Philadelphia Jewish Voice - JSPAN

Attorney Bonin Briefs JSPAN Board on Redistricting, Voter ID

Contributing Writer — Sat, 04 May 2013 20:04:40 GMT

(JSPAN) Attorney Adam C. Bonin presented an update on Pennsylvania election law to the Jewish Social Policy Action Network's Board of Directors at its regular meeting last month. Bonin focused on pending redistricting and voter identification litigation. Both issues are currently before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.

Bonin, a member of the JSPAN Board of Directors, provided an overview of the process by which redistricting is accomplished for state and federal elections in Pennsylvania, what role is played by the Pennsylvania Legislative Reapportionment Commission and which Constitutional provisions come into play. He also traced the history of litigation with respect to interpretations of key provisions of the state Constitution and explained how these likely may impact redistricting decisions currently before the Court.

More after the jump.
As Bonin explained, both cases involve sensitive legal as well as political questions, complicated by a current vacancy on the Supreme Court and the upcoming November 2014 general election. The lively discussion, aided by the participation of former State Representative (and JSPAN Board Member) Babette Josephs, went into great detail as to the ways in which maps can be tailored towards partisan ends.

A new century with new guns, needs new gun laws.

Publisher — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 02:49:57 GMT

(JSPAN) The Jewish Social Policy Action Network strongly supports federal and Pennsylvania state
legislation as well as municipal ordinances designed to reduce the incidence of gun violence in our state and nation.

Each year more than 30,000 Americans die from senseless gun violence. Each day men, women and
children - mothers, brothers, sisters, children, family, neighbors, and friends - are taken from us as a
result of our inability to advance common-sense firearms regulations.

More after the jump including video of the 20/20 Special "If I Only Had A Gun"
JSPAN has a long-standing concern with the easy access to non-hunting firearms in the United States. The recent mass shootings of students and teachers in Connecticut, movie goers in Colorado, members of the Sikh community at their house of worship in Wisconsin, and other armed attacks on both civilians and law enforcement officials throughout our nation, dramatically underscore the urgent need for more effective measures.

We are reminded that Jewish tradition emphasizes the sanctity and primary value of all human life. The Bible commands us, "Thou shalt not murder" (Exodus 20:13). The Talmud furthermore teaches us

"he who takes one life it is as though he has destroyed the universe and he who saves one life it is as though he has saved the universe." (Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5)

As the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism tells us, "The number and severity of violent shootings in recent years can only be described as an epidemic." As in any other epidemic, it is society's collective responsibility to take measures to alleviate the pain, suffering and loss of life it causes.

We recognize an individual's right to obtain and possess firearms, but that right is not without reasonable limitations. In the opinion of the Supreme Court of the United States in District of Columbia v. Heller, Justice Antonin Scalia states:

"Like most rights, the right secured by the Second Amendment is not unlimited. It is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose ... Nothing in our opinion should be taken to cast doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms ... We also recognize another important limitation on the right to keep and carry arms. Miller (an earlier case) said, as we have explained, that the sorts of weapons protected were those 'in common use at the time.' We think that limitation is fairly supported by the historical tradition of prohibiting the carrying of 'dangerous and unusual weapons.'"

The Court recognizes long-standing judicial precedent "... to consider... prohibitions on carrying concealed weapons."

The Jewish Social Policy Action Network joins with numerous other faith- based and social policy bodies in calling for Congress and state legislative bodies to take prompt and decisive action to advance sensible gun control laws, including, but not limited to, taking assault weapons off our streets and out of the hands of those who have no legitimate purpose in owning such firearms, and by greatly improving our system of background checks for gun purchasers.

We also call attention to numerous remedies on the state legislative level, including the requirement that the loss or theft of a firearm be reported to law enforcement agencies, and limits on the purchase of specified firearms to one per month.

We welcome the call for a renewal of the ban on nineteen assault weapons passed in 1994, but allowed to expire when it came up for reauthorization in 2004.

Furthermore, we applaud efforts to limit the sales of high-capacity ammunition magazines, which can enable a shooter to fire off dozens of rounds of ammunition without having to reload. Weapons such as these have been used in several mass shootings.

JSPAN decries the opposition by the gun lobby to improved background checks for those who wish to purchase firearms. Both advocates and independent researchers say that such a measure would have a greater impact on gun violence than any other step under consideration. Approximately 90 percent of those polled in several public surveys support background checks. Currently, criminal background checks are required only for guns sold through licensed firearm dealers, which account for only 60 percent of all gun sales in the United States. The current system also allows those not "engaged in the business" of gun selling to sell firearms without a license or without filing any paperwork whatsoever.

We applaud those measures taken by Pennsylvania to end the so-called Florida loophole, in which residents of our state who are not eligible to purchase guns in Pennsylvania are able to buy guns in Florida and then legally possess them here in their home state.

We hope that the courageous examples of support for strong gun controls set by some of our federal and state legislators will serve as an example for other elected officials. We call upon all of our legislators to pay attention to their consciences and to pass legislation to make all people residing in our nation safer from gun violence.

20/20 Special: "If I Only Had A Gun"

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Welcoming The Stranger

Publisher — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 02:07:18 GMT

The Jewish Social Policy Action Network (JSPAN) has issued its 4th Haggadah Supplement entitled Welcoming the Stranger to the Land. According to JSPAN Vice-President and Philadelphia Jewish Voice board member Kenneth Meyers:

We were immigrants in Egypt. And we have been immigrants many times since then, until we achieved citizenship on American soil. The Seder is a time to reflect on our experience and the plight of others who have not yet achieved their freedoms here. Millions of undocumented immigrants have no path to citizenship or the full freedoms we take for granted. Consider what their status forever does to their lives, and how we can help them and America fulfill our common aspirations.

Links to JSPAN's previous issue oriented Haggadah supplements follow the jump.
Each year, the Jewish Social Policy Action Network develops issue oriented material each year you can use to enrich your seder. Supplements to the traditional Haggadah relate the biblical story of the Exodus to current events and issues.

The 2012 Freedom Supplement, comprised of 16 pages with illustrations, is now available without charge. The Freedom Seder Supplement celebrates emerging freedom movements around the world with poems, texts and prayers. Editors Stephen C. Sussman Esq. and Kenneth R. Myers Esq. have drawn from far-ranging sources, from Lord Byron to Tibet. Each of the readings includes suggestions keying it into the traditional Seder service.
In 2010 JSPAN released its first Supplement, entitled We were strangers, on the theme of immigration in history and in the United States.
In 2011 the JSPAN Supplement, This is the bread of poverty, brought the focus to hunger here and around the world. The 2012 "Freedom Seder" takes up the human longing for freedom that is spreading around the globe, and concludes with four resolutions that we as American Jews can meaningfully adopt.

JCPA to Host "National Hunger Seder" at US Capitol

Amir — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 16:36:43 GMT

The Jewish Council for Public Affairs and MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger will host Members of Congress, Administration officials, school children, and other national faith, anti-hunger and anti-poverty leaders for the National Hunger Seder on March 20, 2013 at the US Capitol Visitor's Center.

The National Hunger Seder is an adaptation of the traditional Passover Seder, telling the story of the Exodus with emphasis on the moral imperative to end hunger in America. The National Hunger Seder is the kick off to the 5th Annual MAZON/JCPA Hunger Seder Mobilization taking place in 27 communities around the country, which are designed to encourage participants to advocate to restore the 5.1% cut to the WIC program mandated by the sequester.

After the jump: JSPAN issues a Haggadah Supplement on immigration.
Participants in the National Hunger Seder Include:

Rep. David Cicilline (RI-1)
Rep. Ted Deutch (FL-21)
Rep. Jim McGovern (MA-2)
Officials from the White House, the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Health and Human Services
Representatives from National WIC Association, Food Research and Action Center, Congressional Hunger Center, Alliance to End Hunger, Center for American Progress, Bread for the World, National Council of Churches, US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Islamic Relief, American Jewish World Service, Bend the Arc, National Council of Jewish Women, The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, JCPA, MAZON, Jewish Primary Day School and more.

Meanwhile, the Jewish Social Policy Action Network (JSPAN) issued a Haggadah Supplement titled Welcoming the Stranger to the Land. "We were immigrants in Egypt. And we have been immigrants many times since then, until we achieved citizenship on American soil", said Kenneth Myers, JSPAN's Vice President.

The Seder is a time to reflect on our experience and the plight of others who have not yet achieved their freedoms here. Millions of undocumented immigrants have no path to citizenship or the full freedoms we take for granted. Consider what their status forever does to their lives, and how we can help them and America fulfill our common aspirations.

The Supplement can be viewed and downloaded here.

JSPAN Joins Briefs In U.S. Supreme Court Same-Sex Marriage Cases

Contributing Writer — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 08:38:07 GMT

— by Lynn Zeitlin, JSPAN Past President

There are two cases before the United States Supreme Court involving same-sex marriage. We are pleased to announce that JSPAN has joined the two amici briefs for which the ADL was the lead amicus.

One brief was filed in support of Edith Windsor, who challenged the constitutionality of Section 3 of the federal Defense of Marriage Act ("DOMA"), after being denied treatment as a surviving spouse under federal estate tax and other laws despite having been legally married in Canada. Section 3 of DOMA amends the United States Code to define "marriage' and "spouse" for federal laws, rules and regulations as follows: "the word 'marriage' means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife and the word 'spouse' refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or wife."

More after the jump.
The brief JSPAN signed makes the argument that Section 3 of DOMA violates not only the Fifth Amendment's guarantee of Equal Protection but also the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The brief points out that numerous religious denominations recognize marriages between two men and two women and points out that the Establishment Clause prohibits laws that favor a particular religious view over others and does not have a secular purpose as its primary purpose or effect. The brief argues that DOMA had only a religious purpose that flies in the face of longstanding Establishment Clause principles and is therefore unconstitutional. The Fifth Amendment argument is grounded in the absence of any legitimate governmental purpose in enacting DOMA so that the only motivation for its passage was moral disapproval of gay and lesbian people, which has never been a sufficient rationale for justifying a law that discriminates, citing Justice O'Connor's concurrence in the Lawrence v. Texas case that overturned a Texas law criminalizing gay sex practices.

The second brief joined by JSPAN is in the case out of California popularly known as the Prop 8 case. In May 2008, the California Supreme Court ruled that the California law barring same-sex couples from marrying violated the state's constitution. In November that same year, Proposition 8 was passed by voters; it defined marriage as between one man and one woman. The brief makes the same point as the Windsor brief, pointing out that the Court no longer relies on religious or moral disapproval as a legitimate basis for any law. Thus, the brief argues, laws that discriminate against historically disadvantaged minorities have been rejected by the courts as societal support for discrimination.

CeaseFirePA Executive Director Speaks to JSPAN Board

Amir — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 12:35:49 GMT

Last September, Sami Rahamim's father was killed in a mass shooting in Minneapolis. Now, he's doing everything he can to reduce gun violence and keep our communities safer.

He's hoping his story will help inspire action from Congress — and from people like you.

Shira Goodman, Executive Director of CeaseFirePA, addressed the JSPAN Board of Directors at its February monthly meeting.

JSPAN Vice President Burt Siegel, who also chairs the organization's Gun Control Policy Center, introduced the guest speaker. JSPAN is currently working in coalition with CeaseFirePA and other organizations to press our legislators to adopt better gun controls.

Goodman, an attorney, assumed the position of CeaseFirePA Executive Director in October 2012, after serving for three years as Deputy Director of Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts. During his introduction, Siegel referred to a recent piece in The Jewish Daily Forward reporting that the National Rifle Association had compiled a list of its "enemies," and that the list "reads like a Jewish Who's Who" and included individuals, organizations, media outlets and corporations that have provided support to anti-gun organizations, including the ADL, the American Jewish Committee, B'nai B'rith and Hadassah.

More after the jump.
Goodman began her presentation with a brief overview of CeaseFirePA's mission, but quickly focused on immediate policy prescriptions including what's "doable." She stressed the importance of contacting representatives at both state and federal levels. Goodman reported that Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane had recently announced that she had successfully negotiated and signed an agreement with the state of Florida to close the "Florida loophole," which has allowed Pennsylvania gun owners to obtain nonresident permits from Florida to carry a concealed weapon in Pennsylvania.

Goodman also told the Board how important it is that the background check system for buying guns be improved. She stated that Pennsylvania is ahead of the curve in this regard because it is now sharing the names of people with a history of mental illness with the national background-check system that would prevent them from purchasing guns. However, she also noted that the state has failed to participate fully in the national background-check system. Goodman stated that it should also be mandatory that all lost and stolen guns be reported and that CeaseFirePA had been advocating for the passage of state legislation on lost-and-stolen guns for several years.

Goodman said that several pieces of legislation intended to reduce gun violence will be introduced shortly both in Washington and Harrisburg and that she would make sure that JSPAN is kept informed about these developments. She reminded the board that the vast majority of Americans support background checks and ways to limit easy access to firearms, and that it is important that JSPAN and other organizations as well as individuals tell elected officials to take steps to reduce gun violence.

JSPAN Supports Assault Weapons Ban

Contributing Writer — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 03:49:02 GMT

— by the staff of The Jewish Social Policy Action Network

We are deeply saddened by the tragedy that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Our immediate thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. This horror reinforces the urgent need to ensure that common-sense gun control laws are in place to help reduce these kinds of incidents.

More after the jump.
As a first step, JSPAN supports legislation to get the weapons of war off our streets by reinstituting the ban on assault weapons that Congress wrongly allowed to expire in 2004. Congress and state legislative bodies should also immediately act to eliminate the gun show loophole and to ban the sale, transfer, transportation and possession of large clips, drums or strips of more than 10 bullets.

Because we recognize that these immediate actions will not solve the larger issue of gun violence in our society, JSPAN is resolved to continue to work in coalition with other organizations such as CeaseFirePA and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. We demand that sensible changes in public policy take place to promote an America where everyone is safe at home, at school, at work and in our communities.

We urge you to share this resolution with your Facebook friends and colleagues. We also urge everyone to phone the White House Switchboard - 202-456-1414 or 202-456-1111 and tell the comment operator that you want the President to push legislation to ban assault weapons and high capacity ammunition magazines.

JSPAN Presents 2012 Social Justice Award to Dr. Ernest Kahn

Publisher — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 03:42:00 GMT

On December 4, JSPAN presented its 2012 Social Justice Award to Dr. Ernest Kahn. Dr. Kahn has served the Jewish Community in numerous capacities, including Director of Community Planning, Associate Executive Vice President and acting Executive Vice President of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. The award was presented to Dr. Kahn by the co-chairs of the event, David Gutin and Burt Siegel. Dr. Kahn expressed his deep appreciation for the award not only on his own behalf, but as recognition of the contribution made by professionals to the wider Jewish community.

Also addressing the gathering was Professor Michael Reisch, Daniel Thursz Professor of Social Justice at the University of Maryland. Dr. Reisch spoke on "The Implications of the Election for the Future of Social Welfare in the U.S." Professor Reisch observed a need for a change in the discourse in both Washington and in the states about funding of social services and advanced the idea that the word "entitlements" — so much a part of the controversy over budget and deficits — is really a misnomer since all employees and self employed pay into Social Security and Medicare during their working years.

Volunteers Wanted to Help Voters Meet New Photo ID Mandate

Publisher — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 13:07:05 GMT

While we await a final ruling on Pennsylvania's Voter ID law, we must assume the worse and try to mitigate the damage by minimizing the number of voters disenfranchised by the law.

(JSPAN) The Pennsylvania Voter ID Coalition is continuing to canvass for residents who do not have photo identification that meets the new requirements to vote on election day. The Coalition is transporting those people to Department of Motor Vehicles license centers to apply for the necessary ID. You can volunteer to help by phone banking, joining the canvass, providing transportation, or greeting and assisting people at the license centers. - Ed.

JSPAN Joins Brief In Voter ID Case

Publisher — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 10:42:03 GMT

JSPAN and nine other non-profit agencies joined in brief amicus curiae to the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court in the pending challenge to the "Photo ID Law" enacted in Pennsylvania earlier this year.

The case was launched by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of Viviette Applewhite and other voters who will be burdened by the new law. Applewhite, a 93 year old voter who has never driven a car, cast her first vote for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. There appears to be no record of her at the Motor Vehicle Bureau. Because she was born in another state, there is no birth certificate on file in Pennsylvania either. Before she can vote again, the Photo ID Law would require her to produce a birth certificate or other specific documentation to an office of the Motor Vehicle Bureau to convince that agency to issue her photo identification.

Applewhite and thousands of others like her face serious difficulty under the Photo ID Law. For many elderly people, the need to travel to a motor vehicle bureau and document their entitlement to a photo ID is a significant burden. For many others, securing the necessary voter ID before election day will prove to be impractical or even impossible.

The amicus curiae brief reflects extensive research on the disparate impact of the law on several hundred thousand elder voters who do not have the specific current photo identification called for in order to vote. The right to vote, the amicus brief argues, is a sacred right and is the foundation of democracy, quoting Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has stated that free and equal elections, guaranteed by the state constitution, preclude registration requirements that are so difficult as to amount to a denial of the right to vote. By requiring a registered voter who has no driver's license — or whose license has expired — to travel to a state office, provide a birth certificate or other specified documentation, and secure the specific photo ID — the law especially burdens and discriminates against the elderly.

For further perspective see The Los Angeles Times, and the amicus brief.

Abington Memorial Hospital Should Not Kneel to Church Dogma

Publisher — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 11:45:01 GMT

— by Ken Myers, Esq.

On its Facebook page, the Abington Memorial Hospital identifies itself as a not for profit institution, as follows:

Abington Health is a not-for-profit, regional healthcare provider serving residents of Montgomery, Bucks & parts of Philadelphia counties, comprised of Abington Memorial Hospital, Lansdale Hospital, two outpatient campuses & Abington Health Physicians.
Mission: Abington Health is dedicated to improving the quality of life for all by fostering healing, easing suffering, and promoting wellness in a culture of safety, learning and respect.
Abington Health will be the most trusted health care partner, consistently exceeding expectations for care, comfort and communication."

Presumably because "Abington Health" is regulated by the state as a hospital, it is not listed in the Pennsylvania Department of State charitable registration system. But it has received any number of public benefits typical of non-profits:

Property tax exemption — Abington and Lower Moreland, to name just two of the townships in which it operates, have allowed the hospital to remove large parcels of land from the tax base to enlarge its operations.
Municipal services beyond those extended to others, such as vacating streets and changing traffic patterns to accommodate the hospital.
Volunteer workers without pay — community people provide untold hours of volunteer services to the hospital, greeting and helping to move and handle patients.
Abington Day — a fund raising event supported by the community every year.

Over the ninety years that this modest local hospital transformed — with these public benefits — into a large institution, the public has bestowed its gifts on the assumption that this is a non-sectarian institution.

The strength of Abington Memorial Hospital contrasts with the smaller nearby Catholic hospital, Holy Redeemer, that it now seeks to attach to its health system. Certainly no small part of the development of Abington Memorial is attributable to its appeal as a non-sectarian institution rendering community service based on medical and ethical principles, not religious dogma.

By accepting religious dogma as a limit on its medical service, Abington Health breaks a covenant with all those donors and public officials who have supported it and its non-sectarian mission.

By imposing its religious dogma on Abington health as a condition of a commercial transaction, the Church violates a key principle of American law and practice. Religions are free here to promote their beliefs and practices by virtually every means but not by coercion.

Governments — federal, state and local — are barred by the Constitution from coercing religious practice. Non-governmental enterprises including charities are barred by statute from coercing their employees to follow religious dogma. Non-governmental enterprises that accommodate the public — including hospitals — are barred by statute from discriminating against people on the basis of their religion. This includes refusal or unwillingness to participate in abortion or sterilization procedures, consistent with competent medical care.

In this case, the Catholic Church is coercing Abington Health to discriminate against all women who do not share the church dogma regarding their reproductive rights.

Seeking to add more "catchment area" to its substantial geographic influence, Abington Health is agreeing to impose this coercion on those who are caught!
Ken Myers is a member of the board of JSPAN.

JSPAN applauds the ACA decision by U.S. Supreme Court

JSPAN — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 19:32:34 GMT

The Jewish Social Policy Action Network is thrilled that the Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, most specifically the mandate for individuals to buy health insurance. The reasoning used in Chief Justice Roberts' decision is totally consistent with the argument we presented in our amicus brief — specifically that the mandate and penalty are essentially a tax, which Congress has the constitutional right to impose. This is an important step in providing high quality, affordable health care for all Americans. The ACA, whose implementation depended on the mandate in exchange for the health insurance industry's agreement to stop using pre-existing conditions to deny coverage or make it unaffordable, will now progress to create manifold other changes in the health insurance and health delivery systems. JSPAN will remain vigilant in assuring the implementation of the Act, including the national and state levels.

More after the jump.
We will keep our members informed about the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's acceptance of the ACA's expansion of Medicaid to families earning up to 133% of the poverty level, almost entirely with federal funding, potentially insuring 500,000 more Pennsylvanians, and will monitor the state's establishment of its Health Care Exchange starting in 2014.

Ezekiel Emanuel Optimistic on US Healthcare Future

Publisher — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 01:35:45 GMT

— by Deborah Weinstein

The Jewish Social Action Policy Network held its 2012 Annual Meeting at the Pyramid Club in Center City Philadelphia on June 6, 2012. Guest speaker, bioethicist Ezekiel J. Emanuel, M.D., Ph.D., captivated his audience with the many reasons he is "optimistic about the future of the American healthcare system" and why he believes that it will be "vastly improved" by the end of the decade.

More after the jump.
Dr. Emanuel expressed confidence that the U.S. Supreme Court will find the Affordable Care Act constitutional when the Justices hand down their decision on the healthcare reform law later this month. In his view, there is "No doubt it is constitutional." "Legally, this is an open and shut case," he said.

The Court can and, he believes, will uphold the Act on grounds relating to the Necessary and Proper Clause, the Commerce Clause and the federal government's taxing powers. Extolling the landmark passage of the Act by Congress (which he helped to craft), Emanuel traced what he described as "100 years of effort" by former U.S. Presidents and others to reform the country's healthcare system.

The new chair of the Department of Medical Ethics at the University of Pennsylvania and Vice-Provost for Global Initiatives, Emanuel is also an Op-Ed contributor to The New York Times and founding chair of the Department of Bioethics at the National Institute of Health. During the Obama administration's development of the Affordable Care Act, he served as a Special Advisor on Health Policy to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and on the National Economic Council.

Dr. Emanuel began his remarks by focusing on the magnitude of the cost of the country's healthcare system, which he said is the largest in the world. According to Emanuel, in 2010, the country spent $2.6 trillion dollars on healthcare, up to 50 per cent more per person than the two other highest-spending countries, Norway and Switzerland. The level of U.S. healthcare spending makes it the fifth largest economy in the world. It is growing by $100 million every year.

Despite this level of spending, Emanuel dubbed the quality of healthcare in this country as "average, no matter how you measure it." "On no metric is this a healthcare system we should be proud of," he said. It is a system that "doesn't cover 50 million Americans" and where there is a 20 per cent chance of re-admission to a hospital within 30 days after discharge. This, he said, is both "indefensible" and "unacceptable."

Viewing the present time as a "transition period when there is a lot of uncertainty and change," Dr. Emanuel believes the system will be vastly improved by 2020. He envisions a healthcare system of the future that will be more cost conscious, more focused on higher quality of care and designed to provide less unnecessary care. He predicted that the healthcare system in this country will do a better job of coordinating care and rely on improved metrics about quality of care and assessment of doctors. "Comparative effectiveness research," he said, "will provide us with better understanding of what treatments work. We have examples of systems that work" and know "solutions exist already." The challenges going forward as Dr. Emanuel sees it will be to "invent ways to replicate solutions."

At the conclusion of his presentation, Dr. Emanuel took questions from the audience, including long-time JSPAN members and guests. JSPAN Board President Brian Gralnick and incoming President Lynn Zeitlin, Esquire, concluded the formal portion of the program with a brief discussion of JSPAN, what its mission is as an organization, the impact it has already had, and how it plans to expand its reach in the future. President Zeitlin also recognized outgoing Board Treasurer Stephen Applebaum and JSPAN Policy Center Chair Susan Myers for their valuable contributions and diligent work for the organization.

First Circuit Court Finds Defense of Marriage Act Unconstitutional

Publisher — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 03:15:28 GMT

Reprinted courtesy of the Jewish Social Policy Action Network.

A unanimous three-judge panel of the First Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that there is no justification for the Defense of Marriage Act to disallow recognition to a same-sex couple legally married under Massachusetts law. The court's reasoning follows the arguments advanced in JSPAN's amicus curiae brief. Primary credit for the content of our brief goes to Philadelphia Jewish Voice Board Member Prof. Perry Dane of Rutgers Law School, an active member of the JSPAN Church-State Policy Center. Our strongest congratulations to Perry!

The court applied "intensified scrutiny" to DOMA's treatment of minorities that are subject to discrepant treatment generally. Finding no federal interest that adequately justifies the statute, the court ruled that DOMA denies equal protection to gays and must be struck down.

Links

Court's opinion.
Analysis by JSPAN Board member Adam Bonin.
JSPAN amicus curiae brief.

Join JSPAN For An Inside Look At Healthcare Reform

Publisher — Thu, 31 May 2012 11:11:49 GMT

Don't miss your opportunity to hear a White House insider's view of the future of American healthcare. A top healthcare insider is coming to The Pyramid Club on June 6 to address JSPAN and you can be there.

Who: Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, ex-White House advisor on healthcare (also brother of the Mayor of Chicago), will speak on the future of healthcare reform and American medicine.

Emanuel, Chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania, is well known on the Op-Ed page of the New York Times and in the media. He headed healthcare at the White House Office of Management and Budget in 2009-10, during the design and Congressional passage of the Affordable Care Act.

When: The event is at 7:30 pm on Wednesday June 6.

Where: The Pyramid Club, 1735 Market Street, Philadelphia. With a great dessert buffet, the cost is $10 (free to JSPAN members with 2012 dues paid). Discount parking is available.

RSVP Required: jspan@jspan.org or phone 215-635-2554.

Exposing Political Myths of Today

Publisher — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:12:39 GMT

— by Burt Siegel, JSPAN Board Member

Myths give comfort to people, groups and entire societies. Usually they confirm pre-existing notions and prejudices. Today an all-encompassing political debate is being waged over the belief, cherished by some, that a full economic recovery is prevented by "job killing governmental interference" of the Obama Administration, including "bail outs," extension of unemployment benefits, the proposed return of higher taxes for the ultra wealthy, and even efforts to reign in some more egregious excesses of the financial sector.

Politicians like to quote eighteenth century economist Adam Smith regarding the benefit of the "invisible hand of the market place." The problem is that Smith never once said or wrote that. While he did speak of the invisible hands that impact on economies, he was not an advocate of a system in which government totally absented itself from a nation's financial health. In fact, he observed "we find the workings of the vile maxim of the masters of mankind of all for ourselves, and nothing for other people deeply troubling." "The invisible hand," he wrote, "destroys the possibility of a decent human existence, unless government takes pains to prevent this outcome, as must be assured in every improved and civilized society. It destroys community, the environment, and human values generally."

Thomas Jefferson is also often quoted — actually misquoted — by those who wish to replace allegedly socialist leaning President Obama. Several have associated themselves with Jefferson's stated belief that "the government is best that governs least." The problem is that they are actually quoting Henry David Thoreau. Jefferson was certainly not a fan of an overreaching government. In fact, he asserted "The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive. It will often be exercised when wrong, better so than not to be exercised at all. I like a little rebellion now and then." But once Jefferson ascended to the Presidency he developed a much greater appreciation of governmental involvement. In his first inaugural he called for ''a wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another'' but otherwise he felt they should be left to regulate their own affairs. As president he strongly supported using federal funds to promote education, he proposed the establishment of a national university system, and he wanted government to fund scientific research as well as large transportation projects that exceeded the capacities of individuals or the states. Unfortunately international tensions prevented such expenditures.

More after the jump.
Our nation's history indicates long standing, consistently high support for federal intervention for economic assistance, as well as to help meet social needs. In the early nineteenth century farmers lobbied our government to build roads and canals to enable them to bring their products to market. Taxpayer's dollars were spent to assist the rural farmer and help feed the city dweller. The burgeoning industries that flourished after the civil war used their growing political clout to convince the federal government to give land to the railroad industry, and lobbied Congress to set high tariffs to protect American business from foreign competition. In 1907, in response to a major financial crisis, Republican President Theodore Roosevelt intervened to reduce the interest banks were charging. Roosevelt announced "every man holds his property subject to the general right of the community to regulate it to whatever degree the public welfare may require it." Under Republican as well as Democratic presidents, the "heavy hand of government" has inserted itself into our economy. In 1971 President Richard Nixon imposed wage and price controls to combat inflation. At first this move was widely applauded by the public and supported by many business leaders. It also greatly contributed to the practice of employers giving health insurance to their workers in lieu of increased salaries.

Rather than blame the recent economic downturn on governmental intervention, we should look at governmental irresponsibility. A major contributing factor to our current financial crisis leads us to the Reagan Administration, which initiated a major rollback in government regulation of key industries including the banking and insurance sectors. Time after time we have seen that it is rare for any industry, left to its own devices, to regulate itself at the cost of maximizing profits. Most captains of industry prefer to honor responsibility to their investors (which of course includes them to a large measure). The most substantial change in the tax code in US history arose during the Reagan Administration. The top marginal individual income tax rate fell from 70.1% to 28.4% and there was a major reversal in the tax treatment of business income. The primary effect of the new tax code was a change in the composition of tax revenue, toward payroll and new investment, and away from higher earners and people with large capital gains. Payroll tax revenue rose in 1981 while the cut on the tax rate on unearned income reduced the maximum capital gains rate to just 20%--its lowest level since the Hoover Administration. Tax rates on capital gains were set at the same level as the rates on ordinary income such as salaries and wages, both capped at 28 percent. This was a double benefit to those who enjoyed both high earnings and capital gains, such as fortunate corporate officers with maturing stock options.

Today the gap between the tax liabilities of the über-wealthy and the shrinking middle class would stun many twentieth century leaders who understood the responsibilities of the very wealthy. In the 1987 film Wall Street, when the fictional Gordon Gekko uttered his "greed is good" remark, it was purposely intended to revolt audiences. But today might it be the mantra of those powerful forces that are working to shrink the government and its safety net.

Pennsylvania Redistricting Take 2

Publisher — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 02:29:52 GMT

Reprinted courtesy of the Jewish Social Policy Action Network

A new set of district maps for the Pennsylvania House and Senate was proposed on April 12, 2012, by the Legislative Reapportionment Commission. In response to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania's ruling in February in Holt v. LRC, the Commission proposed new maps with fewer divisions of counties and municipalities. A thirty-day period is provided for members of the public to testify at a hearing on May 2 or to file written comments with respect to the proposed maps. JSPAN and the Philadelphia Jewish Voice are members of a coalition of non-profit agencies and individuals studying the newly proposed districts. We invite your comments and suggestions.

LRC Press Release After the Jump

Video continues at LRC website.
Legislative Reapportionment Commission Press Release

On Thursday, April 12, 2012, the 2011 Legislative Reapportionment Commission, by a majority vote, approved and filed with the Secretary of State a Preliminary Reapportionment Plan for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. A copy of the Preliminary Plan is located on the Commission's website.

In accordance with Article II, Section 17(c), of the Pennsylvania Constitution, all persons aggrieved by the Preliminary Plan must file exceptions with the Commission within thirty days of the April 12, 2012 filing date. All exceptions must be in writing and contain the name of the individual, a signature, mailing address, and daytime telephone number. Individuals who wish to submit an alternative plan with their written exceptions to the Commission are requested to file a paper copy, and, if that alternative plan is prepared using computer software, a copy of the
"shapefile" of that plan. Written exceptions to the Preliminary Plan must be received by the
Commission on or before 5:00 p.m. on May 14, 2012.
Written exceptions submitted in a traditional format may be mailed to: Charles E. O'Connor, Jr., Esquire, Executive Director, 2011 Legislative Reapportionment Commission, 104 North Office Building, Harrisburg, PA 17120

Individuals who wish to file written exceptions via email are requested to use "Contact Us" link located at the bottom of the home page of the Pennsylvania Redistricting Website at and, in the first line of the message, type the word "EXCEPTION."

The exception may thereafter be typed directly into the "Message" box or electronically attached
using the "Message Attachments" box.

A public hearing will also be held on May 2, 2012 at 2:00p.m., in Hearing Room #1, North Office Building, Harrisburg, PA 17120 to receive any comments on the Preliminary Plan. Please note that individuals who file written exceptions to the plan and wish to present their exceptions at this hearing shall also make a request to be scheduled for that presentation at the public hearing. Please call (717) 705-6339 for additional information.

Issue Oriented Seders: On Passover Hunger Is Not A Game

Publisher — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 22:18:10 GMT

Let all who are hungry come and eat.

With 1 in 6 Americans struggling to put nutritious food on the table every day, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) and MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger hosted Members of Congress, Administration officials, and national faith and anti-poverty leaders at the National Hunger Seder at the U.S. Capitol Visitor's Center. Seder participants made the case for protecting and strengthening funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) as legislators begin to negotiate the 2012 Farm Bill Reauthorization.

SNAP and MAZON have also developed a version of the 2012 Hunger Seder you can using in your own home to promote "hunger awareness and activism.

Similarly, the Jewish Social Policy Action Network develops issue oriented material each year you can use to enrich your seder. Supplements to the traditional Haggadah relate the biblical story of the Exodus to current events and issues.

The 2012 Freedom Supplement, comprised of 16 pages with illustrations, is now available without charge. The Freedom Seder Supplement celebrates emerging freedom movements around the world with poems, texts and prayers. Editors Stephen C. Sussman Esq. and Kenneth R. Myers Esq. have drawn from far-ranging sources, from Lord Byron to Tibet. Each of the readings includes suggestions keying it into the traditional Seder service.
In 2010 JSPAN released its first Supplement, entitled We were strangers, on the theme of immigration in history and in the United States.
In 2011 the JSPAN Supplement, This is the bread of poverty, brought the focus to hunger here and around the world. The 2012 "Freedom Seder" takes up the human longing for freedom that is spreading around the globe, and concludes with four resolutions that we as American Jews can meaningfully adopt.

More about the National Hunger Seder after the jump.
"Jewish people all over the world begin their Passover Seders by inviting 'all who are hungry [to] come and eat,'" said Abby J. Leibman, MAZON's President & CEO. "While we know we cannot include 50 million Americans in our individual Seders, these words remind us that, as a society, we are responsible for them - a powerful and timely message as Congress considers the Farm Bill and the fate of our nutrition safety net."

The National Hunger Seder adapts the traditional Passover Seder, telling the story of the Exodus with an emphasis on the moral imperative to end hunger in America. The National Hunger Seder is part of the 4th annual MAZON/JCPA Hunger Seder mobilization, which includes more than 45 Hunger Seder events taking place in communities across the country around the Passover holiday.

"At a time of such startlingly high food insecurity, it is unconscionable to consider limiting access to a program like SNAP that not only keeps millions out of hunger and poverty, but does so with incredible efficiency and success," said JCPA President Rabbi Steve Gutow. "The enormity of hunger in our country belies our wealth and abundance, but can be stemmed. That will be the message in communities across the country as part of this unique mobilization. Over the past four years, Hunger Seders have brought together not only Jews, but hunger advocates, faith and political leaders to build awareness and support for the tools available to end hunger in America."

Participants in the National Hunger Seder included USDA Under Secretary Kevin Concannon, Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI), Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH), Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), as well as representatives from the White House. Also attending were delegates from Bread for the World, Half in Ten, Alliance to End Hunger, National Council of Churches, American Jewish World Service, Progressive Jewish Alliance & Jewish Funds for Justice, National Council of Jewish Women, The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, JCPA, MAZON, Jewish Primary Day School and others.

In addition to the National Hunger Seder and Hunger Seder mobilization led by the JCPA and MAZON, other Jewish social justice organizations are hosting Passover Seders to raise awareness about food and justice issues, including a Food and Justice Seder being hosted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in partnership with the Progressive Jewish Alliance & Jewish Funds for Justice and in cooperation with JCPA and MAZON.

Progressive Summit This Weekend

Publisher — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:11:46 GMT

(JSPAN) The third Progressive Summit in Philadelphia begins Friday night with a debate between Kathleen Kane and Patrick Murphy at 6:30 pm at Arch Street United Methodist Church, 55 N. Broad St. (just north of City Hall).

On Saturday and Sunday there will be workshops and panels about critical issues progressives are working on this year, and some of the best practices in progressive organizing. Saturday evening is a night of comedy and a variety of parties. The full agenda is here. Here is a link to register for the Summit.

The Summit is a place to build relationships and network with other progressives. Start with JSPAN Board member Marc Stier who will be on two panels, Don't Stop Believing: Managing Activism Fatigue, and Building Coalitions That Win.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Publisher — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Reprinted courtesy of the Jewish Social Policy Action Network

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Monday, January 16. Many of us will honor his memory by participating in a day of service to the community and by attending special programming that highlights the important issues that Dr. King fought and died for, such as social justice (see the announcement for a JSPAN sponsored program below).

On Friday evening, April 5, 1968, the day after Martin Luther King's assassination in Memphis Tennessee, Rabbi James A. Wax of Temple Israel, president of the Memphis Ministers' Association, delivered an impassioned sermon, eulogizing Dr. King, and placed his teachings in the arc of Jewish and Christian tradition and denounced the shame of white Memphis and America. Here is an excerpt from the sermon and a link to the full text.

"What did Martin Luther King do? Martin Luther King helped to bring freedom to the oppressed people yet in this free nation. He fought to break the chains that have oppressed people; he sought to give men dignity; he sought to make this a better world in which to live. Oh how the cynics sneered when they gave him the Nobel Peace Prize. They said, 'what did he do to deserve it?' How little can people be? Here was a man in the tradition, the grandest traditions of Judaism and Christianity, bringing freedom to people, and we white hypocrites that speak about freedom for all people know full well that not many miles from here negroes could not vote. In this very city, called a place of good abode, because their skin was black, they had to sit in the back of the streetcar. They were not even given the dignity of their names.
Martin Luther King was one the greatest men of this century because he personified, because he personified the greatest teachings in Judaism and in Christianity, and he did it without violence. He sought to appeal to the heart and the conscience of men."

Six Catholics and Three Jews Uphold an Evangelical Lutheran Church

Publisher — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 02:09:58 GMT

— by Jeffrey I. Pasek, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Social Policy Action Network (JSPAN)

Yesterday, all nine Justices on the Supreme Court agreed that a Lutheran Church did not have to answer claims of employment discrimination brought by a former teacher in its school. Applying the "ministerial exemption," the Court ruled that the teacher could not maintain her claim that she had been fired in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

JSPAN's Church-State Policy Center has been following this issue closely for some time because the ministerial exemption raises important issues about the ability of government to regulate religious organizations and the extent to which employment actions can be shielded from ordinary judicial review when the defendant raises a religious cloak as a shield.

More after the jump.
The case decided by the Supreme Court involved a "called" teacher who acquired a formal minister of religion commission. Her job duties were similar to lay teachers and included teaching secular and religious subjects, leading her class in daily prayer and devotional exercises and leading a chapel service for students a couple times a year. On these facts, the Court had no difficulty deciding that the plaintiff was a minister within the meaning of the ministerial exemption.

According to Chief Justice Roberts' opinion, the employment discrimination laws do not authorize "government interference with an internal church decision that affects the faith and mission of the church itself." The purpose of the exemption is to protect religious organizations as institutions, not to safeguard their decisions only when they prove they made those decisions for a religious reason.

The Court's interpretation of the ADA was grounded in the First Amendment, but the ruling expressed no view on whether the ministerial exception bars other types of suits, including actions by employees alleging breach of contract or tortious conduct by their religious employers.

JSPAN had been invited to join an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in this case. For policy reasons, JSPAN declined. We rejected the approach that a religious institution must go through a trial to answer the question of motive for its personnel actions. In addition to raising entanglement issues, that would render the ministerial exemption of no value in many instances. The ministerial exemption, as a policy matter, should shield (often poor) religious organizations from the costs of expensive employment-discrimination litigation without forcing a religious organization to establish a doctrinal basis for its action or to show a legitimate non- religious motive for an employment action.

JSPAN will continue to monitor cases involving application of the ministerial exemption in other contexts as courts grapple with the scope to be accorded it. The issue is of significant importance considering the number of social service programs funded by the government that are operated by private religious groups.

Health Care Might Not Be A Laughing Matter, But It Is A Comic Book

Publisher — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 05:11:35 GMT

You won't have to worry about going broke if you get sick.
We will start to bring the costs of health care under control.
And we will do all this while reducing the federal deficit.

That is the promise of the Affordable Care Act. But from the moment President Obama signed the bill into law in 2010, a steady and mounting avalanche of misinformation about the ACA has left a growing majority of Americans confused about what it is, why it's necessary, and how it works. If you're one of them, buy Jonathan Gruber's new book Health Care Reform: What It Is, Why It's Necessary, How It Works for yourself. (Perhaps get extra copies to give as Hanukkah gifts). From how to tame the twin threats of rising costs and the increasing number of uninsured to why an insurance mandate is good for your health, Health Care Reform dispels false fears by arming you with facts.

The author was interviewed by WBUR:

I think Mitt Romney is the hero of this story. But I want to make clear that the way he's portrayed in this book has nothing to do with his presidential campaign. Mitt Romney is the single person most responsible for health care reform in this country: Without his leadership we don't get reform in Massachusetts, and without Massachusetts reform we don't get national reform.

Sample page from book and JSPAN's resolution regarding ACA after the jump.
At its meeting on August 2, 2011, the JSPAN Board adopted the following resolution:

JSPAN, in keeping with the Biblical injunction that we are each others' keepers, supports the availability of quality, affordable health care for all Americans. We support the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 as a critical step in achieving such availability. As the "mandate" section of the legislation, requiring all Americans to have health insurance, is essential for the Act to succeed and appears constitutionally valid as a federal power to regulate interstate commerce and assure the well being of the American people, JSPAN should investigate serving as an amicus in support of the defense of the Act in cases currently being heard by federal appellate courts and expected to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.

JSPAN Visits Occupy Philadelphia: Interview with Nathan Kleinman

Publisher — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 12:26:17 GMT

JSPAN Board Member Nathan Kleinman has participated in Occupy Philadelphia, the experiment in pure democracy happening on Dilworth Square alongside the Philadelphia City Hall, since its earliest days. Newsletter Editor Ken Myers visited OP and interviewed Kleinman on October 22. Ed.

Ken Myers: We are together to discuss Occupy Philadelphia which is happening right here. Is this a political event with a capital P, or is it something else?

Nate Kleinman: I would say at this stage it is the beginning of a social and possibly political movement. It is impossible to predict where it is going to go. Nobody has the power to decide where it is going to go on their own. The group makes decisions through, as much as possible, consensus. When we vote on things if we cannot come to consensus we decide with a supermajority. And so it really requires a long process of consensus building.

Myers: You mentioned that in the evening, typically at seven 0' clock you have what you call the General Assembly. So everybody gets out and shares ideas?

More after the jump.
Kleinman: Everybody who lives here and people from elsewhere all come together. We make announcements about things that are coming up. Various working groups, of which at this point there are probably 20 or 25, report back to the full Assembly. They talk about what they are doing, what ideas they are having, what they are planning, they say when they meet and reiterate that everyone is invited. Every working group is open to all, and anyone can start one.

The General Assembly and that whole process was started on Occupied Wall Street and this is modeled after it. There are General Assemblies happening all over the country. There is one meeting today in York, Pennsylvania. There is going to be one in Stroudsburg, there is one in Norristown today, not to mention of course the bigger cities in every state across the country.

Myers: Do you see a tendency within this group to try to create a fourth political party (I say that because I give the Tea Party credit for being one)?

Kleinman: I am not sure. I think how this movement exercises its power in the political arena is still very much up in the air. But I have heard a lot of ideas, there was a lot of talk about it, and I think eventually we will come to consensus on a way forward . It seems likely to me that it will attempt to influence the political process. Some people want to run candidates for Congress next year in every single district in the country. That would certainly be something I would support because I think it's not just Republicans that need to be asked, there are plenty of Democrats who could use a good challenge.

Myers: The Philadelphia Inquirer, in a comment today, talked about the potential for anti- Semitism in this movement. Do you see that as a serious problem?

Kleinman: No. No, I have not seen that at all. There is a huge number of Jews participating in this, and, to the extent that there may be anti-Israel or anti-Semitic comments they are from individuals. I have not seen it and it is not representative of the whole group if it does exist.

Myers: You are chairing a human rights program in a few minutes. What is your hope for this effort?

Kleinman: This is just another working group that we announced yesterday to talk about human rights, broadly defined to encompass poverty, racism, discrimination, oppression, violence, and hopefully come to some statement of principles that we in the working group can agree upon and bring to the General Assembly for their agreement. If it passes then maybe it can be sent to other General Assemblies around the country and around the world for their consideration, debate, discussion and possibly agreement. That is the only way we can come to consensus on a national and international level and be united moving forward together

Myers: A few days ago the Philadelphia Inquirer, writing up Occupy Philadelphia, seemed to summarize this movement under the flag "99 and one". Is that a good solid summarization of the movement?

Kleinman: It is a characterization that came from some individuals in New York, and a lot of people like it because they think it dramatizes well what we are up to, that we do stand for: that we are representative of the 99% of the people who do not have 40% of the wealth

Myers: One more question. For our readers and members, if they want to follow what is happening, what is the best way for them to do that?

Kleinman: There are a lot of different places they can look. They should get on Facebook and check out our Facebook page. There is a page called Occupied Together that is bringing a lot of information from all the movements around here. But here in Philly I would say our Facebook page is the best one, with over 20,000 people following it. Look under Occupied Philly. Our media task force is doing a great job 24-7 to get the message out, and to make sure that we tell our story and the media do not have a monopoly on that.

Myers: Thanks very much for your comments.

Reprinted courtesy of JSPAN.

Nathan Kleinman is a graduate of Abington Friends School and Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. He is a human rights activist, a community organizer, and a veteran of several political campaigns in Pennsylvania.

Are Vouchers Good For Our Kids?

Publisher — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 16:55:11 GMT

As the Pennsylvania General Assembly takes up the subject of school vouchers in September, the Jewish Social Policy Action Network will hold a discussion of vouchers at noon on Thursday, September 8, 2011 at Duane Morris LLP, 30 South 17th Street, Philadelphia. Register for details and to attend this event at 215-635-2664.

The speakers will be Pennsylvania Senators Anthony Williams and Daylin Leach. Last February, Marty Moss-Coane moderated a school voucher debate on Radio Times between William and Leach debated school.

Listen to the MP3.

235 Years of Independence - An Occasion to Celebrate American Jewish Heroes

abg5e — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 03:13:02 GMT

-- by Ken Myers

How many Jewish heroes of the Revolutionary War (or earlier) can you identify? You probably know that Haym Salomon was a key figure in financing the Revolution. Did you know that Francis Salvador was the first Jew to die in the American Revolution, on August 1, 1776, following the signing of the Declaration of Independence? You might know that Philadelphian Rebecca Gratz founded the Female Hebrew Benevolent Society and other relief organizations. Did you know that her family was prominent among revolutionaries here?

It is well known that Benjamin Nathan Cardozo (1870-1938), was a member of the United States Supreme Court. His family already had a glorious record in America: David Nunez Cardozo (1752- ?) was a hero of the Revolution. He led the assault on British-held Savannah, Georgia, in which Count Pulaski was killed. Cardozo was taken prisoner by the British while defending Savannah, but was released at the end of the British stay in that area.

Forty-seven Jewish heroes of the Revolution and other major events in American history are listed and their achievements memorialized on the web site of the Florida Atlantic University Libraries, with credit to
Seymour Brody.

But his major opus is the book, Jewish Heroes & Heroines of America: 150 True Stories of American Jewish Heroism, by Seymour Brody with illustrations by Art Seiden. Spend some time during the Independence Day weekend examining the lives of Jewish heroes during and since our War of Independence.

Phil. Jewish Voice Testifies at Joint House-Senate Redistricting Hearing

Publisher — Thu, 12 May 2011 21:17:38 GMT

Testimony on Congressional Redistricting Given at Joint Hearing of the Pennsylvania State Senate Committee and State House Committee on State Government

Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, PA, Thursday, May 12, 2011
Presented by Dr. Daniel E. Loeb, Publisher, Philadelphia Jewish Voice in cooperation with Common Cause Pennsylvania, the Jewish Social Policy Action Network (JSPAN), and the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania.

Honorable Chairmen and members of the committees, thank you for holding these hearings and for inviting me to speak to you today. Holding hearings like this is an important first step in including the public in this crucial part of our democratic process.

Public oversight is a crucial part of the checks and balances necessary to ensure that redistricting process is not abused to advantage any political party, protect incumbents, or punish political rivals. Democracy requires competitive elections and representative government.

In a democracy, voters choose their representative to protect the common interest. Unfortunately, we have grown accustomed to a system of gerrymandering which turns democracy upside-down so that it is politicians who choose their voters strategically in order to advance their personal interests rather than the other way around.Packing the voters into a small number of districts in order to isolate them. (Figure 3) Cracking voters across multiple districts in order to dilute them. (Figure 4) And counting convicts where they are imprisoned rather than where they usually live. In a state like Pennsylvania where the process is totally controlled by a single political party, there may be a temptation to engage in partisan gerrymandering unless the media and the public are vigilant in their oversight.

Even when Democratic and Republican politicians share power, there is a possibility of mutually agreeable "sweetheart" gerrymandering as Democrats and Republicans engage in unseemly exchanges of constituents with the Democrat legislator offering up his Republican voters in exchange for his Republican colleague's Democratic voters. (Figure 2)

In order to encourage public participation in the redistricting process, the Philadelphia Jewish Voice and its partners - the Jewish Social Policy Action Network, the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania and Common Cause Pennsylvania - hope to run a Redistricting Content similar to those run in Virginia and Ohio and being run in Michigan, Arizona and Massachusetts.

The idea is to make Azavea's DistrictBuilder, Redistricting Software, and the underlying geographic, demographic and electoral data available freely on the Internet. We now have the technology to allow everyone to have a say in the redistricting process.

The Pennsylvania Redistricting Contest will be judged by impartial numerical criteria measuring:
equality, continuity, integrity, competitiveness, proportionality and compactness.

Equality. The principal of one-man, one-vote is enshrined in the Voting Rights Act and the Pennsylvania Constitution. We will not allow districts to deviate from their ideal population range and we will reward plans which promote higher standards of equality. Furthermore, we will require that majority-minority districts be maintained as required by the Voting Rights Act.
Contiguity. Each district must be contiguous and not contain any parts which are connected to the other parts at a single point.
Integrity. The Pennsylvania Constitution prohibits legislative districts which divide any "county, city, incorporated town, borough, township or ward...unless absolutely necessary." By minimizing splits, voters understand easily who their representative is, and township and county officials do not have to interface with as many legislators. Our contest will penalize redistricting plans which unnecessarily divide these communities of interest.
Competitiveness. Gerrymandering undermines the democratic process by creating uncompetitive districts. When 90% of an incumbent's constituents belong to his political party, the incumbent is guaranteed reelection and no longer has any incentive to be responsive to the needs of his constituents. Non-competitive districts make everyone's vote irrelevant and reduce accountability. Our contest will penalize plans which create these sorts of lopsided districts.
Proportionality. The goal of partisan gerrymandering is to deliver a disproportionate share of the representation of the state into the hands of the political party controlling the redistricting process. In Pennsylvania, there are over 4 registered Democrats for every 3 registered Republicans, yet,Democrats only hold 37% of the Congressional delegation, 40% of the State Senate, and 45% seats in the State House.
Compactness. Bizarre shaped districts are a tell-tale sign that a map-makers is up to no good extending tentacles out of a district of their supporters to encompass his residence, or excising a community of opponents in order to secure his reelection. Our contest classify districts whose perimeter is disproportionately long compared to its area, and penalize redistricting plans accordingly.

Our hope is that the State Government Committees, Legislative Reapportionment Commission, and independent groups interested in political reform will support this initiative and help us make the DistrictBuilder software available to the general public.

Making tools like these available to the public as Florida and Alaska has value even in the absence of a contest.

However, we look forward to determining the best plan and promulgating it as an unbiased baseline against which the legislature's plans can be compared.

More after the jump.
Thank you for your time. If you would like more details on our proposal and on the results of the Redistricting Contests held or being held in other states, please email me at publisher@pjvoice.com.

Appendices

1. Michigan Citizens' Redistricting Competition Rules and Procedures

2. Feedback from Virginia contest (Prof. Michael McDonald, George Mason University)

These winning student competition plans had an effect on the policy discourse. All three of the winning plans following the governor's criteria were introduced a bills in the state legislature, and all students and faculty were recognized by the legislature and the governor. A winning congressional plan following the governor's criteria draw by a team of William and Mary law school students became the basis of a plan adopted by the governor's commission. This congressional plan was notable in that it reconfigured the state's only voting rights district in such a way that made it substantially more compact, and thus enabled districts throughout the state to significantly improve their compactness. The concept of reconfiguring the voting rights district was implemented in a plan championed by the legislative black caucus, which further created an African-American influence district in the Hampton Roads area. This was the plan adopted by the Democratically controlled Senate.

Voting rights issues were also explored in the state legislative plans. Many students attempted to draw a Hispanic majority voting-age population district, but none were successful. A winning University of Virginia team Senate plan created six African-American majority voting-age
population districts, where the current plan only had five. However, these districts were barely above 50%, which was significantly below the percentages that received Department of Justice preclearance under Section 5 the previous decade. The governor's commission explored if it was possible to increase the African-American voting age populations of these districts, but did not find it was possible to do so greatly. Although it was not part of the student competition, a House of Delegates plan drawn by Dr. McDonald for the commission demonstrated it is possible to draw thirteen African-American majority voting-age population districts, whereas the plans
adopted by the legislature only had twelve. This thirteenth district was discovered in the course of drawing districts that were compact and respected existing political boundaries, in accordance to the governor's criteria.

These plans provide evidence that greater public participation enables fresh approaches to drawing redistricting plans that may have otherwise gone undiscovered. Redistricting is an extremely complex problem. In a modestly sized state, there are more solutions than there are quarks in the universe (Altman and McDonald 2010). More eyes on the problem means more
opportunities to see new solutions. These plans illuminated paths to improve racial representation, thereby demonstrating that reformers' goals may not necessarily be at odds with the voting rights community. We explore trade-offs among the competition criteria further in our analysis of the student competition, commission, and legislative plans.

We Need Your Help To Slay The Gerrymander

Publisher — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 11:38:45 GMT

-- by Lora Lavin, Representative Government Specialist, League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania

The Jewish Social Policy Action Network, League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, Common Cause Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia Jewish Voice need your help to launch to redistricting contest. The contest would set a fair baseline by which politician-drawn maps could be measured.

Left unchecked: politicians choose their voters instead of letting voters select their representatives.
Gerrymandering is the equivalent of rigging elections to get a predetermined outcome.
We believe some good old-fashioned competition can keep politicians honest.

The biggest political power-play of the decade is about to get underway in Pennsylvania. It is, perhaps, the most self-serving and least transparent process of state and local government. It's called redistricting. The outcome will determine the shape of representative democracy in Pennsylvania for the next decade.

Redistricting is the process of redrawing congressional, legislative, and local government representatives' district boundaries so that each district has approximately the same number of people. The goal is to ensure communities have an equal voice in Congress, state legislatures and city and township councils.

But the politicians don't see it that way. In Pennsylvania and most other states, district lines are drawn by the very lawmakers whose political careers will be affected by the changes. For them, redistricting is an opportunity to consolidate political power and ensure their reelection prospects. For example, Philadelphia's 172nd House District was transformed during the previous redistricting in order to guarantee the reelection of a powerful legislator. It was only after a political scandal that he was eventually defeated last year.

Modern technology makes this kind of extreme gerrymandering possible. Using expensive and sophisticated software, politicians can select their voters block by block and even house by house. The tools they use are "proprietary" meaning access is limited to those with the ability to pay lots of money. But now, a Philadelphia based software firm, Azavea, in partnership with a political science professor at George Mason University in Virginia, has developed DistrictBuilder. This relatively inexpensive open-source redistricting tool can be used by ordinary citizens to draw district maps and bring elections back into the hands of the people.

To see how Profs. Michael McDonald (George Mason Univ., Brooking Inst.) and Micah Altman (Harvard, Brookings Inst.) used DistrictBuilder to run Virginia's redistricting contest, visit the Public Mapping Project website demopublicmapping.org.

The Philadelphia Jewish Voice, in partnership with JSPAN, Common Cause/PA and the PA League of Women Voters want to use DistrictBuilder to sponsor a redistricting competition and demonstrate that a non-partisan, open redistricting process based on objective criteria can produce fair legislative and congressional district maps in Pennsylvania. The competition would be open to individuals. The winners would be selected through an objective scoring system based on anti-gerrymandering criteria of compactness, competitiveness, representativeness, equality and integrity.

The three sponsoring organizations can contribute $6,000 toward prizes and incidental competition costs. But to use the software we need to raise $35,000 before May 1. Can you help? To make a tax-deductible contribution click the button or contact treasurer@pjvoice.com. (Contributions directed to this project will be refunded if we do not meet our fundraising goal.)

For more information or become a co-sponsoring organizations, please contact Dan Loeb publisher@pjvoice.com.

More after the jump.
The Philadelphia Jewish Voice is organized pursuant to Pennsylvania's non-profit corporation law. We have tax exempt status under IRS Code Section 501(c)(3). For more information visit GuideStar.

Contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. The official registrations and financial information of The Philadelphia Jewish Voice may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free, within Pennsylvania, 1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.

Triangle Factory Fire Memorial at Nat'l Museum of Amer. Jewish History

Publisher — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 02:41:41 GMT

One hundred years ago on March 25th, 1911, the Triangle Waist Company in New York City erupted in flames, and the resulting deaths of 146 people, mostly Jewish and Italian women immigrant workers, many of them teenage girls, galvanized a city and a movement. The Triangle fire was a watershed moment in the history of the American Jewish labor movement and social reform.

On March 24, 2011, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm, the Jewish Labor Committee, the Jewish Social Policy Action Network (JSPAN), the Philadelphia Council of the AFL-CIO and the National Museum of American Jewish History are joining forces to commemorate this tragic event, honor those who gave their lives and discuss the evolution of the labor and reform movements that the Triangle fire inspired.

Join us for this extraordinary program, including a documentary film about the fire and its aftermath and viewing of the first floor exhibit at the new National Museum of American Jewish History. Hear about JSPAN's new initiative to advance the Kosher Clothes movement here. Tickets are $36 (students $18) but seating is limited. Advance ticket purchase is absolutely necessary from Ruthanne Madway, JSPAN Executive Director, 215-546-3732

More after the jump.

The fire at the Triangle Waist Company in New York City, which claimed the lives of 146 young immigrant workers, is one of the worst disasters since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.

This incident has had great significance to this day because it highlights the inhumane working conditions to which industrial workers can be subjected. To many, its horrors epitomize the extremes of industrialism.

The tragedy still dwells in the collective memory of the nation and of the international labor movement. The victims of the tragedy are still celebrated as martyrs at the hands of industrial greed.

The Triangle Waist Company was in many ways a typical sweated factory in the heart of Manhattan, at 23-29 Washington Place, at the northern corner of Washington Square East. Low wages, excessively long hours, and unsanitary and dangerous working conditions were the hallmarks of sweatshops. ...

Even today, sweatshops have not disappeared in the United States. They keep attracting workers in desperate need of employment and illegal immigrants, who may be anxious to avoid involvement with governmental agencies. Recent studies conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor found that 67% of Los Angeles garment factories and 63% of New York garment factories violate minimum wage and overtime laws. Ninety-eight percent of Los Angeles garment factories have workplace health and safety problems serious enough to lead to severe injuries or death.

Hanukkah Humor Courtesy of JSPAN

Publisher — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 04:48:46 GMT

A woman goes to the post office to buy stamps for her Hanukah cards.

She says to the clerk, "May I have 50 Hanukah stamps?"

The clerk says, "What denomination?"

"Oh my God," the woman says, "has it come to this? Give me 16 Orthodox, 22 Conservative, and 12 Reform."

-- Jewish Social Policy Action Network

Jewish Sources on the Provision of Health Care

Publisher — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 12:55:27 GMT

-- Rabbi Gail Labovitz

Reposted from JSPAN in honor of the Global Day of Learning marking the completion today of Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz's translation of the Talmud. (See Live broadcast at 2pm and various events in the Philadelphia area.)

When one starts from a worldview in which God is active in the workings of the world, it is quite possible to understand illness and physical weaknesses as God's judgment on the ailing person, so that any intervention is a challenge to the workings of God's will. This viewpoint has been voiced by some Jewish thinkers, from the sages of the classical rabbinic tradition, through the great bible commentators of the medieval period, and beyond. In other contexts, and in numerous sources, however, saving a life is considered to be one of the highest commandments in Judaism, so much so that almost every other commandment can be violated to further this end. This quite different perspective - one that validates medical expertise and makes the practice of healing a religious obligation - has also been present in Jewish tradition from its earliest expressions.

More after the jump.
Two verses in particular from the Torah serve as the core foundation for what has become the normative Jewish view on healing and access to healthcare. Exodus 21:19 discusses a case in which one person has injured another in an altercation. The Torah rules that the assailant must see to it that the victim receives necessary medical attention: "he shall certainly heal him." In context, the obvious meaning is that the assailant must pay the victim's medical costs, but the rabbis derive additional meaning from the doubling of the verb in Hebrew. Thus we read in the Talmud, Berakhot 60a and Bava Kama 85a: "It was taught in the school of Rabbi Ishmael: 'he shall certainly heal him' - from this source, the healer is given permission to heal." As Nachmanides noted in his 13th century work, Torat ha-Adam, "this is to say that it is not forbidden because of the concern that the doctor might inadvertently err; also, people should not say 'the Holy One has struck (the ill person) and is the One to heal.'" Nachmanides continues, "it is a commandment to heal, and is in the category of saving a life."

That healing is not only permissible, but can be considered a required act for those with the necessary knowledge and training, emerges all the more strongly from a second verse, Deuteronomy 22:2. In its basic, contextual meaning, the verse tells us that one who finds lost property is obliged to return it to the original owner: "you shall return it to him." Since the Hebrew suffix meaning "it" can also mean "him," the rabbis reread the phrase, in Bava Kama 81b and Sanhedrin 73a: "From where do we know the requirement to return a person's body?" - that is, save a person's life? "The Torah says, 'return him to himself.'" Maimonides, in his commentary on the Mishnah (Nedarim 4:4), makes explicit that this includes providing medical care: "the doctor is obligated by law to heal...and this is included in the explication of the verse, that 'return it to him' means to include (the 'return' of) his body..." Joseph Karo thus brings together these traditions to write in the Shulhan Arukh (Yoreh De'ah 336:1): "Torah gives the healer permission to heal. And it is a commandment, and is a matter of saving life. And if one withholds oneself, this person spills blood."

We now come, then, to the question much on our minds at this moment - how is health care to be provided to those who need it, and whose responsibility is it to see that health care is provided? Both the Palestinian and Babylonian Talmuds state that a person, or at least a scholar, should not live in a town that does not have a doctor (P.T. Kiddushin 4:12 [66b]; B.T. Sanhedrin 17b). At a time when all family finances were supposed to flow through the male head of household, the rabbinic tradition ruled that husbands were expected to pay for their wives' needed medical treatment, and this was considered an obligation as basic as providing for her daily sustenance (Mishnah Ketubot 4:9; B.T. Ketubot 52b). Clearly, individuals and families have the first responsibility to seek out the healthcare they need and to pay for it as they are able.

Nor is a medical provider allowed to overcharge for treatments or for medicines in a case of dire need, a rule codified in the Shulhan Arukh (Yoreh De'ah 336:3): "One who has medications, and another person is sick and needs them, it is forbidden to raise their prices beyond what is appropriate." Yet because receiving needed medical care can be a matter of life and death, and saving life is a religious and moral obligation, numerous sources suggest that doctors have an obligation to provide medical care in all cases, even to those unable to afford it on their own. The Talmud, in Ta'anit, praises the model of Abba the blood-letter: "He had a spot outside (of his workspace) to put coins; those who had put some in, but those who did not have could come in and sit without being ashamed." But this approach is an ideal. Certainly, it could leave physicians in an untenable position, obligating them to care for all in need, but not yet insuring that their own needs to make a reasonable living will be met.

I turn, then, to a much more recent source, a modern responsum by Rabbi Eliezer Waldenberg, published in 1985 (Ramat Rachel, no. 24; published in vol. 5 of Rabbi Waldenberg's collected responsa, Tzitz Eliezer). He begins by writing that the provision of needed medical care is of such significance that a bet din may, in fact, compel a doctor to provide free medical care to a patient unable to pay, and that it is not the responsibility of the court or the community to reimburse the doctor. However, he then modifies this ruling in a very important way, applying it only when there is just a single doctor in the locale. Where there are multiple doctors, no one doctor can be compelled to provide services not demanded of the others. Rabbi Waldenberg thus suggests several means by which a community might provide for its members, including paying for the medical care from communal charity funds, or creating a system whereby doctors equitably share the case load on a pro bono basis. His preferred system, where the community has the means, is to provide a monthly fee for doctors in exchange for seeing any patients in need. What is most significant about Rabbi Waldenberg's responsum, then, is not that he provides the Jewish answer for the way in which a community should provide medical care for all. What he does tell us, though, is that providing such care, in the final analysis, is most certainly the responsibility of the community as a whole. It is thus not surprising that Jewish rabbinic and lay organizations across the denominational spectrum have agreed that we must seek the goal of an equitable system of access to healthcare in America.

Finally, I would like to conclude with the words of Maimonides, himself a physician in addition to his many other achievements. In Hilkhot De'ot (4:1), what we might call the Laws of Personal Development, he writes: "Health and wholeness of the body are among the ways of God, for it is impossible that one can understand or know anything of the knowledge of the Creator when one is ill. Therefore one must distance oneself from things that harm the body, and conduct oneself in ways that create health and wellness." A failure to promote health when we have the ability to do so impedes our chances of achieving our full spiritual and personal potential. And as for the individual, so for the community made up of those individuals.

Additional Primary Sources:

On Exodus 21:19, see also the commentary of Ibn Ezra (both "long" and "short" versions)
On Bava Kama 85a, see also the commentary of Tosafot (who challenge Ibn Ezra's understanding)
Kiddushin 82a, and the commentary of Rashi
Rambam, Mishnah Torah, Hilkhot De'ot 4:23; Hilkhot Nedarim 6:8
Ramban, Commentary to the Torah, to Leviticus 26:11
Shulhan Arukh, Yoreh De'ah 336:1-3
Otzar Midrashim, Temurah (the story of Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Ishma'el)

A (Very) Partial List of Helpful Secondary Sources:
Elliot N. Dorff and Aaron L. Mackler, "Responsibilities for the Provision of Health Care," Responsa 1991-2000: The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Conservative Movement, 319-36; also available on-line at http://www.rabbinicalassembly....
David M. Feldman, Health and Medicine in the Jewish Tradition
Jill Jacobs, There Shall Be No Needy: Pursuing Social Justice through Jewish Law & Tradition, chap. 7
Fred Rosner, Biomedical Ethics and Jewish Law
Fred Rosner & J. David Bleich, eds., Jewish Bioethics
Laurie Zoloth, Health Care and the Ethics of Encounter: A Jewish Discussion of Social Justice