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Consultation on Conscience Conference: A Call to Action

06/26/2019 02:21:20 PM

Jun26

By Marta Karlov

In May, TBE congregants Jane Taves and Marta Karlov joined 1,200 fellow Jews from around the country in Washington, DC, for a deeply inspiring, spiritual call to action at the biennial Consultation on Conscience, organized by the Religious Action Center (RAC) of the Union for Reform Judaism.

Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, director of the RAC, opened the session with excitement and joy, and we celebrated the accomplishments of congregations around the country since the last meeting, in 2017. Many impressive speakers followed with their personal stories and calls for action. You can watch all of them at rac.org/livestream. Following are summaries of what some of them shared.

Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, spoke about the respite center she runs for asylum seekers at the border. Every day they help thousands find a place to sleep and bathe and to find safety, not as a political issue, but as a humanitarian reality. She urged us to not walk away and to bring consciousness to others about this very human issue, reaching out to those who don’t understand.

Peter and Jill Kraus honored his grandparents, Gilbert and Eleanor Kraus, who saved 50 Jewish children from Vienna before World War II, at great risk to their lives and reputation in their Philadelphia community. There was not a dry eye in the room when they told of how parents and children were not allowed to wave to each other as they said goodbye, as Jews were prohibited from waving their arms in public. Peter and Jill pledged to deepen their support for the RAC to welcome refugees and asylum seekers in our midst.

Three incredible college students recounted their personal journeys of losing friends in school shootings and, for one of them, living in fear of being deported after becoming undocumented as a minor in this country after the death of a parent. They are leading nationwide advocacy efforts around immigration rights and gun violence prevention.

Eric K. Ward, national field director of the Building Democracy Initiative of the Center for New Community and organizer of Which Way Forward, dove into the complex stories behind antisemitism, reminding us that “hate groups organize hate that is already there.” He emphasized that during this historic moment, if we want to successfully combat hate, we must join hands with every vulnerable community whose lives are being assaulted.

Al Sharpton continued the theme of the crossroads we’re in and urged us to do what is uncomfortable, now, and to work together with the African American community, saying, “We either fight all hate or we are not fighting hate at all.” He reminded us about how Jews and African Americans have collaborated to fight for injustice and human rights over the years, and how we must remain united.

Finally, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reminded us that America’s heart is full of love, and that no one demonstrates this more with value and actions than the RAC.

Toward the end of the session we learned about important changes to RAC initiatives. Two years ago, congregations including TBE, signed a Brit Olam around the RAC’s Urgency of Now Campaign, focused primarily around immigration rights and racial justice.

This year the RAC will establish collaborative cohorts for issues including racial justice, gun violence, climate and environmental justice, immigration, and reproductive justice. The latter cohort will be possible with support from Women of Reform Judaism.

We invite you to be part of the conversation about how TBE will participate in this RAC initiative. Please contact Aleeza Hoffert at engage@tbemadison.org if you are interested in learning more.

We also encourage you to learn more about the RAC’s advocacy and activism and to join us in two years for the next Consultation on Conscience. We promise it will be worth your time!

March 29, 2024 19 Adar II 5784