A Word From Social Justice Coordinator Jason Taper
Shalom y'all! Social Justice is more important now than ever. I'm sharing opportunities to organize and respond from home.
Tuesday, July 14, is a big runoff election! Both shuls' 100% voting initiatives are making great progress, asking every one of us to vote.
In that same nonpartisan spirit, I want to highlight the consequences of each of the races on the ballot. If you'd like to know who I'm voting for, Temple Beth Shalom and Congretation Beth Israel don't endorse candidates, but I'd be happy to have a conversation privately. Here's what's at stake: • US Senate - affects pretty much every policy you could think of at a national level • Texas Senate - affects pretty much every policy you could think of at a state level • Travis County Commissioner - affects pretty much every policy you could think of at a county level • Texas Railroad Commissioner - has nothing to do with trains! Determines energy and climate policy, from clean air standards to the Kinder Morgan pipeline. • Travis County District Attorney - arguably the most powerful person in the Travis County Criminal Justice system. Determines what felony crimes get prosecuted and how vigorously, whether cash bail remains in use, and whether police are held accountable. • Travis County Attorney - arguably the second-most powerful attorney in Travis County. Determines what misdemeanor crimes are prosecuted and how vigorously, and represents Travis County in litigation. • Travis County Court at Law #4 - tries misdemeanor Class A and B cases. Determines who gets placed in diversion programs, especially for drug offenses.
So please! If you haven't mailed in your ballot (must be received by 7:00 p.m. on July 14), or put on the PPE to go in person (if you feel safe enough), please go vote on Tuesday! Lots of change happens in elections that aren't in November!
Regardless of shul affiliation, the point of contact for every initiative listed would be happy to have your help. And if you simply want to ask how best to be an ally, or how we got here, please reply to this email, fill out the form above, or call me. My email is jason.austinsocialjustice@gmail.com, and my number is 469-834-9987. Thank you!
Forward, Jason Taper, Social Justice Coordinator
100% Voting at Our Temples: July Runoffs
Social Justice Opportunity: Calling Our Community to Vote Temple Beth Shalom Contact: Sandy Dochen | smdochen@gmail.com Congregation Beth Israel Contacts: Mindy Lee |mindyem@gmail.com, Liz Mitlak | mitlakej@gmail.com
Congregation Beth Israel and Temple Beth Shalom have both had successful phone banks to increase turnout in this July 14 runoff, and are continuing that effort through to November. Both congregations are looking for volunteers to help phone-bank to make GOTV (get-out-the-vote) calls. If you are interested, please reach out to your shul's contact or fill out the form at the top of this email.
As we get closer to the November election, Reform Jews will participate in widespread voter engagement efforts and to challenge voter suppression tactics as part of the Reform Jewish Movement’s Civic Engagement Campaign:Every Congregation, Every Vote. This is a nonpartisan effort to strengthen our democracy by encouraging everyone to participate in the U.S. election and ensuring that Reform Jewish values are represented in the public square.
The RAC put out this great statement on how our Jewish values demand we stand up against racism.
Ongoing Action: Postcards for Democracy Click here to order postcard kitsto contact low-propensity voters of color to help them register and vote.
Social Justice Opportunity: Civic Engagement Coalition Working Groups RAC-TX is working on 3 major nonpartisan issues to ensure that our democracy is strong and our elections are free and fair. The groups are:
Voter Education: Using this toolkit, the RAC's goal is to empower every congregation's members to achieve 100% voting. This includes using the TX Empower App, a tool for tracking contacts and engaging voters within your congregation and social network. Think of it as digital Jewish Geography for civic engagement.
Fighting Voter Suppression: RAC-TX is partnering with Reclaim Our Vote, a nonpartisan group whose mission is to counteract the effects of voter suppression on communities of color. Reclaim Our Vote offers regular training for their voter outreach tools like phone banking and postcards to engage marginalized voters.
Texas Voter Protection Coalition: RAC-TX joined the Texas Civil Rights Project's Voter Protection Coalition, and holds meetings with county elections officials across the state to advocate for best practices.
Work So Far: The RAC officially launched theEvery Voice, Every Vote: the Reform Movement’s 2020 Civic Engagement Campaign on May 7. Throughout the year, Reform Jews like us fight injustice by talking directly to our nation’s leaders. Our goal is not the success of one party, but the empowerment of our own community and ensuring that public policies reflect our Jewish values.
Student Civic Engagement Trainings
July 28, and August 23
These trainings, designed for voters and youth activists (ages 14-29), will frame the larger civic engagement campaign and then split into one session for high school students and one for young voters in college, graduate school, and beyond.
Contacts: Nancy Wolf | nwolf1000@gmail.com; Russ Apfel | russapfel@yahoo.com
Ongoing Actions: Request for Comment by July 15
The Federal Government has proposed changes which would completely obliterate the asylum program as we know it. Submit comments here to voice your opposition and slow the process, and learn more, including sample language, here. Work So Far: During our Jews for Refugees assembly held on February 2, 2020 we were privileged to have many non-profits attend. HIAS, our partner in this endeavor, put together a flyer entitled "What Should we Do Next?" with opportunities to get involved. Our shared histories and current circumstances reveal how we are all dependent on one another.
Upcoming Event: CBI Community Budget Conversation with Austin City Council Member Alison Alter When: July 21, 7:00-8:30 p.m. Join CBI's own Austin City Council Member Alison Alter for a discussion regarding the City of Austin Budget. This will include a Q & A on how the budgeting process works and how to advocate for our community's values in this year's city budget adoption process.RSVP here.
Ongoing Actions: • Austin City Council is determining the budget for FY21, the initial plan for which will be proposed Monday, July 13. Hearings on July 23 and July 30 will be the main source of public input for the budget, which gets adopted Aug. 12. Save these dates! • Central Texas Interfaith, of which Temple Beth Shalom and Congregation Beth Israel are both members, is active in budget advocacy. Their Community Policing initiative is particularly involved in this effort. Members of both shuls are welcome.
Some of our partner organizations have madethis tool to show how Austin's budget is allocated--and for us to show how it would look if it aligned with our values.
TBS Social Justice Core Team (Anti-Poverty)
Contact: Larkin Tackett | 512.657.9383 |larkin.tackett@gmail.com Ongoing Actions: The Anti-Poverty Action Team met with City of Austin staff about aligned efforts and narrowed options for how to define poverty and opportunity. The team continues house meetings to learn with members of the Capital IDEA, Family Independence Initiative, and LifeWorks.
Partnering with other Austin organizations (LifeWorks, Community First! Village, and Capital IDEA) to conduct house meetings to understand issues and identify leaders of families impacted by poverty.
Jewish tradition is filled with commandments to help the poorest among us: feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the widow and orphan. When we organize to place working class voices at the center of how our community morally responds to poverty, we not only improve the advocacy we undertake, but fundamentally empower those who the Torah compels us to uplift.
Advocates for Social Justice Reform (Criminal Justice)
Contact: Bob Batlan | bobbatlan1@gmail.com Email Bob for a Zoom invitation and/or to join our mailing list. Upcoming Actions: • Indigent Defense Budget Requests at City of Austin • Advocating for a grant to provide legal support during bail hearings. • Conduct a forum August 5 for those interested in Criminal Justice Reform. Ongoing Work: Meetings with Chief Public Defender, state and county officials, judges and nonprofit leaders to improve Indigent Defense.
"Justice, justice, you shall pursue." A just system of laws is ingrained from Leviticus through King David through every contradicting comment in the Talmud. Even an eye for an eye is blind to whose eye is taken, so we organize for a criminal justice system that is truly fair and impartial.
Emergency Assistance Fund - monetary donations for rent/utility assistance, food security, technology devices, and internet access
Feed a family [from home] - We'll supply the grocery list, all you have to do is go online, order groceries and set up delivery through Amazon, Instacart or other delivery service.
Laptop and tablet drive - contact Lynn to drop off at RST.
Our own people’s history as “strangers” reminds us of the many struggles faced by immigrants today, and we affirm our commitment to create the same opportunities for today’s refugees that were so valuable to our own community when we fled our gravest dangers.
Ongoing Action: Supporting Hilda and Iván in Sanctuary
Work So Far: protecting Hilda Ramirez and her son Iván, who are Guatemalan asylum seekers, from ICE detention and deportation to certain danger, for 4 years
“The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love them as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” So we show our love and solidarity with Hilda and Iván whenever we can.
And if there's anything you're involved in that's not on this list, let me know, and it will be! Here's the blurb format:
Committee or Nonprofit Name Upcoming Event/Action: When: Where: Contact: (name, email, phone # optional) Work so far:
Stay home and safe, Jason
Temple Beth Shalom 7300 Hart Lane Austin, TX 78731
