Socially conscious and in person, Pittsburghers join first RAC gathering since pandemic
'We have a right to be in serious conversations about policy, and we have a right to advocate for policy based on the values we hold dear'
The digital hiatus is over as socially conscious Pittsburghers headed to Washington, D.C., for Consultation on Conscience, a four-day gathering of activists, clergy and justice-driven individuals. A program of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Consultation on Conscience had not met in person since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eager to reconvene, nearly 400 North Americans took to the nation’s capital between Dec. 12-15 for prayer, study and celebration. Spanning Shabbat and the first night of Chanukah, the program encouraged participants to derive strength from Jewish values and battle democratic threats, increased antisemitism and other hostilities.
Rabbi Daniel Fellman, a spiritual guide representing both Temple Sinai and Rodef Shalom Congregation, called the gathering “extraordinary.”
“It was a time to recharge our batteries — social justice-wise, for sure — but it was also an opportunity to learn from people around the country,” he said.
Panel discussions included interfaith leaders, elected officials and experts in topics ranging from U.S. voting rights to Israeli policies.
A Friday evening discussion between Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde (Episcopal bishop of Washington, D.C.), Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner (director of RAC), Imam Mohamed Magid (executive imam and resident scholar, All Dulles Area Muslim Society Center), and Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch (CEO, Women of Reform Judaism) featured insights on being a faith leader today.
Fellman told the Chronicle the conversation offered a meaningful perspective, as did a Sunday afternoon session with Reps. Jamie Raskin and Don Bacon, in which the two congressmen joined conference organizers to promote a voter turnout campaign.
Susan Friedberg Kalson, a vice chair of the North American Board of the Union for Reform Judaism, said the conference was an “uplifting” opportunity to be with 400 Reform Jews and leaders from URJ’s movement in Israel during a “time of real darkness and fear.”
Friedberg Kalson referenced shootings at Brown University and Bondi Beach, as well as the murders of Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, while noting that although a painful shadow loomed over the gathering, strength is derived in being “in community and in joining together with those with whom you share common values.”
A key component to Consultation on Conscience, Friedberg Kalson said, was the one-day trip to Capitol Hill, where participants visited elected officials and their representatives and advocated for action on issues concerning “Jewish values.”
For more than 50 years, RAC has used its voice to partner with interfaith leaders and politicians on Reform Movement policy priorities, she added.
Whether reproductive rights, attacks on immigrants or threats to the LGBTQ+ community, various issues were raised with elected officials on Dec. 15.
According to RAC representatives, participants met with senators, representatives and their teams from New Jersey, California, Illinois, Arkansas, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Florida, Wisconsin, Massachusetts and Ohio.
Kalson described the visits as powerful reminders of democratic abilities.
“As Jews, we need to draw strength from each other, and we need to remember how important it is to engage in American society,” she said. “As American Jews, we need to remember that we have a voice. We have a right to be in serious conversations about policy, and we have a right to advocate for policy based on the values we hold dear.” PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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