To call attention to the escalating violence and the continued failure of the international community to adequately respond to this crisis, activists across the world have come together to plan "Global Days for Darfur". This week of rallies, marches and vigils is running from April 23rd to April 30th.

Over 300 events are taking place around the country aimed at bringing awareness to the atrocities committed in Darfur and highlighting local divestment initiatives. Here in Philadelphia, JSPAN is part of the Darfur Alert Coalition, which is sponsoring Drumbeat for Darfur, a rally and march scheduled for April 29. Please join us as we raise our voices in protest to this ongoing tragedy!

This week, as we passed overnight from the deep mourning of Yom Ha'Zikaron (Israel's Memorial Day for the Fallen, including 233 more this year, half of them in the Second Lebanon War) to the celebrations of our fifty-ninth Independence Day, the country's streets and house fronts, businesses and private cars were draped in flags-to my eye at least, more than ever, despite a forlorn call by a radical Ha'aretz writer to avoid hanging a flag "besmirched by the occupation." Indeed, there was a clear gap between the public mood and the perceptions offered by much of the media, where self-flagellation and recrimination seem to have acquired the revered status of a national pastime.

How can it be-the question seems to be put by our pundits-that after (a mere) fifty-nine years, often spent in murderous conflict with our neighbors, we have not yet attained the wealth of Switzerland, the social systems of Sweden, the cleanliness of Singapore, or the sense of moral superiority enjoyed (and occasionally flaunted) by Norway? Ordinary Israelis are somewhat less prone, apparently, to such inflated expectations, and more readily convinced that there is already much to be happy with, even now. More and better is yet to come, even if we are riding through a rough political patch just now. They may be right: It is quite possible, despite all that has happened since last year's celebrations, to point to three major developments, and one permanent fact, that Israelis can be proud of:

The Jewish Social Policy Action Network applauds Sen. Feingold for bringing this pressing issue to the attention of his colleagues in the Senate, and urges their endorsement of this humanitarian effort to expand the availability of affordable housing in this country.

To learn more about this issue, click here.

The penalty has stripped college financial aid from nearly 200,000 students with drug convictions since taking effect in 2000. While the penalty is intended to reduce drug abuse, it actually fosters the opposite effect, by blocking access to higher education to Americans committed to getting their lives back on track.

In a sign-on letter delivered on April 23 to Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), ranking member of the Committee, the Coalition urged that the penalty provision in the pending Higher Education Act reauthorization bill be repealed. The letter stated, "Doing so would reinstate aid to aspiring students by removing the confusing drug conviction question from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, as recommended by Congress's own Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance."

On April 19, Jeffrey Pasek, President of JSPAN, sent a letter to Sen. Arlen Specter, urging him to "use (his) influence with Senators Kennedy and Enzi to ensure full repeal of 20 U.S.C. 1091 (r)".

• Click here to read the full text of the JSPAN letter to Sen. Specter.
• Click here to read the full text of the Coalition for Higher Education Act Reform letter sent to Sens. Kennedy and Enzi.
• Click here to visit the Students for Sensible Drug Policy web site.

Why is America’s strongest faith-based bloc that opposes the war—the Jewish community—sitting this conflict out?

From the front lines of the civil-rights movement through the Vietnam War protests and up to the campaign to stop genocide in Darfur, American Jews have never been shy about forming opinions, fighting for them, and even being arrested and harassed for voicing them in protest. So why were there so few placards representing Jewish groups floating above the thousands of antiwar protesters who marched on the Pentagon in March to mark the fourth anniversary of the Iraq War? And why were Jewish groups also absent a month earlier, when tens of thousands gathered on the National Mall to call for an immediate pullout from Iraq?

It might seem natural for any religious or ethnic group to sit out the Iraq debate, since religious, ethnic and communal considerations hardly play a central role. But recent surveys show that American Jews, more than any religious community measured, are of a single mind on the war.

A Gallup Poll published in March revealed that 77 percent of American Jews believe invading Iraq was a mistake. Compare this with Catholics, who are divided nearly down the middle with a slight majority opposing the war. Similarly, Protestants are split almost evenly, with a small edge for supporters of the war. As a group, the poll showed, only Mormons enthusiastically believe that going to war in Iraq was the right thing to do.

So Jews might be expected, as in the Selma march of 1967 and in Chicago at the 1968 Democratic Convention, to be marching in lockstep with their fellow opponents of the war. Yet, up to now, the only major Jewish group to take a stand has been the Reform Movement, which in mid-March passed a resolution rejecting the administration’s troop surge and calling for a timetable for withdrawal. As the largest synagogue group in the United States, the Union of Reform Judaism represents more than a million members. Its decision to come out against the war constitutes a major move for the organized Jewish community, but it also highlights the silence of all other Jewish groups and individuals.

Why, then, is America’s strongest faith-based bloc that opposes the war—the Jewish community—sitting this one out?

• Click here to view the JSPAN's resolution on the War in Iraq of December 12, 2005
• Click here to view JSPAN's letter to Members of Congress of January 14, 2007

JSPAN agrees with our coalition partners that a statewide law is needed to protect all LGBT Pennsylvanians from discrimination and supports amending the PHRA to include protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. Here’s why:

• Current Pennsylvania law provides basic legal protection against discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, ancestry, age, national origin, handicap or disability, education and the use of a guide dog, but not sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. Amending the PHRA to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression would provide basic protection to ensure fairness for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Pennsylvanians.
• Many states have already amended their state civil rights laws to protect against this kind of discrimination. Fifteen states, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, New Mexico, and the District of Columbia have laws protecting gay, lesbian, and bisexual people from discrimination. Ten of these states also prohibit discrimination against transgender people through legislation or case law. Two hundred and fifty-six municipalities in the United Sates, including 10 in Pennsylvania, have civil rights protections based upon sexual orientation, gender identity, or both.
• Many major employers in Pennsylvania have policies prohibiting such discrimination. More than 100 employers, including some of the largest corporations in Pennsylvania, have non-discrimination policies including sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Almost 82% of Fortune 500 companies prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and that number grows annually. These companies recognize that attracting and retaining the best workers is critical, and that employers with a reputation for respecting diversity are at a competitive advantage with these protections.
• This change will make Pennsylvania competitive with many of our neighbors. Our neighboring states of Maryland, New Jersey, and New York already have laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
• Pennsylvania has already taken steps in this direction. In 1975, Pennsylvania Governor Milton Shapp issued the first state executive order banning discrimination in state employment on the basis of sexual orientation. This executive order has been reissued by each of Governor Shapp’s successors and now also includes gender identity or expression. Currently, 13 municipalities in Pennsylvania prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing and public accommodations - including the Counties of Philadelphia and Erie, the Cities of Allentown, Easton, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Pittsburgh, Scranton and York, and the Boroughs of Lansdowne, New Hope and West Chester. State College prohibits discrimination in the area of housing only.
• Yet, too many of our citizens are not covered by their employer’s policies or their municipality’s laws. Discrimination based on actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity or expression effectively denies qualified individuals equality and opportunity. The lack of uniform policy across the state leads to confusion in the courts and protection only for those Pennsylvanians who work in one of the municipalities that prohibit these types of discrimination.
• The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission ("PHRC") enforces the PHRA. The PHRA prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, and education. The PHRC opposes discriminatory acts against all individuals, including those who belong to classes not currently protected under the PHRA or the Pennsylvania Fair Education Opportunities Act.