Sign In Forgot Password

Rabbi's Message

01/28/2022 11:56:35 AM

Jan28

Dear Chevre,

The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) has designated this Shabbat as “Repro Shabbat” as a way of bringing the whole Jewish community together to mark the critical importance of advocating for reproductive freedom, ensuring that we all have access to the quality, comprehensive care that we need to thrive with dignity. Repro Shabbat takes place on Parshat Mishpatim, as this is when we read the verses that undergird Judaism’s approach to abortion–permitted and sometimes even required, if the life of the pregnant person is in danger.

Reproductive freedom is a Jewish value. I spoke about this during the high holidays and I will be speaking about it again this evening, along with synagogues all over the country.

Our tradition not only permits the termination of pregnancy, but even requires it when the life of the woman is at stake. And, of course, kavod habriyot —human dignity —and, more broadly, building a just society are ultimate Jewish concerns. 

And, the fact of the matter is, abortion is a part of our communities; one in four people who can get pregnant will terminate a pregnancy by the age of forty-five. Our communities should be places where anyone who has, or may ever, terminate a pregnancy feels loved and welcomed.  And our communities should be places where everyone can feel welcome to share their reproductive health stories, without fear of shame or stigma. If folks wish to share, let us be a community that welcomes sharing of personal journeys whether that involves termination, fertility challenges, pregnancy loss, or any other experience. I am here to support you and hear about your journey. If you feel it would be helpful to share in a group setting, please let me know and I can organize a forum that facilitates that group support.

The moral urgency of this issue is greater than ever this year. For the first time ever, US states enacted more than 100 abortion restrictions in a single year —more than any other year since Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973, including SB 8, the draconian abortion ban in Texas.  And in early December, the Supreme Court heard arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade. The future of reproductive health care now hangs in the balance.

During a year when abortion access is more at risk than it has ever been, the NCJW is committed to this work.  I’ll be sharing ways that we can all be part of advocating for reproductive health access, rights and justice in the weeks and months to come. 

*On Wednesday, March 9th, from 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm Merrill Mezzacappa, the Reproductive Justice Task Force Chair of the National Organization for Women of NJ  and Phoebe Pollinger, co-chair of the NCJW's (Essex County) Reproductive Rights Committee will be speaking to our KHN community about reproductive rights on Zoom. Details are in the e-bulletin. 

I look forward to seeing this evening at 7:00 pm. The Zoom link is:

Kabbalat Shabbat -

Tomorrow morning at 10:00 am until noon, Abraham and I will be leading Contemplative Shabbat with chanting, meditation and a multi-leveled, contemplative approach to a verse from the Torah portion. The Zoom link is:

Contemplative Shabbat 

Stay safe and Shabbat shalom,

Rabbi Diana

Fri, March 29 2024 19 Adar II 5784