A group of Massachusetts clergy leaders of different faith visited the office of Governor Healey on Monday, September 8th to urge her to use her powers of clemency in service of the wellbeing of all people. The faith leaders delivered a letter signed by over 130 Massachusetts clergy leaders, calling on Governor Healey to make good on the promise of her clemency guidelines to right systemic wrongs, show mercy, promote equity, and address historic injustices.
Faith leaders who delivered the letter to the governor’s office included Reverend Annie Gonzalez of First Barish in Bedford, Rabbi Claudia Kreiman of Temple Beth Zion, Rabbi Mimi Micner of Temple Beth Torah, and Rabbi Leora Abelson of Nahar Shalom. They were joined by Sashi James, Co-Director of Families for Justice as Healing.
The letter asks Governor Healey to make use of clemency to release currently incarcerated women, and specifically asks Governor Healey to release aging and sick incarcerated women. The letter was organized by clergy leaders of Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths, and supported by Families for Justice as Healing, T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, and Unitarian Universalist Mass Action.
“I am proud to have joined my fellow clergy of different faiths to deliver a letter to Gov. Healy urging her to make use of clemency in service of the well-being of incarcerated people and our communities. We are joined by our belief that all people deserve mercy and compassion, and to be given a chance to turn away from wrongdoing and make a positive impact on their communities. We know the Governor shares these values, and we urge her to manifest them in our commonwealth,” said Rabbi Mimi Micner.
Rabbi Leora Abelson said, “Jews around the world are in a time of introspection and prayer as we prepare for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. On those holy days, we take responsibility for our own missteps and for co-creating a just and compassionate world. As we pray for Divine compassion and urge God to lean away from harsh judgements, can we extend this to everyone in our community? Clemency is an essential tool for manifesting these values in our Commonwealth – a tool for righting systemic wrongs, promoting individual and collective healing, and giving all people the second chance they deserve.”
Rev. Annie Gonzalez, Minister of Faith Development at First Parish in Bedford, said, “In Unitarian Universalism we try to put love at the center of all we do. Locking people up in cages is not loving, but freeing people is.”
Sashi James, Co-Director of Families for Justice as Healing, said, “Clemency in Massachusetts is urgent. Year after year we’ve fought to bring women home—and we’ve seen them heal, adjust, and thrive when we support them. That is true rehabilitation. We can’t allow mothers, daughters, sisters, and grandmothers to die behind bars after decades in a cage. The DOC continues to mishandle human lives. We can do better. Clemency is the Governor’s tool to release women and Reimagining Communities is our tool to keep them home. Do your part.”
To speak with event organizers or learn more about the Interfaith Leader Clemency Sign-on Letter, contact Shira Danan at sdanan@truah.org
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About T’ruah:
T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights brings the Torah’s ideals of human dignity, equality, and justice to life by empowering rabbis and cantors to be moral voices and to lead Jewish communities in advancing democracy and human rights for all people in the United States, Canada, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories.