We write as leaders in the Bronx and Westchester Jewish communities to commend you on the seemingly simple but politically courageous decision to travel to the Middle East and engage with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict firsthand.
DetailsWe are writing to thank you for your decision to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for employees at private and religious schools, including yeshivas and Jewish schools. While this policy has its critics, we believe it is the kind of bold step New York City needs to keep our children, our educators, and our school staff safe while keeping schools open and allowing children to continue their education. We urge you to implement and enforce it fully, in close coordination with the affected communities.
DetailsNYJA supports a statewide interfaith effort to urge Gov. Cuomo to provide COVID-19 vaccines to people incarcerated in state prisons. In this letter, 120+ faith leaders have spoken out in the name of the universal moral principle of human dignity to insist that the Governor take action immediately.
DetailsBail reform has worked, lowering the number of individuals in pretrial detention. During our current public health crisis, in which social distancing is paramount, bail reform helps reduce crowding in our jails and can save lives. At a time of crisis, while attention is diverted elsewhere, and while limiting population density is key, we should not make changes that would put or keep more people in jail, especially those who are at greater risk of contracting COVID-19.
DetailsThe New York Jewish Agenda and the African American Clergy and Elected Officials Coalition released a joint statement: “We were profoundly disturbed to see the news reports and video of an NYPD officer using physical force against African-American men to enforce social distancing rules on the Lower East Side of Manhattan on Saturday. On the very same afternoon, New York’s parks were filled with individuals, mostly white, who disregarded social distancing rules without police intervention.”
DetailsActs of police violence we have witnessed in the streets of New York, Buffalo, and elsewhere in New York this past week demand that we shine the brightest possible light on the culture and actions of law enforcement in the state. We strongly support legislation that forms the rest of the SAFER NY Act and that will account for discriminatory policing through increased reporting practices and strengthening prosecutorial oversight of police misconduct.
DetailsWe express our anger and disappointment at Mayor de Blasio’s scapegoating the Jewish community in response to the funeral of Rabbi Chaim Mertz . In the midst of an historic wave of antisemitic hate violence in New York City, our community has been feeling the pain of being singled out and blamed for the spread of this deadly disease.
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