After an amendment offered by Robert Andrews (D-NJ) to allow nontheistic
chaplains in the U.S. Armed Forces was defeated last week 43-18 in the
House Armed Services Committee, the issue got a second chance on June 14.
Following an outpouring of support from the secular community via action alerts from the Secular Coalition [here and here],
Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) introduced his own amendment to the
National Defense Authorization Act [H.R. 1960] to the full House, which
would have allowed nontheistic chaplains for the 23 percent of service
members who are "nones". Both amendments were introduced at the
suggestion of the Secular Coalition. While the issue of nontheistic chaplains may seem ironic,
they are extremely important for service members whose careers may be
negatively impacted by seeking the help of a counselor or psychiatrist—a relationship that is not confidential as in the civilian world.
Polis' bill was defeated on June 14 in a 274-150 vote. Every Republican voted against it, and they were joined by 44 Democrats.
While we are extremely disappointed the amendments failed, we were
heartened to see the show of support today's amendment received from a
full third of the U.S. House of Representatives. We are proud that our
issues are being more widely supported and that we are being heard and
our issues taken seriously. While we still have a long way to go, we are
continuing to make significant inroads.
Please use this link to send a letter to your representative now—the Secular Coalition's
system will automatically generate a thank you letter if your
representative supported the amendment and a letter of disappointment if
they did not. You can also view the final voting record for this amendment here.
In other news, Secular Coalition Executive Director, Edwina Rogers, was a
guest on the Melissa Harris-Perry Show on Saturday on MSNBC. Rogers was
joined by a panel of experts which included Ezra Klein from The
Washington Post, University of Pennsylvania Professor Anthea Butler, and
President of Voto Latino Maria Teresa Kumar. The panel discussed issues
of the day, including President Obama's political strategy, critical
functions of the Affordable Care Act and LGBT issues. The episode is available on our website or at MSNBC here.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Monday, June 10, 2013
SHJ Selects Maurice Sendak as Humanistic Jewish Role Model
The
Society for Humanistic Judaism is pleased to announce Maurice Sendak as
its Humanistic Jewish Role Model for 2013-2014. Sendak, a well-known
writer and illustrator of children's books, was born June 10, 1928 in
Brooklyn, NY. He died in May, 2012, just short of his 84th birthday.
The
beauty of Sendak's work is that his stories are ostensibly for
children, but also touch on issues and feelings faced by adults, making
him an attractive multi-generational choice for a role model. His Jewish
identity forms the context of his story telling.
Cary Shaw from the Congregation for Humanistic Judaism
in Fairfield County, Connecticut, and a member of the SHJ Membership
Committee that recommends the annual Humanistic Jewish role model,
became more intrigued and consistently more engaged by Sendak and his
body of work as he researched him and developed material to be shared
with SHJ affiliates for future programming.
Denise Handlarski, Assistant Rabbi at Oraynu Congregation
in Toronto, Ontario sees Maurice Sendak as embracing the idea of
transformation in his own life as well as in his stories. She said that
Sendak had the "ability to enter the mind of children and take their
worlds seriously. His themes are sometimes dark and shocking, but
equally challenging and liberating."
Rabbi Jodi Kornfeld, of Beth Chaverim Humanistic Jewish Community,
Illinois, sees Purim as a good time to acknowledge Sendak. Kornfeld
says, "Sendak creates worlds in which the joyful is juxtaposed with the
terrible, the celebratory with the tragic, and the delightful with the
frightful... Moreover, the Purim story itself includes the directive to
celebrate and be joyful. Sendak's artful work does that."
The
child of Jewish immigrants who left Europe during World War I, Sendak
grew up in Brooklyn in the shadow of the Holocaust. Although much of his
family died in Poland, his parents tried to hide information about how
most were killed. Unable to fully grasp the circumstances, he felt the
fear and the grief that pervaded the household, knowing it had to do
with death and murder. Sendak developed an enduring conviction that to
lie to children is to harm them. His books reflect his struggles with
his early years and also reflect his commitment to treat children with
respect and to always tell the truth. Sendak was quoted as saying, "My
books are written ... for children who are never satisfied with
condescending material, who understand real emotion and real feeling ...
and are not afraid of knowing emotional truth."
Sendak's most well-known children's book, Where the Wild Things Are, brought him the Caldecott Medal in
1964. For Sendak, the wild things represented the many strange
relatives from foreign lands who stayed with his family when he was a
child.
He
preserved the memory of his deceased relatives, using their pictures as
the models for his illustrations for Isaac Bashevis Singer's book, Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories. He also collaborated with playwright, Tony Kushner, illustrating Hans Krasa's Brundibar, a children's opera about a brother and sister who fight a bully named Brundibar. Brundibar
was performed by the children of the Concentration Camp Terezin more
than 55 times. The book, published in 2003, was named one of the New York Times Book Review's 10 best illustrated books of the year.
Sendak mentioned in a September 2008 article in The New York Times
that he was gay and had lived with his partner, psychoanalyst Dr.
Eugene Glynn, for 50 years before Glynn's death in May 2007. After his
partner's death, Sendak donated $1 million to the Jewish Board of Family
and Children's Services in memory of Glynn who had treated young people
there.
Sendak,
an atheist, stated in a September 2011 interview with Terry Gross on
NPR's Fresh Air that he didn't believe in God. He commented that life is
harder for non-believers than for those who were religious.
"Maurice
Sendak is a compelling choice as the Society for Humanistic Judaism
2013-2014 Humanistic Jewish Role Model" remarked Rabbi Miriam Jerris.
"The programming opportunities are extensive. Maurice Sendak is
attractive to multiple age groups, making him one of the most appealing
role models we have ever selected."
The Center for Inquiry's UN Representative Condemns ‘Honor Killings’ and Human Rights Abuses
Just
as the Center for Inquiry (CFI) fights crucial policy battles in the
United States for science, reason, and secularism, CFI also brings its
efforts and advocacy to the international stage, with representation at
the United Nations in both New York City and Geneva.
CFI's main Geneva representative is Dr. Elizabeth O'Casey, who today delivered a statement condemning
the horrifying practice of so-called “honor killings” of women, and the
governments that allow perpetrators to evade punishment.
“We can no longer stand by and watch this horrific violence against
women go unpunished,” O’Casey told the Human Rights Council. “This
barbaric practice is justified on cultural and religious grounds. We
must not allow such grounds to be used to legitimize or excuse such an
abhorrent abuse of a woman’s right to life, her right to equality, her
right to freedom, or her right to dignity.
“We urge all member states to do more to protect women from this sort of
violence, to punish those who commit it, and to condemn the culture of
impunity and religious justification, which not only allows, but
encourages, such barbarity.”
O'Casey joined CFI allies the International Humanist and Ethical Union
(IHEU) and the British Humanist Association (BHA) in delivering
statements during a debate on civil and political rights, including a joint proclamation delivered on behalf of all three groups urging for greater access to contraception and abortion.
O'Casey will be working alongside these groups all session long to
advocate on behalf of secularist and humanist causes, such as freedom of
belief and expression, women’s equality, and church-state separation.
Also planned is a statement on the use of torture in Iran and equality
for disabled persons around the world.
"Honor killings, restricted access to reproductive health care,
crackdowns on free speech—these are all serious human rights abuses.
Secularists have an important voice to add to these discussions,
separating policy from the oppressive dogma of religion and
superstition," said Michael De Dora, CFI’s New York UN representative.
"We are proud to have Elizabeth O'Casey representing the Center for
Inquiry, and all of us who believe in reason, secularism, and our common
humanity. She is doing a wonderful job bringing the global community’s
attention to some of the most critical issues of our time.”
"Kosher Nostra" Plea
From http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/kosher_nostra_plea_qEtcbDJJ6FVGTUGFF8hDaM#.UbIQaupXL9c.email:
Three Orthodox Jewish brothers accused of trying to intimidate a Brooklyn teen girl into dropping sex-abuse charges against a prominent Hasidic counselor avoided jail time yesterday by pleading guilty.
Jacob, Joseph and Hertzka Berger were charged with coercion last year for ripping down the kosher certificate at a Williamsburg restaurant owned by the teen’s then-boyfriend.
“I’m happy it’s over even though they deserve a bigger punishment in my and the entire world’s eyes,” said the restaurant owner, who has since married the teen victim.
“The Mafia way of intimidating victims and witnesses will no longer be tolerated in our community.”
The incident was part of the harassment the teen girl suffered for
accusing Nechemya Weberman, a powerful man in her Satmar sect, of
sexually abusing her during counseling sessions. Weberman was convicted
this year on the strength of her testimony.
Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Danny Chun sentenced the “Kosher Nostra” to conditional discharges with no jail time. Jacob Berger must also pay $500 restitution to the restaurant owner. Abraham Rubin, who was arrested the same day as the Berger brothers, still faces charges he offered Weberman’s victim and her boyfriend $500,000 to drop the case and leave the country.
“We objected strongly to them not getting any jail time,” said a Brooklyn DA spokeswoman.
“The DA took a very hard-line stance because it was related to the Weberman case,” said Jacob defense attorney Michael Cibella.
The brothers declined to comment through their attorneys.
Three Orthodox Jewish brothers accused of trying to intimidate a Brooklyn teen girl into dropping sex-abuse charges against a prominent Hasidic counselor avoided jail time yesterday by pleading guilty.
Jacob, Joseph and Hertzka Berger were charged with coercion last year for ripping down the kosher certificate at a Williamsburg restaurant owned by the teen’s then-boyfriend.
“I’m happy it’s over even though they deserve a bigger punishment in my and the entire world’s eyes,” said the restaurant owner, who has since married the teen victim.
“The Mafia way of intimidating victims and witnesses will no longer be tolerated in our community.”
Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Danny Chun sentenced the “Kosher Nostra” to conditional discharges with no jail time. Jacob Berger must also pay $500 restitution to the restaurant owner. Abraham Rubin, who was arrested the same day as the Berger brothers, still faces charges he offered Weberman’s victim and her boyfriend $500,000 to drop the case and leave the country.
“We objected strongly to them not getting any jail time,” said a Brooklyn DA spokeswoman.
“The DA took a very hard-line stance because it was related to the Weberman case,” said Jacob defense attorney Michael Cibella.
The brothers declined to comment through their attorneys.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
In Memory of Senator Lautenberg
Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), a
long-time ally of secular and church state issues, passed away this
morning due to complications from viral pneumonia in New York. He was 89
years old.
As a Jewish member of the Senate Lautenberg was a strong supporter of church/state separation. He received an “A” grade on the Secular Coalition for America’s most recent Senate Scorecard. Representing secular New Jersey constituents, Senator Lautenberg’s office met with David Silverman and Amanda Knief from American Atheists during SCA’s Secular Summit & Lobby Day on April 26th. American Atheists is a member organization of the Secular Coalition for America and headquartered in New Jersey. Sen. Lautenberg’s office is also scheduled to meet with SCA staff on June 13th. His Chief of Staff, Dan Katz formally worked for Americans United for Separation of Church and State before moving on to work aside the Senator.
Lautenberg opposed school vouchers which would use taxpayer money to pay for religious schools as well as opposed abstinence-only education. In 1995, Lautenberg urged then-Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) to withdraw his invitation to pseudo-historian David Barton because Barton promoted the idea of America as a Christian-only nation.
In 1998, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) passed a resolution “lauding the Ten Commandments and urging its display.” The resolution said the display should be featured, “in the Supreme Court, the Capitol building, the White House, and other government offices and courthouses across the nation.” It was Senator Lautenberg who reformed that resolution with the phrase, “…as long as it is consistent with the establishment clause of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.”
Sen. Lautenberg was the last World War II veteran serving in the U.S. Senate and held the record for the number of votes cast by a New Jersey Senator. He was a strong ally for church-state separation and will be missed by the Secular community. He is survived by his wife, Bonnie Englebardt Lautenberg; six children and their spouses.
As a Jewish member of the Senate Lautenberg was a strong supporter of church/state separation. He received an “A” grade on the Secular Coalition for America’s most recent Senate Scorecard. Representing secular New Jersey constituents, Senator Lautenberg’s office met with David Silverman and Amanda Knief from American Atheists during SCA’s Secular Summit & Lobby Day on April 26th. American Atheists is a member organization of the Secular Coalition for America and headquartered in New Jersey. Sen. Lautenberg’s office is also scheduled to meet with SCA staff on June 13th. His Chief of Staff, Dan Katz formally worked for Americans United for Separation of Church and State before moving on to work aside the Senator.
Lautenberg opposed school vouchers which would use taxpayer money to pay for religious schools as well as opposed abstinence-only education. In 1995, Lautenberg urged then-Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) to withdraw his invitation to pseudo-historian David Barton because Barton promoted the idea of America as a Christian-only nation.
In 1998, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) passed a resolution “lauding the Ten Commandments and urging its display.” The resolution said the display should be featured, “in the Supreme Court, the Capitol building, the White House, and other government offices and courthouses across the nation.” It was Senator Lautenberg who reformed that resolution with the phrase, “…as long as it is consistent with the establishment clause of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.”
Sen. Lautenberg was the last World War II veteran serving in the U.S. Senate and held the record for the number of votes cast by a New Jersey Senator. He was a strong ally for church-state separation and will be missed by the Secular community. He is survived by his wife, Bonnie Englebardt Lautenberg; six children and their spouses.
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