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Thoughts from volunteer leaders and supporters of Jews for a Secular Democracy. If you have something to share, please be in touch, we would welcome your contributions to the blog!
Supreme Court of the United States

Little Sisters of the Poor: The Latest Fight for Religious Liberty at the Supreme Court

15 May 2020
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On May 6, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in cases related to contraception coverage under the Affordable Care Act, Little Sisters of the Poor v. Pennsylvania and Trump v. Pennsylvania. When enacted in 2010, the Affordable Care Act mandated that employers offer health insurance that included contraception to employees. Citing their religious objections to providing birth control, the craft store chain Hobby Lobby, owned by a conservative Christian family, sued the Obama Administration, claiming the government mandate violated the company’s...
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Town Hall with Rep. Harvey Epstein

Church-State Separation During Crisis: A Town Hall with NY Assembly Member Harvey Epstein

01 May 2020
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Jews for a Secular Democracy hosted a virtual town hall with New York Assembly Member Harvey Epstein! Assembly Member Epstein (D) represents Assembly District 74, the East Side of Manhattan. We touch on the potentially challenging ways government and religion interface; what’s going on in New York City, the state, and the country in general during the Coronavirus pandemic; how Jewish identity informs doing good in the world; and much more. Jews for a Secular Democracy is a pluralistic initiative...
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States capitalize on a pandemic to ban abortion as “non-essential”

22 Apr 2020
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Religious fundamentalists in at least six states (Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas) are taking advantage of coronavirus stay-at-home orders to block access to abortion, classifying it as a “non-essential” service. They claim to be doing so to preserve PPE and hospital capacity for coronavirus cases, however many abortions simply require taking a pill. Planned Parenthood and other providers have sued, and so far judges in Alabama, Ohio and Texas blocked the bans—unfortunately, the Texas ban was ultimately upheld...
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Reject religious exemptions to stay-at-home orders!

22 Apr 2020
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Religious fundamentalists leave no stone unturned when it comes to exercising their influence over our government, and a global pandemic is no exception. At least 12 out of the 38 states that have issued statewide stay-at-home orders have granted exemptions for religious gatherings, in blatant disregard for public safety. Jews for a Secular Democracy issued Action Alerts to our supporters in Michigan and Florida urging their respective Governors to remove the religious exemption. If you identify as Jewish and are...
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Science, Government, and Religious Communities

Science, Government, and Religious Communities: What Are Their Roles During a Pandemic?

17 Apr 2020
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Join Jews for a Secular Democracy for a fascinating and timely discussion about the interrelated roles of science, government, and religious communities in the midst of a pandemic. This discussion features: Dr. Paul Offit, Director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia as well as the Maurice R. Hilleman Professor of Vaccinology and a Professor of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania; and Ian Sherman, a nurse practitioner on the...
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Secular Education in America: An Increasing Urgency

Secular Education in America: An Increasing Urgency

27 Mar 2020
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In the age of Coronavirus, it’s never been more obvious than right now how important an understanding of science is, both to policy decision-making and to the very way we live our lives as individuals. Yet too many children in America lack a basic education in secular subjects like science, despite it being mandated by law! Join Naftuli Moster, Executive Director of YAFFED: Young Advocates for Fair Education, to discuss the current efforts underway to improve educational curricula within ultra-Orthodox...
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Reviewing Denominational Stances on the Separation of Religion & State

10 Mar 2020
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Jews for a Secular Democracy is a pluralistic initiative of the Society for Humanistic Judaism to mobilize all Jews to work to keep religion and government separate. Many Jewish denominations have issued statements calling for the separation of religion & state. Take a look! Humanistic Judaism: “The Society for Humanistic Judaism (SHJ) vigorously supports the Johnson Amendment as fundamental to American democracy and the separation of church and state. The Johnson Amendment prohibits 501(c)(3) nonprofit tax-exempt organizations, including churches and...
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Welcome Sarah Levin to the JFASD Team!

09 Mar 2020
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NOTE: In October 2021, Sarah took on the role of JFASD Strategy Director. This post is from March 2020. Jews for a Secular Democracy (JFASD) is excited to welcome Sarah Levin to our team as Program Coordinator. Sarah is the founder of Secular Strategies, a consulting firm that is pioneering the mobilization of secularist voters and leveraging interfaith coalitions to counter the religious right with a pluralist left. Sarah worked for the Secular Coalition for America from 2013 through 2019...
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