Jewish Alliance for
Law and Social Action - www.jewishalliance.org.
18 Tremont Street, Suite 320,
Boston, 02108 - tel: 617-227-3000 fax: 617-227-3453
17 Cheshvan 5765 November 1, 2004
Dear Friends
Participate in non-partisan efforts
to ensure full voter participation.
GOTV is a national effort by civil rights
groups to get people who have never voted
or persons who vote infrequently to
exercise this important role as citizens of a Democracy.
Join with others to
make these nonpartisan calls urging people to vote. Callers will not
endorse
any candidacy but will urge citizens to exercise this important democratic
privilege.
18 Tremont Street, Suite 320, Boston Tuesday
afternoon, Election Day.
Come for one hour or four hours. Bring cell phones
and chargers.
Sheila Decter
A prayer for voting
by Rabbi David Seidenberg,
1992
Harayni muchan
b'hatsba`ati
Here I am prepared with my
vote
lid'rosh shalom ba`ad ham'dinah
hazot
to seek peace for this
country
k'mo
shekatuv
as it's written
v'dirshu et sh'lom ha`ir asher higlayti etchem
shamah
"And you will seek peace for the
city to which I exile you
there..." (Jer 29)
Y'hi ratson mil'fanekha adonai elohai velohay
horai
May it be your will YHVH my God and
God of my ancestors
k'shaym shehishtatafti biv'chirut
hayom
that just as I have participated in
elections today
kayn ezkeh l'ma`asim tovim ul'tikun
`olam b'kol ma`asai
so may I attain to
good deeds and to repairing the world
through all of
my actions
Titayn lanu ul'khol ha`amim bam'dinah
hazot
May you give us and all the peoples
in this country
z'khut lirdof tsedek ul'vakaysh
shalom k'agudah achat
the opportunity to
pursue righteousness and to seek peace
as a united
bloc
v'titayn layv chokhmah l'mi she'anu bochrim
hayom
and may you give a wise heart to
whomever we choose today
v'tisa' hamemshelet hazot
l'tovah uliv'rakhah l'chayim tovim ul'shalom
and raise up this government for good and
blessing,
for good lives and for peace
`alaynu v`al kol yisra'el v'`al kol yoshvay tayvayl v`al
y'rushalayim
for us and for all Israel and
all the world's inhabitants
and for
Jerusalem
k'mo
shekatuv
as it's written
v'hitpal'lu ba`adah el adonai ki bish'lomah yih'yeh lakhem
shalom
"...and pray for her sake to YHVH
for in her peace will be your
peace." (Jer 29)
Viy'hi no`am adonai elohaynu
`alaynu
"May the pleasure of my lord our
God be on us
uma`aseh yadaynu kon'nah
`alaynu
and the work of our hands --
establish her for us
uma`aseh yadaynu
kon'nayhu
and the work of our hands be
established" (Psalm 90)
1. THIS WEEK'S JALSA AND COALITION MEETINGS
Citizens for Public Schools
Thursday,
November 4 12:00-1:30 pm
JALSA , 18 Tremont Street, 3rd Floor Conference
Center, Boston
Guest: Bob Schwartz, Chair of Education Management Audit
Council
Joe Rappa, Director, Office of Educational Quality and
Accountability
These are the people who determine for Massachusetts what
school systems are underperforming
with potential of a state takeover of the
school systems.
Committee for Law and Social
Action
Friday, November 5, 12:30 pm
JALSA Office, 18 Tremont
Street, Suite 320, Boston
Discussion and actions relative to election
procedures
Leadership Committee, Honoring Arline
Isaacson
Monday, November 8, 8 am
Office of William Shaevel,
Esq. 141 Tremont Street, Boston
JALSA Executive Committee
Tuesday,
November 9, 12:00 noon
JALSA Office, 18 Tremont Street, Suite 320,
Boston,
Alliance for High Standards NOT High
Stakes
Sub-Committee on Legislation
Tuesday, November 9,
2:30-4:30 pm
JALSA Office, 18 Tremont Street, Suite 320, Boston
Tzedek Annual Fund Special event, supper and
commentary
Wednesday, November 10, 6-8 pm
Guest: Wendy Kaminer, author and social critic
Home
of Frank and Ellen Fisher
Open to persons pledging to become annual
contributors to the Tzedek Annual Fund
Membership to donors pledging a
minimum of $1,000 per year
contact cindy@jalsa.org.
Young Social Activists Steering
Committee
Thursday, November 11, 7:00 dinner 7:30 pm
meeting
Cafe Nicholas, Newton
2. UPCOMING JALSA AND COALITION MEETINGS
JCRC Tzedek Institute for
Synagogues
November 14, 1-5 pm, Bentley College
JALSA
will present workshop with JCRC on public policy involvement by
congregations
Alliance for High Standards NOT High
Stakes
November 15 10 am
JALSA Office, 18 Tremont Street,
Suite 302, Boston
JALSA Executive Committee
Tuesday,
November 23, 12 noon
JALSA Office, 18 Tremont Street, Suite 302,
Boston.
JALSA Board Meeting
Tuesday, November
30, 12 noon
JALSA Office, 18 Tremont Street, Suite 302, Boston
Citizens for Public Schools
Thursday,
December 2 12:00-2:30 pm
Belmont representatives to share with CPS the
experience of going through the
EMAC process of evaluating a school
system.
Hold the Date
Annual
Meeting
Sunday, December 5 10:30
am
Holiday Inn, Brookline
Speaker: Renee Landers, immediate past
president, Boston Bar Association
Honoring Massachusetts Teachers Association
governmental affairs representative
Arline
Isaacson who also serves as Co-Chair
Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus
Special thanks: Holly Gunner and
Temple Israel's Magen Mishpacha
a social action program of Temple
Israel’s Ohel Tzedek (Tents of Justice) initiative.
Hold the Date
Young Social Activists
Forum
Sunday, December 12 5-7 pm
Michael Goldman, Post-election analysis
Temple
Ohabai Shalom, Brookline
3. ACTION ALERTS
a) You should be working for the candidate of your
choice.
JALSA is not allowed by federal IRS laws to endorse
candidates, but
we urge our members to actively support the candidates they
select.
b) We do support non-partisan telephone calls to help
ensure
voter participation and efforts to ensure fair voting
practices.
Monitor voting at urban precincts in 10
Mass. cities to document problems
as a basis for election reform
proposals.
http://www.massvote.net/.
Inform
voters of their rights on Election Day.
Volunteer to Monitor Polls on
November 2 (Mass Vote now in our building)
Election Protection 2004 is MassVOTE’s
statewide volunteer initiative to have poll monitors
at locations in 11
cities. Along with fellow lead partner, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil
Rights,
we are recruiting volunteers to monitor Election Day activities,
survey voters and
have access to a voter hotline to report problems. Sign up
to volunteer today.
Election Protection Project Manager, Karie Hyslop,
khyslop@massvote.org. or at
617-542-VOTE (8683).
Other Legislative and ACTION Concerns
Action Alert relative to Boston City Council
**Docket #1310: ANTI-LOITERING ORDINANCE
PETITION FOR A SPECIAL LAW REGARDING PUBLIC SAFETY IN THE CITY OF
BOSTON.
A very controversial ordinance has been proposed regarding
public safety in the City of Boston. This anti-loitering ordinance gives
unprecedented powers to the Boston Police regarding gatherings of young people.
Some of the opponents of this bill refer to the proposal as Marshal Law. This
matter was sponsored by Councillor Paul J. Scapicchio and was referred to the
Committee on Government Operations. The Boston City Council will have a public
hearing on this proposal on Thursday, November 4th at 11:00 am.
The full
proposal may be read at http://www.jewishalliance.org/info/00000092.htm.
Action Alert relative to pending federal legislation on Intelligence
Unfortunately,
the bill contains several elements that impact on asylum requests and
immigration.
See: http://www.hias.org/News/Releases/letterSenate911_10_2004.html.
for
a letter regarding unacceptable provisions in the proposed House bill. H.R.
10
Write your congressional representatives. Urge that immigration policy not
be made under the
guise of intelligence reform.
Blessings for good health
We wish a refuah shloma (mishaberach -
Hebrew blessing for return to good health ) for the chief justice of the US
Supreme Court, Chief Justice Rehnquist.
4. INTERESTING AND IMPORTANT READING
Some important recent articles on the US Supreme
Court
Vanity Fair October
issue
Writers David Margolick, Evgenia Peretz and Michael Shnayerson
Were
the justices impartial in deciding the 2000 election?
Vanity Fair
article reveals behind the scenes discussions, very rare in the
history
of the US Supreme Court.
Not available on-line
In Court Clerks' Breach, a Provocative
Precedent
By Charles Lane
Washington Post
Staff Writer
Sunday, October 17, 2004; Page D01
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38758-2004Oct16.html.
Washington Post on US Supreme Court Justice
Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas: The
Style of a Justice
Narrowly Defined Image Belies Jurist's Quiet
Clout
By Kevin Merida and Michael A. Fletcher
Washington Post Staff
Writers
Sunday, October 10, 2004; Page A01
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19672-2004Oct9.html.
Recent articles have also inspired a blog series by the
American Constitution Society for Law and Policy
(ACS)
It's website states it is one of the nation's leading
progressive legal organizations.
http://federalism.typepad.com/crime_federalism/2004/10/clarence_thomas.html.
STANFORD, Calif. -- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen
Breyer said he wasn't sure
he was being truly impartial when the
high court was asked to settle
the disputed 2000 presidential vote in
Florida.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-breyer25.
Justices Too Tightlipped on Their Health?
By Charles
Lane
Monday, November 1, 2004; Page A19
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14368-2004Oct31.html.
Responding
to the news of Judge Rehnquist's illness.
Environment- "Wednesday, October 13,
Knight-Ridder
Environment Worsened Under Bush
in Many Key Areas, Data Show
by Seth Borenstein
Over the past 30
years, the nation's air and water have become dramatically cleaner,
but the
steady improvement has stalled or gone into reverse in several areas
since
Bush took office, according to government statistics. On Bush's
watch,
America's environment deteriorated in many critical areas - including
the quality
of air in cities and the quality of water that people drink - and
gained in very few.
Knight Ridder compiled 14 pollution-oriented
indicators from government
and university statistics. Nine of the 14
indicators showed a worsening trend,
two showed improvements and three others
zigzagged.
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1013-12.htm.
Conditions in Iraq
A reporter
wrote to personal friends about conditions in Iraq. Within days, that incredibly
powerful
email from this reporter was circulating over the Internet and was
then read
on television.
http://www.jewishalliance.org/info/00000091.htm.
Continuing dialogue on religion and politics; church
and state.
When Priests Play Politics
By J. Douglas
Allen-Taylor, AlterNet. Posted November 1, 2004.
The political actions of
Protestant black and evangelical pastors and those of Catholic bishops are not
the same
says the author, because of the role of the clergy relative to
"salvation."
http://www.alternet.org/election04/20353/.
Getting Physical
By Tom
Hayden, AlterNet. Posted November 1,
2004.
On Tuesday, the traditions of civil disobedience and electoral
politics may converge.
what happens if the rights of voters are interferred
with on election day.
Will progressives sit back and allow voters to be
intimidated and voting rights suppressed?
Tom Hayden speculates that voters
will not sit back this time.
http://www.alternet.org/election04/20349/.
Petition on Not
Remaining Silent if Election Fraud prevents full participation
A
number of organizational representatives and individuals have signed a pledge to
not remain silent
if election problems occur and people feel significant
numbers of people are prevented the
opportunity to vote.
Petition was sent
to JALSA by Rabbi Arthur Waskow
THOU SHALT NOT STEAL -- ELECTIONS!
PLEDGE
OF ACTION:
www.Nov3.US.
WBUR The
Connection
Monday, November 1, repeat tonight at 8:00 pm
Host,
Dick Gordon
Potential for voter fraud
Guests from both sides talk about
problems in voter participation
90.9 on FM
dial
5. COMMUNITY EVENTS
Religious Coalition for Reproductive
Choice
Tuesday, November 16, 6:30 Buffet and Cash Bar 7:00
Presentation
Holiday Inn, 399 Grove Street, Newton
Award: Faith Johnson, Former Co-Chair, National Religious
Coalition for Reproductive Choice
Frances
Kissling, President, Catholics for Free Choice
rcrcofma@earthlink.net.
or call 617-522-2964
JCRC 60th anniversary
Sunday, November
21 4:15 pm reception, 5:00 pm program
Boston Public Library
Election
Followup
see: www.jcrcboston.org.
Immigration Clinic
FREE Immigration
Advice
Mayor's Office of New Bostonians
November 3, & November 17,
12 noon - 3 pm
Room 804, Boston City Hall
For more info call
617-635-2980
A benefit for the Uniion of Minority
Neighborhoods
Saturday, November 6 dinner
Frankling
Park Clubhouse
Sarah-Ann Shaw, Emcee
Honoring Mukiya Baker-Gomez,
chief of staff to Gloria Fox
Joseph Leavey, many posts in child advocacy
including Commissioner for Youth Services
Meizhu Lui, Exec. Dir, United for a
Fair Economy
Entertainment by Berklee College musicians
Call Mary at
617-989-8078 or unmunity@att.net.
Reception and Concert
Etgar
L'Noar
Providing a Jewish education for
children with disabilities in Greater Boston
Sunday, November 7,
3:30-5:30 PM
Hebrew College, Berenson Hall, 160 Herrick Street,
Newton
Jazz concert featuring Octavio Brunetti and Beranrdo
Monk
sponsored by Ruth Nemzoff and Harris Berman
6. SUPPORT THE JEWISH ALLIANCE
The Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action----
dedicated
to continuing a strong, progressive, inter-generational voice
inspired by
Jewish teachings and values for social justice, civil rights, and civil
liberties.
Membership is open to all who wish to work for progressive goals in the development of public policy.
Join us!
Visit www.jewishalliance.org. and fill out the online donation form today!
If you are subscribed to this list in error or you wish
to unsubscribe, please send an email to office@jalsa.org
with Unsubscribe in
the subject line. You will be un-enrolled within 2 weeks.
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