“Victory!! Bravo, Hurrah, Cap Makers! Cheers to the entire Jewish quarter, which helped win this amazing battle! Hurrah to all the unions!" Thus read the Jewish Daily Forward's front page in 1905 in response to a huge victory by the cap makers' union. The Forverts published in red ink to honor the workers' victory.

At a time when American Jews were mostly poor and working-class immigrants, often toiling for long hours in dangerous working conditions for a shot at the American Dream, the Forverts was much more than a newspaper. It was an instrument of struggle, a key player in the rise of the labor movement in early 20th-century America and a reflection of the values and ambitions of a Jewish community yearning for both integration and justice. … [I]n 21st-century America, it is the growing gap between the haves and the have-nots, the unavailability of health care, the evisceration of government regulation of industry, the roll-back of much of the social safety net created by the New Deal and the Great Society, the return to a new gilded age of Enrons and Halliburtons that present perhaps the greatest challenge to the health of our democracy.

This economic inequality is also an affront to both Jewish history and Jewish values. Our tradition is clear about the obligation to work for economic justice.

For all these reasons, an emerging Jewish social justice movement has embraced the struggle for economic justice as one of the most important Jewish issues of our time. In cities across the country, new organizations are educating community members about the Jewish imperative to strive for economic justice, to organize the Jewish community to stand with low-wage workers and to recognize that the struggles of the working poor to stay afloat in the economy of 21st-century America are our struggles too. …

While most mainstream, long-established Jewish communal organizations and institutions remain focused on a much narrower notion of what constitutes Jewish community interest, some recognize that economic justice was and is a deeply Jewish issue.

“The Supreme Court delivered a devastating blow to women and women's health in its 5-4 decision to uphold the federal abortion ban in Gonzalez v. Carhart and Gonzalez v. Planned Parenthood. Since 1973, this is the first time an abortion ban that does not include an exception for a woman's health has been upheld. This marks a dangerous erosion of reproductive rights and health.” (From a statement by the National Council of Jewish Women issued very soon after the opinion was released.)

“There were a few surprises in the new decision … The biggest surprise – a shocker really – was the majority’s use of the opinion to enshrine in Supreme Court doctrine the rhetoric and tactical positioning of the anti-abortion movement. Most notably, it served up the patronizing fiction that the court was acting for women’s own good to protect their mental and moral health.” (Dorothy Samuels in The New York Times, April 27, 2007.)

Geoffrey R. Stone, former dean and now provost of the University of Chicago's law school, posted an item titled "Faith-Based Justices" on his school's blog … Stone's argument was that the decision in Gonzales v. Carhart repudiated the court's previous abortion jurisprudence and offered flimsy reasoning for upholding the federal ban on the procedure opponents call "partial birth," when seven years ago it had rejected a Nebraska law that was "virtually identical." "What then explains this decision?" he wrote. "Here is a painfully awkward observation: All five justices in the majority in Gonzales are Catholic. The four justices who are either Protestant or Jewish all voted in accord with settled precedent. It is mortifying to have to point this out." (From the Washington Post, April 30, 2007.)

JSPAN has adopted an immigration policy, available on our web site, which emphasizes the need to treat all individuals with respect while preventing their illegal entry. Our policy also reflects a number of the same principles reflected in the Rabbinical Assembly statement.

How do we get there? When one of our members notes a case of interest, a committee of our lawyers who are seasoned in civil and religious rights matters meets and evaluates the case and the possible contribution we might make. The case and proposed position are reported to the JSPAN Board for policy approval. Then one member of the committee undertakes a first draft brief, which is vetted (usually vigorously) by all the members.

Seasoned though they are, the lawyers on the committee do not necessarily agree up front, and the debate can get quite hot and heavy. But a consensus is usually reached, and the final brief is prepared and filed.

If you become aware of a case or other matter in the legal system that may require our consideration, send a note to JSPAN@JSPAN.org. However, please note that JSPAN represents only itself, and does not advise or act as lawyer for any litigant party in these cases.

Well, if the country happens to be Israel, a commission of inquiry is appointed and gets to work examining how the country got itself into that mess. It takes a long, unblinkered look at the military, diplomatic and political assumptions leading up to the war, probes the state of the military and examines the nature of the government's own decision making processes - up to and including the personalities and qualifications for office of the top leadership. The report, though non-binding, is promptly taken to heart by all sides and becomes the new standard. Then the public takes over.

In some other countries - and we can think of one or two - the poorly-thought-out, unwinnable war just goes on and on and none of the inept, arrogant architects is ever held to account. On balance, Israel doesn't look that bad. (Editorial: Israel's Tough Medicine, Jewish Daily Forward, May 4, 2007.)

The bill will be referred to the Education and Labor Committee. Three Pennsylvania Representatives sit on this committee and their support may be key to a favorable committee vote. They are Joseph Sestak (D, PA-07), Jason Altmire (D, PA-04) and Todd Platts (R, PA-19). In the Senate, we expect the bill to be introduced in about a month or so. Efforts are underway to seek the support of Senator Arlen Specter as a lead co-sponsor.

JSPAN has endorsed the legislative policy of ENDA and expects to take further steps as the bill progresses.