Kamil Shnaan, murdered in the line of duty by terrorists in Jerusalem’s Old City Friday. The attack took place near the city’s Lion’s Gate, closest...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Statement on the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 The Central Conference of American Rabbis opposes the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 as proposed by the majority leadership in the United States Senate Thursday and urges the Senate to reject or substantially alter it so that coverage is made more...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Statement on the Israeli Conversion Bill Wednesday, July 12, 2017 The Central Conference of American Rabbis condemns the bill put forward in the Knesset by Israel’s ultra-Orthodox parties with support from Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Cabinet. The bill would grant the ultra-Orthodox Chief Rabbinate sole legal authority over conversion in Israel...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Deplores Netanyahu’s Government’s Reversal on Kotel Compromise The Central Conference of American Rabbis condemns the Israeli government’s announcement today that it is officially freezing implementation of its January, 2016 compromise agreement to create space for egalitarian prayer at the Kotel equal in stature to the Orthodox sections for gender-segregated prayer,...

  • CCAR Statement on the 50th Anniversary of the Six-Day War Tuesday, June 6, 2017 The Central Conference of American Rabbis marks the 50th Anniversary of Israel’s Six-Day War with both joy and sober reflection. We rejoice that the Israel Defense Forces heroically prevailed over an enemy that was poised to destroy the Jewish State. We...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Deplores U.S. Withdrawal from Paris Climate Accord Friday, June 02, 2017 The Central Conference of American Rabbis is dismayed by the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement. Our nation’s abdication of its share of the global human responsibility to reduce climate change and establish climate justice violates our...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Opposes White House Budget Proposal Thursday, May 25, 2017 The Central Conference of American Rabbis strenuously objects to the White House’s proposed Fiscal Year 2018 budget unveiled this week. Every budget is a statement of values. The President’s budget recommendation neglects the foundational values that we hold dear as Reform...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Statement on the American Health Care Act May 4, 2017 The Central Conference of American Rabbis opposes the American Health Care Act as adopted by the United States House of Representatives today and urges the United States Senate to reject or substantially alter it. Since Moses (Numbers 12:13), rabbis have...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Deplores New Law Targeting Planned Parenthood Tuesday, April 18, 2017 The Central Conference of American Rabbis strongly condemns legislation, signed into law by President Trump last week, enabling states to deny needy women the right to receive vital family planning and preventative healthcare services through Planned Parenthood and other health...

  • CCAR Condemns Rising Antisemitism, Reaffirms Commitment to Pursuit of Justice in Turbulent Times Sunday, March 19, 2017 As the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), the rabbinic leadership organization of Reform Judaism in North America and worldwide, gathers for its Annual Convention, it reaffirms its historic commitment to the pursuit of justice for all Americans,...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Deplores Repeated Bomb Threats at Jewish Community Centers Tuesday, February 21, 2017 The Central Conference of American Rabbis is dismayed by bomb threats called into scores of Jewish Community Centers across the country in four sprees over the last several weeks. We are grateful that none of these threats have...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Concerned by New Deportation Strategy Tuesday, February 21, 2017 The Central Conference of American Rabbis is deeply concerned by “guidance documents” released by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), paving the way for dramatically increased and expedited deportation of immigrants in the United States. Reform rabbis have long advocated...

  • Reform Jewish Movement Opposes David Friedman’s Nomination for U.S. Ambassador to Israel Friday, February 17, 2017 There can be no doubt that David Friedman loves Israel or that he has an extraordinarily close relationship with President Trump, but those are not the essential qualifications of a U.S. Ambassador to Israel. This week, we watched as...

  • CCAR-ARZA Statement on Two-State Solution Thursday, February 16, 2017 The Central Conference of American Rabbis and the Association of Reform Zionists of America emphatically restate our support for the two-state solution. We continue to envision Israel thriving as a Jewish State, living in peace and security alongside a Palestinian State that would fulfill the legitimate national aspirations...

  • ARZA, CCAR Strongly Condemn Israeli Regularization Bill Declare New Law Undemocratic and Shortsighted Tuesday, February 7, 2017 The Association of Reform Zionists of America (ARZA) and the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) strongly condemn the Knesset’s passage yesterday of the so-called “Regularization Bill” as undemocratic and shortsighted. In a disturbing turn of events, the...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Opposes Confirmation of Elizabeth “Betsy” DeVos as U.S. Secretary of Education Sunday, February 5, 2017 ​When the Talmud teaches that “Jerusalem was destroyed because school children were kept from their classrooms,” it conveys eternal truth: Education is essential to the welfare, indeed the survival, of any society. In America, Jewish...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Affirms Commitment to Johnson Amendment  Friday, February 3, 2017 On Thursday, at the National Prayer Breakfast, where the Central Conference of American Rabbis was represented by its President, Rabbi Denise Eger, President Donald Trump vowed to “destroy” the Johnson Amendment, designed by former President Lyndon B. Johnson when he was a...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Opposes President’s Executive Action on Pipelines Thursday, January 26, 2017 The Central Conference of American Rabbis continues to support the Standing Rock Sioux Nation, and to oppose the Dakota pipeline, at least as currently routed. Therefore, we strongly object to President Trump’s January 24 Executive Action in this regard. We...

  • CCAR Statement on Voter Fraud and Voter Suppression Wednesday, January 25, 2017 The Central Conference of American Rabbis notes with concern that President Trump has ordered an in-depth investigation into unsubstantiated claims of alleged voter fraud, but taken no action to address the very real problem of voter suppression. While Reform rabbis welcome any inquiry...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Condemns Terror Attack in Jerusalem Monday, January 9, 2017 The Central Conference of American Rabbis mourns the loss of innocent life Sunday morning in Jerusalem, when a Palestinian terrorist murdered four young Israeli soldiers participating in an educational tour, not on combat duty, and wounded many others. The young soldiers...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Condemns Terror Attack in Jerusalem Monday, January 9, 2017 The Central Conference of American Rabbis mourns the loss of innocent life Sunday morning in Jerusalem, when a Palestinian terrorist murdered four young Israeli soldiers participating in an educational tour, not on combat duty, and wounded many others. The young soldiers...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Expresses Support For NAACP Friday, January 6, 2017 This week, in Alabama, NAACP leaders, including NAACP President Cornell William Brooks, placed themselves on the front lines of justice, engaging in peaceful civil disobedience at the Alabama office of Sen. Jeff Sessions, calling upon Sessions to withdraw as President-Elect Donald J....

  • Response to Secretary Kerry’s Remarks Wednesday, December 28, 2016 We share these words from our friend and colleague Rabbi Rick Jacobs regarding Secretary Kerry’s remarks today. We reaffirm CCAR’s longstanding commitment to peace, democracy, and a two-state solution as stated in our historic resolutions, including that of 2015. Rabbi Denise L. Eger            ...

  • The Central Conference of American Rabbis Opposes Anti-Israel Resolution Approved by U.N. Security Council Friday,  December 23, 2016 The Central Conference of American Rabbis expresses strong disagreement with today’s Security Council Resolution targeting Israel, while also affirming its opposition to the Israeli settlement policy and its support for a two state solution. The CCAR has...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Statement on Nomination of U.S. Ambassador to Israel Friday, December 16, 2016  The Central Conference of American Rabbis respects that the new nominee to be the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, is a longstanding friend of Israel and a Hebrew speaker, both of which are qualities that would enhance...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Denounces Proposed Ohio Bill to Restrict Women’s Reproductive Liberty  Thursday, December 8, 2016 Yesterday, the Ohio Legislature ignominiously adopted draconian restrictions on abortion rights. If signed into law, the bill known as HB 493, would impose lengthy prison sentences on physicians who terminate pregnancies as early as the first fetal...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Responds to Massive Fires in Israel Monday, November 28, 2016   The Central Conference of American Rabbis has watched with concern as much of Israel has burned. For the better part of a week, raging fires threatened not only forests and wildlife, but homes, lives, and property. We are grateful...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Condemns Death Threats and Vandalism at Ra’anana Synagogue Thursday, November 24, 2016 The Central Conference of American Rabbis is outraged that our friends at Kehilat Ra’anana awakened this morning to find hateful messages spray-painted on their sacred synagogue home. We are horrified that threats have been issued, by name, against...

  • Reform Movement Statement on the 2016 Presidential Election Wednesday, November 9, 2016 The people have voted and American democracy is strong. We respect that vote and we extend our hand to President-elect Trump. We also extend our hand to the members of the 115th Congress. These leaders will have critical decisions to make that will...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Celebrates Sacred Action at the Western Wall Wednesday, November 2, 2016 The Central Conference of American Rabbis commends Reform and Conservative Movement leaders — including CCAR members Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism and Rabbi Dan Freelander, President of the World Union of Progressive Judaism; CCAR...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Applauds Christian Rejection of Worst Anti-Israel Initiatives Monday, June 27, 2016 The Central Conference of American Rabbis is grateful to its friends in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Unitarian Universalist Association, who have prevailed in defeating or amending the most virulently anti-Israel overtures in each church. Presbyterians and Unitarians...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Outraged at the Mass Murder in Orlando Wednesday, June 15, 2016 The Central Conference of American Rabbis mourns the tragic deaths of the precious souls at the hands of a hate-filled terrorist in Orlando, Florida. The Talmud teaches that one who kills a single human being has committed a crime...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Commends United Methodist Church’s Rejection of Anti-Israel Initiatives   Friday, May 20, 2016 The Central Conference of American Rabbis gratefully commends the United Methodist Church, which embraced the Jewish State of Israel and its quest for peace at the Church’s recently-completed quadrennial General Conference. As it has done repeatedly in the...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Applauds Attorney General’s Directive Forbidding Public School Discrimination against Transgender Students Monday, May 16, 2016 The Central Conference of American Rabbis welcomes U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch’s advisory, which affirms that discrimination against transgender Americans is prohibited by the Civil Rights Act of 1964.   We have for years stated that...

  • Reform Movement Leaders Speak Out Against State-Level Anti-LGBT Legislation May 2, 2016 In response to numerous anti-LGBT laws being introduced, and in many cases passed, at the state-level, the leadership of the Union for Reform Judaism, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and the North American Federation of...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Endorses the Revolution on Moral Values Tour Wednesday, April 13, 2016 The Central Conference of American Rabbis is pleased to endorse the Revolution on Moral Values Tour, led by our friend and teacher, the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, the architect of the Moral Monday Movement, along with Rev. Dr....

  • Reform Movement Response to News That Donald Trump Will Speak At AIPAC Policy Conference  Monday, March 14, 2016 The Reform Jewish Movement has always worked very closely with AIPAC. We respect completely its decision to invite all the viable candidates for president to speak at its upcoming Policy Conference. By inviting the candidates to speak,...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Condemns Israel Tourism Minister Yariv Levin’s Comments on Reform Judaism Wednesday, February 3, 2016 The Central Conference of American Rabbis calls upon all Israeli and American Jews to come together and stand against Minister Levin’s comments on American Reform Jews. Minister Levin is entitled to his private beliefs. However, as...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Condemns Israel Tourism Minister Yariv Levin’s Comments on Reform Judaism Wednesday, February 3, 2016 The Central Conference of American Rabbis calls upon all Israeli and American Jews to come together and stand against Minister Levin’s comments on American Reform Jews. Minister Levin is entitled to his private beliefs. However, as...

  • CCAR Statement Opposing the So-Called “First Amendment Defense Act” Wednesday, January 20, 2016 The Central Conference of American Rabbis adamantly opposes the so-called “First Amendment Defense Act,” introduced by Senator Mike Lee as S. 1598 and by Rep. Raul Labrador as H.R. 2802. The proposal would advance no First Amendment freedom, but would grant a...

  • CCAR Statement Supporting the President’s Executive Action on Gun Violence Tuesday, January 5, 2016 The Central Conference of American Rabbis applauds the President’s decision to use his Executive power to act to reduce gun violence in America. As the Federal government is the largest purchaser of weapons in the nation, we believe that they should...

  • CCAR Statement Condemning Anti-Muslim Bigotry Tuesday, December 8, 2015 The Central Conference of American Rabbis condemns anti-Muslim bigotry worldwide, in America, and in the campaign for President of the United States. Specifically, we are horrified by Donald J. Trump’s proposal that all Muslims be barred even from visiting the United States, let alone immigrating, especially...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Seeks Chanukah’s Light at a Dark Time Tuesday, December 7, 2015 In ancient days, the Maccabees and later the rabbis designated a festival that would bring light to dispel the darkness of winter’s shortest days. In our own day, Chanukah 5776 (2015) has arrived at an hour of our world’s...

  • CCAR Statement Condemning American Anthropological Association Boycott of Israeli Institutions and Anthropologists Wednesday, November 25, 2015 The Central Conference of American Rabbis, in the strongest terms, condemns the overwhelming vote by members of the American Anthropological Association (AAA), to boycott Israeli academic institutions and the anthropologists employed by them. The vote taken at AAA’s annual...

  • CCAR joins Women’s Rabbinic Network in Joint Statement on the Rabbinical Council of America’s Ban Against Women Rabbis Tuesday, November 3, 2015 At the spring assembly of the Rabbinical Council of America’s (RCA) 51st Annual Convention held in Scarsdale, NY on April 26, 2010 a unanimous resolution passed amongst rabbinic leadership, stating that women can...

  • CCAR Statement on the Attack of Rabbi Arik Ascherman, Human Rights Activist October 26, 2015 The Central Conference of American Rabbis is appalled by the violent attack of its member, Rabbis for Human Rights co-founder, Rabbi Arik Ascherman, on Friday. Rabbi Ascherman was engaged in one of his regular activities, helping West Bank Palestinians to...

  • CCAR Deplores Terrorism, Denounces Abbas Wednesday, October 7, 2015 The Central Conference of American Rabbis grieves the deaths of Naama and Eitam Henkin, brutally murdered in the sight of their four children; and of Nehemia Lavi and Aharon Banita, savagely stabbed to death in Jerusalem. All four were victims of Palestinian terrorists, with the Henkins’...

  • Reform Jewish Movement Response To Iran Deal: Address Important Concerns, Focus On The Day After     Whether the JCPOA is approved or defeated, there will be a day after. It is essential that this debate not be allowed to create a lasting rift between Israel and the U.S., between North American Jews and Israelis, or among...

  • CCAR Condemns Deceptive Campaign against Planned Parenthood Monday, July 27, 2015 The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) is appalled by the falsehoods disseminated by the so-called “Center for Medical Progress,” in an effort to discredit Planned Parenthood. Even more strongly, we condemn members of Congress who have seized this manufactured moment as an excuse...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Endorses the Equality Act Friday, July 24, 2015 The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) enthusiastically welcomes the introduction and urges the swift adoption of the Equality Act, seeking at long last to provide equal civil rights to all Americans, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Long a leader...

  • CCAR Statement Welcoming Actions of Episcopalian and Mennonite Church Bodies July 3, 2015 The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) is cheered by the resounding defeat of an anti-Israel divestment initiative by voice vote in the American Episcopal Church’s House of Bishops and by the tabling of a similar motion at the Mennonite Church U.S.A.’s...

  • CCAR Statement Condemning the Vote of the United Church of Christ General Synod to Join the Global BDS Movement Targeting Israel Wednesday, July 1, 2015   With sadness and dismay, we condemn the action of the United Church of Christ (UCC) to target Israel with divestment and boycotts. With this vote, the UCC has now...

  • Shabbat of Solidarity Friday, June 26, 2015 In an extraordinary display of unity, a broad cross-section of American Jewish organizations has joined together to declare this coming Shabbat, June 26th, to be a Shabbat of Solidarity with the African-American Community. In light of the horrific act of violence in Charleston, South Carolina, leaders of the...

  • CCAR Condemns Attack on South Carolina Church Thursday, June 18, 2015 The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) is shocked and horrified to learn of the tragic murders at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina.   As clergy whose job it is to gather people in the study of sacred scripture, we are...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Congratulates ARZA on WZO Election Victory Reform Rabbis are pleased that the Reform Movement’s Zionist Organization won the elections to allow for a Reform presence in the World Zionist Congress.  New York, NY – June 5, 2015 – The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), the rabbinic leadership organization of Reform...

  • Statement of the Central Conference of American Rabbis Concerning Recent Anti-Semitic Attacks on Jews in Paris Tuesday, May 5, 2015 The Central Conference of American Rabbis condemns the attack on two Jewish men in Paris last week by a gang estimated at 40 people, identified as members of Gaza Firm, a pro-Palestinian group that is...

  • Central Conference of American Rabbis Condemns Beating of Charlie Kalech and Alden Solovy By Ushers at the Kotel in Jerusalem April 22, 2015 The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) condemns, in the strongest terms, the physical assault sustained by Charlie Kalech and Alden Solovy at the Kotel, the Western Retaining Wall of the Jerusalem Temple...