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Reform Judaism helped craft the Voting Rights Act. Its evisceration gives Jews a new mission

JL;DR SUMMARY In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision further weakening the Voting Rights Act (VRA), Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner emphasizes the historical and ongoing role of Reform Judaism in shaping and defending voting rights in America. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Supreme CourtJewish CommunityReform JudaismAmerican JewsCivil RightsRuth Bader GinsburgRacial JusticeReligious Action CenterU.S. DemocracyVoting Rights Act

Places mentioned

Selma, Alabama, United States
"Rabbi Dick Hirsch, the founder of the RAC marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma because he understood that American Jewish safety is tied to the health of American democracy."
Mississippi, United States
"while registering voters in Mississippi."
Newport, Rhode Island, United States
"George Washington recognized this in his 1790 letter to the Jewish community of Newport, Rhode Island, in which he promised that the United States would give to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance."
Tennessee, United States
"the Court has weakened one of the most important tools to ensure fair representation. The result will be fewer fair Congressional maps  an effort well underway, in the wake of the decision, in states like Tennessee less representative institutions, and a political system that reflects fewer voices."
Washington, Washington DC, United States
"Demonstrators protest in favor of the Voting Rights Act outside the Supreme Court on Oct. 15, 2025."

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Cairo Item ID 81524
Cairo Source ID 35
Retrieved 2026-05-05 05:30:49 UTC
Curated 2026-05-05 08:30:52 UTC