Jeff Pasek, JSPAN's president, has been wrestling with this question in recent weeks, as he and a legal team comprised of JSPAN members were making the determination to join in a friend of the court brief in opposition to Hazleton's anti-immigration ordinance and in support of justice for all of Hazleton's citizens.

The "stranger," the "other" - the Jewish people throughout history has understood the meaning of these words only too well. "In every generation," the Passover Haggadah instructs us, we must remind ourselves of the feeling of "strangeness," of "otherness," so that we will never forget how to offer our hand to the stranger.

In preparation for this year's Seder, the Pasek family has created a Haggadah supplement that reflects contemporary answers to the question Jeff has been asking himself. Below are some of Jeff's pieces that they will be reading together at their Seder. JSPAN hopes that our readers will find this material illuminating.

To read the essays from the Haggadah supplement, click the links below:

• For We Were Strangers: A Short History
• From Purim to Passover: Law versus Power
• Would I Break the Law?

This week, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit sided with the school board. Based on the history of the coach’s conduct, a three-judge panel ruled that the coach's acts cross the line and constitute an unconstitutional endorsement of religion. Although the coach claimed to be engaging only in an act of team unity, "a reasonable observer would perceive his actions as endorsing religion," whether or not that was his intent.

The opinion was written by former Pennsylvania Attorney General D. Michael Fisher and was joined by Judges Theodore McKee and Maryanne Trump Barry. Both McKee and Barry wrote separate concurring opinions. McKee suggested that he would have issued a broader ruling finding the coach’s conduct violative of the Establishment Clause regardless of his history of prior prayer with the team. Judge Barry joined Fisher’s opinion on the narrower ground.

JSPAN participated in the case by joining with the American Jewish Congress in a friend of the court brief to the Court of Appeals. The JSPAN brief, written by attorney Marc Stern, relied on a Supreme Court case decided last year holding that when public employees act pursuant to their official duties, their speech is not entitled to protection under the First Amendment.

JSPAN told the court that "over and above the compelling interest of the school in complying with the Establishment Clause …, public schools have an important interest in preserving the perception amongst students and parents that the schools and their employees are neither political nor religious partisans."

Urge your Congressmen to co-sponsor H. Con. Res. 322 recognizing the 60th anniversary of the founding of the modern State of Israel and reaffirming the bonds of close friendship and cooperation between the United States and Israel. To view a list of current cosponsors of the bill please click here.

The Hazleton ordinance is one of many laws that have been passed in over 20 states to try to place enforcement of the nation’s immigration laws in state and local hands. The ordinance would make it unlawful for employers to employ or for landlords to rent property to people who cannot establish that they are in the country legally. JSPAN believes that controlling the nation’s borders is a federal issue that should be dealt with only at a national level and that local laws of this sort are nothing but thinly veiled forms of racism.

In its brief to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, JSPAN cited strong evidence Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta and the city council were motivated by a discriminatory intent. Hazleton tried to claim that its problems with crime, overcrowded schools and hospitals were the direct result of the influx of illegal immigrants. Yet, astonishingly, the city has no evidence to back up that belief.

• Barletta claimed that undocumented immigrants cause long waits at hospitals, but he had no information about the number of such persons who use Hazleton’s hospitals each year. When pressed, he fell back on a stereotype, testifying that “it is well documented that illegal aliens use the emergency room for primary health care.” Yet, the truth is that government studies confirm that undocumented immigrants are less likely to use the emergency room than US citizens.
• Although Barletta blames Latinos and Latino gangs for the rise in Hazleton’s crime rate, he admitted that less than 1 percent of Hazleton’s crimes (19 out of 2800) were committed by undocumented immigrants. Police records show that only 2 or 3 of the 428 violent crimes committed in Hazleton (less than 1 percent) were believed to be caused by those immigrants.
• Although Barletta blamed illegal aliens for school overcrowding and debt, he admitted that it was "impossible" to know how many undocumented children attend Hazleton’s schools.

We hope that the Court of Appeals will affirm a very detailed and well-crafted opinion by the District Court judge striking down the Hazleton ordinance as a violation of the United States Constitution.

To read a copy of JSPAN's amicus brief click here.
To read a copy of the District Court's opinion click here.

JSPAN, a founding member of the Value All Families Coalition and the Faith Coalition for Pennsylvania Families, continues to oppose the relentless and unyielding efforts of those who would seek to impose their bigotry and intolerance upon all of us, and, in the process, do grievous harm and injury to Pennsylvania’s families and children. In the fight to preserve our rights and liberty, we must remain as tireless and vigilant as those who would seek to take them away.

Senate Bill 1250 would amend Article I, section 29 of the Pennsylvania Constitution to provide that, as to "Marriage," "No union other than a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as marriage or the functional equivalent of marriage by the Commonwealth." The bill was voted out of the state Senate Judiciary Committee on March 18th, by a vote of 10 to 4, under the condition that more public hearings would be held before it was sent to the full Senate. Next, it goes to the Senate Appropriations Committee, which will hold a public hearing that has not yet been scheduled. In order to become law, the amendment would need to be approved not only by the current Senate and General Assembly, but also by the 2009-2010 Legislature, whose members will be elected in November. If both the 2009-2010 House and Senate approve it, the bill then would have to be approved in a statewide referendum in November 2009.

Hosts for Hospitals is a non-profit organization that arranges free lodging at volunteer-host homes. Hosts decide for themselves how often and for how long they wish to lodge guests. Often, no more is required than providing someone a place to sleep after a day spent visiting with a family member at a local hospital. Hosts are not required to provide meals or transportation.

Michael Aichenbaum and Nancy Wimmer founded the organization as a personal response to a community need they recognized after each of them received bone-marrow transplants in the late 1980’s. Since the year 2000, Hosts for Hospitals has helped more than 1000 families from all 50 states and 62 countries obtain over 30,000 nights of guest lodging.

To find out more about Hosts for Hospitals, call Mike Aichenbaum at 215-472-3801 or visit the organization’s web site at http://www.hostsforhospitals.com. Click on the web site to watch a video.

If you live in the Boston area, visit http://www.hosp.org.

On Wednesday, April 16, 2008, by a vote of 7-2, the Supreme Court upheld Kentucky’s three-drug execution procedure — one drug each to sedate, paralyze, and end life, the same method of putting criminals to death by lethal injection used by nearly all of the States with the death penalty and the federal government. Baze v. Rees, No. 07-5439.

There was, however, no majority opinion. The seven-member majority decision was supported by six separate opinions. The plurality opinion garnered just three votes. A seventh opinion announced the dissent.

• To read the full text of the decision click here.
• A news summary and analysis of the decision can be found at Litigation Assured in Wake of Decision and Supreme Court Allows Lethal Injection for Execution.

On the contrary, according to Mr. Alpher,"Israel enjoys more .... international legitimacy .... than most countries in the world." As to "viability," Israelis are "a people that is constantly querying its direction and searching for something better." Mr. Alpher sees this not as a sign of "weakness," but rather one of "inner strength. .... Sixty years ago, the skeptics, naysayers, Jew-haters and fanatics could at least make a case that the newborn state of Israel was not viable. ... But today?"

In conclusion, Mr. Alpher suggests that those who "insist on predicting (Israel's) imminent demise and try to make it happen ... are swimming against the tide of history, legitimacy and justice."

To read Yossi Alpher's article in its entirety, click here.

DARFUR ALERT JAZZ BENEFIT CONCERT – MAY 3

Circle May 3 on your calendars. It’s your chance to hear some world-class music and support our urgent cause.

We at the Darfur Alert Coalition are thrilled that the Jazz for Peace Foundation, a renowned organization in NYC, is coming to Philadelphia to perform a gala benefit concert for us. Jazz for Peace has a long track record of great concerts and great assistance for community groups like ours. Check jazzforpeace.org for more.

The show will begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 3, at the elegant Arch Street Meetinghouse, conveniently located at Fourth and Arch Streets in Old City.

Get your tickets now. A limited number of discount tickets is available at $25 each, which is $10 off the regular price. We ask you to purchase your tickets online, at jazzforpeace.org.

This promises to be a fantastic evening of music for a tremendous cause we all believe in. We look forward to seeing you there!

DARFUR DANCE PREMIERE – APRIL 23-24

The Darfur Alert Coalition is assisting the Rebecca Davis Dance Company of Philadelphia in its world-premiere production of the contemporary ballet “Darfur” at the Arden Theatre. The work is described as an original ballet “set to alternative rock music and inspired by the journey of former US Marine Brian Steidle,” whose famous photos raised awareness of the atrocities in Darfur.

The production is a benefit for Global Grassroots, Steidle’s program to assist victims in Chad. Darfur Alert will have a presence as well, with an informational table about our work and a display of our Darfuri children’s art in the Arden lobby.

Performances are Wednesday, April 23, 8 p.m., and Thursday, April 24, 8 p.m. The Arden Theatre is at 40 N. Second St. in Old City Philadelphia.

To purchase tickets, go to: www.ardentheatre.org or 215-922-1122.

Please remember that JSPAN welcomes your donations to help us continue our important and effective work in Tikkun Olam. You may send gifts via PayPal on www.jspan.org. or to JSPAN, 1735 Market Street, Suite #A417, Philadelphia, PA 19103