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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!

Multi-Denominational Rabbis Panel on Church-State Separation

Moderated by Nomi Joyrich, Michigan Coordinator of the Jews for a Secular Democracy initiative, this in-person and online event discussed what the Jewish tradition tells us on key issues including reproductive rights and public funds to private religious schools. The panelists were Rabbi Brent Gutmann (Reform) of Temple Kol Ami, Rabbi Asher Lopatin (Modern Orthodox) of Kehillat Etz Chayim and AJC of Detroit, and Rabbi Blair Nosanwisch (Conservative) of Adat Shalom Synagogue. The event was co-sponsored by the rabbis’ organizations...
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We Heart Equality: In Collaboration with Keshet, the Jewish LGBTQ Equality Organization

In this partnership between Keshet, the Jewish LGBTQ equality organization, and Jews for a Secular Democracy, an initiative of the Society for Humanistic Judaism, we learn why taking action for LGBTQ rights is a Jewish value, and how LGBTQ equality is a church-state separation issue. Sarah Levin and Paul Golin present on behalf of Jews for a Secular Democracy together with Jon Cohen, Keshet’s Director of Community Mobilization, and Shannon Saul, Keshet’s Community Mobilization Manager. After learning together, participants took...
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The Ongoing Battle for a Secular America

This is a guest post by Rabbi Jeffery Falick of the Congregation for Humanistic Judaism of Metro Detroit. To this day the biggest culture shock I ever experienced was my family’s move to Texas in 1978. From our fairly liberal and Jewish suburban Miami neighborhood (to which I’d return years later) I suddenly found myself in an overwhelmingly fundamentalist Christian world. The “buckle of the Bible belt,” they called it. Though I’d grown up around both Democrats and Republicans, I...
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JFASD Podcast Ep #4—Abortion and The Supreme Court: What Might We Expect

Sarah Levin Interviews Monica Miller, the Legal Director and Senior Counsel at the American Humanist Association (AHA) and an Attorney Consultant at the Nonhuman Rights Project (NHRP). Monica serves as the Executive Director of the Humanist Legal Society and the Vice President of Humanist Global Charity. Served as lead counsel in over 30 federal cases, including before the U.S. Supreme Court, and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fourth, Fifth, Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Circuits. Presented oral arguments before...
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Nomi Joyrich, Michigan JFASD Director

Nomi Joyrich is Michigan’s first Director for Jews For a Secular Democracy (JFASD.) Nomi’s work supporting interfaith concerns and social justice issues spans decades and includes political activism at all levels of government. Nomi’s current focus is on reproductive freedom, and voting rights and election protection. Nomi helped enshrine reproductive rights into the Michigan constitution, pass a Michigan law to ban child marriage, and remove obstacles to voting in Michigan. Nomi received her B.A. in Minority-Majority Group Relations, Political Philosophy and...
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Welcoming Nicole Klein Knight, Our Communications and Marketing Coordinator

Besides coordinating the Jews for a Secular Democracy initiative nationally, Nicole Klein Knight just finished her second-term as a New Hampshire State Representative. She served on the Criminal Justice Committee, was the Floor Leader for the Progressive Caucus and Secretary for the Young Democrats Caucus. Nicole co-founded the Never Again New Hampshire chapter in 2019. She centers her legislation and advocacy with the immigrant community, incarcerated community, minor’s protective rights, sex worker rights, substance user rehabilitation, and the houseless community...
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Rep. Jamie Raskin Accepts the Jews for a Secular Democracy Constitutional Defender Award

On December 5, 2021 in Silver Spring, MD, nearly 100 masked-and-vaxxed attendees of the “Hanukkah: A Celebration of Freedom” event — co-sponsored by Machar: The Washington Congregation for Secular Humanistic Judaism and the Society for Humanistic Judaism — gave a rousing show of appreciation for Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-08) as he was awarded the Constitutional Defender Award of Humanistic Judaism’s Jews for a Secular Democracy social justice initiative. He spoke eloquently of the meaning and importance of the separation of...
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