FEATURED JOBS
Comments (1)Jewish Funds for Justice is accepting donations to help in the cleanup from the Gulf Coast oil spill.
More than 6,800 square miles of federal fishing areas have been shut down in the Gulf of Mexico in the aftermath of an explosion on a Deepwater Horizon oil rig; 11 workers are presumed dead. More than 210,000 gallons of crude oil are being spewed into the gulf each day.
The Gulf Coast fishing industry, which is the largest seafood producer in the continental United States, may lose $2.5 billion because of the spill, according to early estimates.
“From the first report of the explosion, Jewish Funds for Justice has been in communication with our partners on the ground from New Orleans to Boothville, from Plaquemines Parish to the Houma Nation,” said Simon Greer, CEO and president of Jewish Funds for Justice. “The message we’re hearing is clear: Workers and families are at risk of losing their livelihoods permanently. Jewish Funds for Justice believes we have an obligation to help the most vulnerable among us and to ensure that families have the support they need, whether it’s helping to employ displaced workers in new jobs, making sure homes aren’t lost to foreclosure, or keeping families safe from environmental pollutants.”
Tax-deductible donations can be made by individuals and organizations to the JFSJ Gulf Coast Disaster Recovery Fund online at jewishjustice.org or http://bit.ly/9UfGSU; by phone at (212) 213-2113, Ext. 3; or mailed to JFSJ, 330 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001.
Jewish Republicans, Democrats Sign Civility Pledge
The leaders of Jewish Democratic and Republican groups signed a pledge of civility.
“Let our debate on the issues of the moment be thoughtful and reasoned,” reads the pledge initiated by the Anti-Defamation League and signed Monday by Ira Forman, who directs the National Jewish Democratic Council, and Matt Brooks, who leads the Republican Jewish Coalition. “Let us look to our elected leaders for leadership, whether or not we support their policies. Let all of us, across the political spectrum, encourage advocacy that is vigorous; pointed but not personal or hostile.”
The ADL, which announced the pledge during its national leadership conference in Washington, called on other political and elected leaders to sign the pledge.
“Regardless of whether the issue is health care, immigration, bailouts or the budget, we need to rise above the hateful rhetoric and to encourage advocacy that is vigorous but never personal or hostile,” Abraham Foxman, ADL’s national director, said in a statement. “It is time for our elected leaders to show true leadership, to stand up and to be the first to reject the appeals to bigotry, racism, prejudice and calls to violence.”
Groups Rue High Court Ruling on Religious Displays
Some Jewish groups have expressed disappointment with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that calls for a policy of accommodation toward religious displays on government-owned land.
In a 5-4 ruling on April 28, the high court determined in Salazar v. Buono that displaying a Christian cross on government property to honor the war dead is acceptable, adding that the Constitution “does not require the eradication of all religious symbols in the public realm.”
The case concerns an 8-foot-high Latin cross that has been maintained in the Mojave Desert in some form since 1934 to honor World War I soldiers. The cross is on public property, and Frank Buono, a regular visitor to the Mojave National Preserve, filed suit alleging a violation of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause against the creation of a national religion. Buono sought the cross’ removal.
A district court found that the petitioner had standing to sue and granted Buono’s injunction.
While a government appeal was pending, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act was passed, which allowed the Secretary of the Interior to transfer the land and the cross to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in exchange for an equal amount of land that the VFW owns adjoining the preserve. Buono filed suit again, alleging that the land transfer violated the injunction he had been granted.
The Supreme Court remanded the case to the lower courts; Justice Anthony Kennedy urged the courts to reconsider the case in light of the land transfer.
The Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the American Jewish Committee and the Union for Reform Judaism joined other organizations in filing an amicus brief to the high court, urging the justices to find the display of the cross unconstitutional.
“We are disappointed by the Court’s action, but this is not a case destined to have much impact on religious freedom,” ADL National Chair Robert Sugarman and National Director Abraham Foxman said in a statement.
“One troubling aspect of this decision is that the plurality drew far-reaching theological conclusions when it determined that the cross has some universal meaning beyond Christianity.”