fbpx Counting Every Vote | Reconstructing Judaism

Counting Every Vote

News

Updated on November 9, 2020:

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris stand for many of the values and are committed to many of the programs that Reconstructionist Jews champion. We have much work to do to heal our broken world. We stand ready to act in partnership with all people of goodwill.

 

Original Statement (November 4, 2020)

The Jewish people have been around for millennia and Jews have lived in many different kinds of societies and under many different forms of government. We have flourished in America’s democracy, with its commitment of free and fair elections to choose our leader.

E pluribus unum honors the many diverse communities of America, including the Jewish community, and insists that we can find unity together. Democratic practices, like free and fair elections, are essential tools in this hard yet exciting work. We must fiercely defend and uphold all democratic practices—including allowing time for all the votes to be counted. The campaign is over and it is time for the will of the people to prevail.

Many American Jews considering voting to be a mitzvah, a commandment. It is essential that every vote is counted so that every voice is heard and so that our full-throated democracy can flourish. In Hebrew, the word for vote (kol) also means “voice”. The beauty of a democracy is that every voice can be heard.

Genesis 1:27 teaches that we are all created in the image of God. If we take that teaching seriously, that means that we all deserve to live in safety and to be heard. In a democracy, voting is an essential way of expressing the value and raising up the divinity of every person.

Mordecai Kaplan, the founding thinker of Reconstructionism, taught that “where there is no diversity, there is no freedom.” Our ability to live freely and thrive in the United States depends thoroughly on other people’s ability to do the same. And only in a fully constituted democracy, where people have the ability to choose their leaders and, when necessary, to remove them from office, can such diversity and freedom flourish.

President and CEO, Reconstructing Judaism; Aaron and Marjorie Ziegelman Presidential Professor, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College

Related Resources

Key Tips For Talking With News Professionals: A Resource for Community Leaders

Positive media coverage can amplify your voice, inform the public about key issues and build further credibility for your community. At the same time, a negative story can negatively impact your community’s reputation. Here are key tips for speaking with journalists.

Article
News and Blogs

Fiddler on the Roof and Trump’s Executive Order

The rise in antisemitism is a real and growing threat, but the prospect of defining Judaism as a nationality is deeply problematic. The Reconstructionist notion of peoplehood sheds light on the weighty issues at stake.

News
News and Blogs

Reconstructing Pluralism through Conversation

Pluralism is dead. Long live pluralism.

News
News and Blogs

Let My People Stay: Jews Demand a Dream Act Now

Eighty-six Jewish activists, including six Reconstructionist rabbis, were arrested in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 17 in a bold act of civil disobedience in solidarity with more than 800,000 Dreamers.

News

Shofar Kavannah for Refugees

This ritual invokes the blast of the shofar to articulate the plight of refugees. It was created for use at High Holidays in response to the presidential travel ban.

Article

Judaism and Journalistic Ethics - Video with Transcript

Video and transcript of conversation on journalistic ethics and Jewish values

Video

Jewish Tradition and Journalistic Ethics Audio

Rabbi David Teutsch, Ph.D., discusses the role of the free press in the Jewish community and American society, and what Jewish values can teach us about journalistic ethics.

Spoken Audio
News and Blogs

Jewish Values and Journalistic Ethics

Rabbi David Teutsch, Ph.D., discusses the role of the free press in the Jewish community and American society, and what Jewish values can teach us about journalistic ethics.

News
News and Blogs

Politics From The Pulpit: Speaking Publicly About Repairing The World Together

Reconstructionist Judaism takes seriously our obligation to act together to address injustice and suffering. To do so, Rabbi Elliot Tepperman argues, our congregations need to be places where we can safely engage in political and ethical agitation and disagreement, while avoiding mere irritation.

News