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 state where people must already travel great distances to access the full range of reproductive care. Alabama and neighboring states already enforce a total abortion ban or severely restrict abortion rights. This ruling means that residents of Alabama must now travel to access in vitro fertilization (IVF) in addition to reproductive healthcare.

As a result of this Supreme Court ruling, the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital, the state’s largest hospital, has suspended all IVF procedures.  Additionally, two other centers have suspended IVF procedures, which is critical medical care for some individuals and couples who face challenges to their fertility. 

In his concurring opinion, Alabama Chief Justice Tom Parker makes explicit that the Court’s ruling is a religious, not a legal, act. He quotes Christian theologians, including John Calvin and St. Thomas Aquinas extensively, and concludes: “Even before birth, all human beings have the image of God, and their lives cannot be destroyed without effacing his [sic] glory.”^[1] This ruling is therefore a violation of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which prohibits the establishment of a state religion.

Our Talmudic sages understood that an embryo had the potential to grow into a person and also held the potential of not developing. They declared that “the embryo is considered to be mere water until the fortieth day [after conception].”^[2] Judaism does not grant the status of personhood to an embryo or fetus at any stage of pregnancy.^[3] Moreover, p’ru ur’vu, the mitzvah to be fruitful and multiply, is among the highest blessings in our tradition. Therefore, Jewish authorities across the ideological spectrum strongly support the availability of reproductive endocrinology to assist individuals and couples struggling with infertility.

Reform rabbis do not ask that Jewish law be enshrined in the laws of the United States or any state. We demand, however, that individuals in this free country be permitted to make their own choice about engaging the use of in vitro fertilization and other reproductive technologies. The government should not limit their choices in this matter. Indeed, many Reform rabbis and members of our communities have welcomed children into their families through the use of in vitro fertilization. The Central Conference of American Rabbis condemns the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling in the strongest terms. We call upon our members to support those who are impacted by this ruling, to let our elected officials know of our strong objection to the court’s decision and to work to pass legislation that affirms that frozen embryos are not people. We further call on the United States Supreme Court to overturn this decision forthwith.

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

^[1] Le Page v. Center for Reproductive Medicine, P.C., Supreme Court of Alabama, February 16, 2024, https://law.justia.com/cases/alabama/supreme-court/2024/sc-2022-0579.html.

^[2] Babylonian Talmud, Y’vamot 69b.

^[3] Exodus 21:22–23, Mishnah Ohalot 7.6.

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 of all ages and walks of life. The prayers of Reform rabbis across North America and around the world are directed to the Land of Israel. We pray for comfort for mourners, healing for the wounded, we pray for the release of those taken captive, and safety for all who have taken shelter. We pray for the citizen-soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces, those on active duty, and all who have been urgently called into service as reservists.

Not for the first time in its history, Israel has been assaulted with a heinous surprise attack on a sacred,  holy day—in this case, Atzeret-Simchat Torah and Shabbat. A day of peace and rejoicing has been turned into a day of war and grief.

Hamas’s despicable terror attacks have killed, wounded, and continue to threaten all residents of Israel—making no distinction between religion, ethnicity, citizenship, or political belief. Reform rabbis today stand with all in Israel whose lives are being threatened.

Our minds turn especially to our beloved CCAR colleagues in Israel, members of MARAM, the Israel Reform rabbinical organization, who have been leading their communities in demonstrations for democracy and are now leading them in prayers for peace. They are comforting the bereaved, seeking shelter from attacks, and serving their communities with compassion and fortitude under the most difficult of circumstances. CCAR members around the world stand in support of our Israeli colleagues and the communities they serve. So too we hold close the whole community of the IMPJ and its leadership.

Reform rabbis pray that the Israel Defense Forces will swiftly repel this terrorist invasion, minimizing the devastating loss of life, and will be able to safely recover the captives. We are grateful to President Biden and to American leaders of both parties who have articulated unwavering support for the Jewish State under attack.

שאלו שלום ירושלים

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Psalms 122:6).

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

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 be brought to justice.  

However, at the same time, we are horrified by the vigilante violence carried out by Jewish extremists against innocent Palestinians in the area of the attacks. Violence never justifies violence, and justice is not served by an eruption of extrajudicial action and collective punishment carried out by individuals seeking vengeance.  

The Torah commands, “Justice, justice shall you pursue” (Deuteronomy 16:20). We learn from our Sages that the repetition of the word “justice” demands that we seek a just outcome through a just process.  

Over 250 CCAR rabbis have only now returned home after our convention in Israel, where we stood alongside our Israeli siblings, particularly our Reform rabbinic colleagues and the communities they serve in the Israel Movement for Progressive and Reform Judaism. While in Israel, we lifted our voices together for justice and for peace. We will continue to pray and work for those values in Israel and around the world. 

Rabbi Erica Asch
President 

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

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 year to come.

In so doing, we have thoughtfully and prayerfully considered whether to continue the practice in recent years of playing key roles in organizing a conference call for the President of the United States to bring High Holy Day greetings to American rabbis. We have concluded that President Trump’s statements during and after the tragic events in Charlottesville are so lacking in moral leadership and empathy for the victims of racial and religious hatred that we cannot organize such a call this year.

The President’s words have given succor to those who advocate anti-Semitism, racism, and xenophobia. Responsibility for the violence that occurred in Charlottesville, including the death of Heather Heyer, does not lie with many sides but with one side: the Nazis, alt-right and white supremacists who brought their hate to a peaceful community. They must be roundly condemned at all levels.

The High Holy Days are a season of t’shuvah for us all, an opportunity for each of us to examine our own words and deeds through the lens of America’s ongoing struggle with racism. Our tradition teaches us that humanity is fallible yet also capable of change. We pray that President Trump will recognize and remedy the grave error he has made in abetting the voices of hatred. We pray that those who traffic in anti-Semitism, racism, and xenophobia will see that there is no place for such pernicious philosophies in a civilized society. And we pray that 5778 will be a year of peace for all.

Central Conference of American Rabbis
The Rabbinical Assembly
Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association
Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism

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 of the Western Wall, this morning, in violation of an Israeli Supreme Court order forbidding such searches.

Reform rabbis take this incident personally: The women who were violated and dishonored are our future colleagues.

The searches constitute violations of fundamental Jewish values of tzniut (modesty) and kavod(honor), violations committed in service of an unjustified prohibition against women bringing Torah scrolls and tallitot to the Kotel.

The Central Conference of American Rabbis commends Cantor Tamar Havilio of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and Rabbi Gilad Gariv, Executive Director of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism, for their efforts to protect the female students’ dignity. We stand in full support of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, its students and faculty, and its President, Rabbi Aaron Panken.

We call for an immediate apology, and for the appropriate discipline of Rabbi Rabinowitz and the security personnel who carried out these immoral, unnecessary, and undignified searches.

Rabbi David Stern                             Rabbi Steven A. Fox
President                                           Chief Executive

Central Conference of American Rabbis

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 to differentiate Neo-Nazis, Ku Klux Klansmen, and white supremacists of the self-proclaimed “Alt-Right,” on the one hand, from those who stood up to that threat and an imaginary “Alt-Left,” on the other, only encourages racist, anti-Semitic, and xenophobic hate-mongers to continue their reign of terror.

Reform rabbis across America and around the world join in solidarity with our colleagues in Charlottesville and the community they serve. We are grateful to Alan Zimmerman, President of Congregation Beth Israel in Charlottesville, for eloquently sharing the congregation’s story with the world. That community bravely gathered on Shabbat to serve God and humanity in an atmosphere that no Jewish community has ever faced in this country, reminiscent of Germany as Nazis were coming to power.

We grieve with all who mourn the death of Heather Heyer. May her memory be a blessing to the loving family and community she leaves behind. We pray for the healing of all who were injured. We pray for our country, that it may once again reflect the words of its first President, George Washington, who wrote to the Jews of Newport, Rhode Island, “Happily, the government of the United States gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.”

Rabbi David Stern                             Rabbi Steven A. Fox
President                                           Chief Executive

Central Conference of American Rabbis

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 learn from the great rabbi Hillel: “In a place where nobody is human, strive for humanity.” This weekend, Charlottesville was not devoid of humanity. Brave men and women gathered in that city to stand up to vile rhetoric that would dehumanize Americans of color, Jews, immigrants, and others who are deemed less than rightfully American by neo-Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan, and others who make up the hateful “alt-right” movement that is the scourge of America in 2017.

Our rabbinic Conference is proud of our Charlottesville colleagues who stood among diverse clergy to create safe space near the violence and hatred today. Those men and women of faith strove for humanity in a place where the divine image was threatened by words, by clubs, and by an automobile wielded as a terrorist’s weapon.

Reform rabbis join our colleague, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, in calling upon the President of the United States to stand up to inhumanity unequivocally. Rabbi Jacobs wrote, “We commend the opening of President Trump’s statement condemning the ‘egregious display of hatred bigotry and violence’ but are deeply troubled by the moral equivalence evident in President Trump’s statement today. White supremacists wielding Nazi flags and spewing racist vitriol need to be specifically condemned, not only violence and hate ‘on many sides.'”

Reform rabbis stand ready to protect the freedom even of those who would deploy American freedom of speech and assembly in an attempt to spread despicable racist hatred. We fervently pray that those who rioted against American diversity this weekend will repent of their racist hatred and violence, and join with all decent Americans who celebrate the humanity of every person in this great land.

Reform rabbis pledge our words and our actions to combat racism, anti-Semitism, and xenophobia.

Reform rabbis pray for that messianic future foretold by our prophets, when “all shall sit under their vine and fig tree, with none to make them afraid.”

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 do so openly; and, more recently, since evidence led to a change in Defense Department policy to welcome transgender Americans in service. The President’s policy reversal announced today is not only discriminatory; it is an unpatriotic slap in the face of transgender military members.

Reform rabbis affirm our conviction that a humanity created in God’s image includes all people, wherever they may locate themselves on the full, broad spectrum of gender identities.

Reform rabbis urge the President to reverse this discriminatory act. We renew our demand that Congress adopt and the President sign the Equality Act, to prevent discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity throughout the United States.

Rabbi David Stern                             Rabbi Steven A. Fox
President                                          Chief Executive

Central Conference of American Rabbis

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 to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary.

The murder of members of a Jewish family sitting down to Shabbat dinner is a horrific crime and an unspeakable tragedy, regardless of where they live.  We are saddened too by circumstances that result in the justified taking of life, such as the death of the assailant who sought to kill an Israeli Embassy guard in Amman, Jordan. Escalation of violence in Israel, the Occupied Territories, and Jordan endangers Jews and Arabs alike.

Reform rabbis call on Prime Minister Netanyahu to work with Muslim, Palestinian, and Jordanian authorities to deescalate the violent crisis. Israel must ensure the safety of all at the Temple Mount/Noble Sanctuary in a way that avoids unnecessary provocation.  We urge Jordan’s King Abdullah to permit the return to Israel of the Israeli Embassy guard who killed an assailant in self-defense. We call on the United States government to play an active role in striving to bring peace to Israel, the Palestinian people, and the Middle East.

We pray for a cessation of senseless bloodshed. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Rabbi David Stern                             Rabbi Steven A. Fox
President                                          Chief Executive

Central Conference of American Rabbis

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 to the Temple Mount, holy to Jews for 3000 years and revered by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, home to Islam’s Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque.

In praising this murderous act, Hamas terrorists lay bare their indifference to their own people who were endangered as they gathered for Friday prayers nearby. 

As Shabbat approaches, we join with the families of the murdered officers, their Israeli Druze communities, and all the people of Israel in mourning. We ask all to join us in praying for the peace of Jerusalem.

Rabbi David Stern                             Rabbi Steven A. Fox
President                                          Chief Executive

Central Conference of American Rabbis