NEW YORK — Ahead of Wednesday’s scheduled Senate vote on the Freedom to Vote Act, key legislation that would establish a series of national standards to give fair access to our democracy to all Americans, T’ruah, a rabbinic human rights organization representing over 2,300 rabbis and cantors and their communities in North America, endorsed the federal legislation and condemned continued attempts from state lawmakers to suppress voting.
Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of T’ruah, released the following statement:
“Congress must pass The Freedom to Vote Act now in order to fulfill their obligation to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and to allow free and fair elections across the country.
“It is no exaggeration to say that American democracy is at stake, as state legislators in 49 states have introduced a total of more than 400 voter suppression bills. These bills will have the primary impact of making it more onerous for people of color to vote. Rather than promote the policies Americans actually want, right-wing politicians who recognize their popularity is shrinking are simply making it more difficult for people with whom they disagree, and particularly for communities of color to cast their ballots.
“Without the protections ensured by the Freedom to Vote Act, including automatic and same-day voter registration, two weeks for early voting and the establishment of Election Day as a public holiday, an individual’s ability to vote freely and easily would continue to be determined by their zip code.
“While Judaism does not prescribe democracy or any other particular form of government, Jewish law does insist on taking stock of the opinion of the collective, and on building a society that treats everyone with justice. The Talmud teaches, ‘A ruler is not to be appointed unless the community is first consulted’ (Brakhot 55a). A primary project of Jewish textual tradition is grappling with how best to construct a society that serves every person’s needs and how to ensure that our leaders do what is right and just. One step we can take today toward a more just and compassionate society is guaranteeing that every voter has the ability to cast their ballot fairly.
“The United States has offered the Jewish community a sense of safety and equality that we have rarely experienced in our history. We know that this safety is predicated on the country’s identity as a multi-ethnic, multi-racial, multi-religious democracy. Only by guaranteeing a fully participatory democracy — a democracy in which people of all races, ethnicities, religious backgrounds and economic classes have a voice and the potential to thrive — can a truly representative government, the hallmark of American democracy, be achieved. We urge the Senate to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and protect the ability of all Americans to safely and freely cast our ballots.”
Last spring, T’ruah presented the Raphael Lemkin Human Rights Award to Marc Elias, a prominent Jewish lawyer who has worked tirelessly to stop legislation that would harm voting rights. At the time, he warned, “Right now, in state legislatures around the country, Black and Brown voters are having their voting rights taken away. We need to not be tired of the fight. We need to not think that the fight is over. It is our obligation as Jews to keep up the fight.” T’ruah is dedicated to continuing this fight to end voter suppression, especially in communities of color, and to enacting election reforms so every adult citizen can have their say in our government.
T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights mobilizes a network of more than 2,300 rabbis and cantors from all streams of Judaism that, together with the Jewish community, act on the Jewish imperative to respect and advance the human rights of all people. Grounded in Torah and our Jewish historical experience and guided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we call upon Jews to assert Jewish values by raising our voices and taking concrete steps to protect and expand human rights in North America, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories.