NEW YORK — Today, T’ruah, a rabbinic human rights organization that represents over 2,000 rabbis and cantors and their communities, responded to the presumptive election of Joseph R. Biden as the 46th President of the United States.
Rabbi Jill Jacobs, executive director of T’ruah, released the following statement:
“A psalm of David. A song for the rededication of the House.
“‘I extol You, ETERNAL ONE, for You have lifted us up, and not let our enemies rejoice over us.
ETERNAL, You brought us up from death, preserved us from going down into the Pit…
One may lie down weeping at nightfall; but at dawn there are shouts of joy. You turned our lament into dancing, You undid our sackcloth and girded us with joy.’ (Psalm 30:1-2,4,12)
“T’ruah congratulates President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris on their victory, and looks forward to working in partnership with them to undo the assault to human rights and democracy of the past four years, and to work for a country that protects the human rights of everyone.
“We thank the election officials and elected leaders across the country who committed to ensuring that every vote be counted, and who have worked tirelessly to maintain the basic tenets of democracy, even under unprecedented pressure. This work should continue until every single vote is counted, and we have final and official results.
“The challenges of the moment are overwhelming.
“We are grappling with a pandemic that has already caused far too many deaths and too much illness, disproportionately among people of color, incarcerated people, low-wage workers, the elderly and others whom our society too often ignores. The disastrous immigration policies of the past four years have separated families and left children without their parents, stranded asylum seekers on our border, decimated our refugee resettlement program, incarcerated and deported immigrants seeking to make their lives in the United States and sown hatred against immigrants already living in the United States.
“The Trump administration’s rush to pack the courts has left us with a Supreme Court that has become dangerously partisan, with a majority of justices who have already demonstrated a willingness to undo protections for women and LGBTQI people, as well as to undermine democracy and the Constitution. The hatred against immigrants, Jews, BIPOC communities, Muslims, LGBTQI people, and others that has been sown by the Trump administration will not disappear quickly. Armed white supremacists remain ready and willing to carry out violent attacks against so many of us. Economic inequality is at an all-time high. Climate change threatens our very existence on the planet.
“As we have done throughout our 18 year history, T’ruah commits to bringing the moral voice of more than 2,000 rabbis and cantors, and the power of all of our communities, to standing up for the human rights of all people and to working harder than ever to ensure that the new administration does the same.
“We are also aware that the current administration has close to three months to carry out a scorched-earth strategy of undermining human rights. We will not let up on our efforts to stop this administration from leaving our country in an even worse situation, but will continue to fight for the human rights of every single person during this transitional period.
“‘Then I said to them, ‘You see the bad state we are in — [the city] lying in ruins and its gates destroyed by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of [the city] and suffer no more disgrace.’ I told them of my God’s benevolent care for me, also of the things that the king had said to me, and they said, ‘Let us start building!’ They strengthened their hand to do good. (Nehemiah 2:17-18)”