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Annual Meeting a Rousing Success |
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by Ken Myers, JSPAN vice president
 JSPAN held its fifth birthday celebration and annual meeting on June 17 to a very large group that filled the Justice Roberts Library in the Fidelity Building. Steven Applebaum, treasurer of JSPAN, chaired the meeting and gave the financial report. Jeffrey C. Pasek, outgoing president, provided a detailed annual report of the activities of the organization.
Eight new directors were elected to the JSPAN Board. (Their biographical information is presented below.) Ruth Damsker, chair of the nominating committee, reported on the slate of officers for the coming year. Pasek steps up to chairman of the board, and is replaced by Brian Gralnick as president. Ruth Laibson, editor of our newsletter, takes on the additional role of vice president. Sue Myers, outgoing Board chairman, will provide oversight and chair the policy centers of the organization. Other officers, Ken Fox, vice president, Ken Myers, vice president, and Steven Applebaum, treasurer, remain in place.
 Brian Gralnick introduced Ethan Nadelmann, founder of the Drug Policy Alliance and keynote speaker of the evening. Nadelmann provided an educational and entertaining history and development of the movement he leads to tax and regulate marijuana and to substitute a health-based response to drug use for the current response, which is based on criminalization. Comparing the history of extensive unregulated usage of opiates during the 19th century with the government war on drugs of the past 40 years, Nadelmann noted a number of serious impacts on our society: more citizens in prison than any other western nation, a militia of drug enforcement officers, a heavily discriminatory enforcement regime, and, with all that, no sign of success. Meanwhile health-based programs in Great Britain and other countries function humanely, effectively and inexpensively to control the abuse of drugs.
 Sue Myers closed the meeting by recognizing the nine founding members of JSPAN: Joel Beaver, Ken Fox, Jerry Kaplan, Ted Mann, Sidney Margulies, Ken Myers, Jeff Pasek, Stewart Weintraub, and herself. She expressed her appreciation for the support of officers and members during these first five years of the organization. The meeting adjourned to refreshments, including a very large birthday cake inscribed to JSPAN.
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JSPAN Welcomes New Board Members |
 Sheila Ballen
Sheila Ballen most recently served as the Director of Press and Communications for the Pennsylvania Department of Education. She has spent the last 20 years in the public sector specializing in political campaigns, media communications and non-profit management. From November 2004- January 2006, Ballen served as the Country Director for the National Democratic Institute (NDI) in Kazakhstan. NDI is a nonprofit organization working to strengthen and expand democracy worldwide. Ballen was instrumental in starting Good Schools Pennsylvania, a non-profit organization advocating for adequate and equitable public school funding. She also served as executive director of the public interest advocate PennPIRG. |
Sarita Russ Gocial
Sarita Russ Gocial has been involved with several community based organizations over the past 35 years. As President of the Philadelphia Region of Women’s American ORT she worked to involve members in social issues important to the Jewish people. Her involvement also included Women’s Division of Federation, JCRC Speaker’s Bureau and Israel Bonds. In recent years she developed a program to bring the lessons of the Holocaust to the larger community by organizing the first Holocaust Film Series in the United States. Currently she Co-Chairs JCRC’s yearly memorial program for the Six Million Jewish Martyrs. She is also involved with the Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival.
Additionally she volunteers at the Abramson Center for Jewish Life, where she runs the Yiddish Club for residents.
Sarita has been married to Morris Gocial for 42 years, and has two children and two grandchildren.
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 Jordana L. Greenwald
Jordana L. Greenwald works as an attorney for the U.S. Department of Labor. Her work involves the enforcement of health and safety, wage and hour, and pension benefits laws. In 2007, while still in private practice, Jordana was honored by Community Legal Services for her pro bono work on a federal class action suit seeking to prevent elderly and infirm asylees and refugees from losing federal benefits. Jordana is a graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law (J.D. 2004), University of Pittsburgh (B.A. 2000). A lifelong Phillies fan, Jordana grew up in Wyncote and currently resides near South Street with her husband, Ned Tompsett, and their two cats.
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 Rabbi Richard Hirsch
Rabbi Richard Hirsh is the Executive Director of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, and teaches future rabbis at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. He has previously served congregations in Chicago, New York, New Jersey and Toronto, was the Executive Director of the Philadelphia Board of Rabbis and Jewish Chaplaincy Service (1988-1993) and was on the staff of the Philadelphia Jewish Community Relations Council (1987-1988).
He is also the author of the books The Journey of Mourning and Welcoming Children in the Reconstructionist Guide to Jewish Practice series. His articles have appeared regularly in the magazines The Reconstructionist and Reconstructionism Today, as well as in many other Jewish and general publications. For over a dozen years he has contributed commentary on the weekly Torah portion for the Jewish Exponent and the New Jersey Jewish News. |
 Margot Horwitz
Native Philadelphian Margot Horwitz has had a long career in communications, in both the for-profit and not-for-profit areas. She takes most pride in the latter, with contributions to Philadelphia's first literacy campaign in 1960 through recent efforts for ovarian cancer awareness, hunger prevention and Main Line Reform Temple's new social action task force. The author of three published books and many magazine articles, she also looks back proudly on a year of effort on the Obama campaign. |
 Rhoda Indictor
Rhoda Indictor has been active for over twenty-five years in the nonprofit arena as an administrator, consultant, facilitator and clinician. Her first grant was secured as director of a Settlement House in South Philadelphia, when she received federal dollars through the Philadelphia anti-poverty program to launch a comprehensive summer reading and activities project for inner city youth, the first of its kind.
She currently serves as the executive director of Fellowship Farm in Pottstown, PA. The organization is nonsectarian and brings people of diverse backgrounds and life experiences together to promote understanding, develop leadership and bridge differences in order to build a more just and peaceful world. The organization offers retreats, seminars, conferences and other generative learning experiences. |
 Aaron Marcus
Aaron Marcus is an assistant defender at the Defender Association of Philadelphia, where he has worked for three years. In that role, he has tried hundreds of cases and taken an interest in issues involving drug and gun crimes. Prior to that he clerked for two years with the Staff Attorney's Office for the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He has written and worked extensively in the areas of criminal and constitutional law, and has served on the boards of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, Citizens Organized for Harm Reduction, and other social justice organizations. He is an avid cyclist and is planning a trip across the United States in 2010. |
 Mike Weilbacher
Mike Weilbacher is executive director of the Lower Merion Conservancy, a non-profit preservation organization that preserves open space and historic buildings in Lower Merion and Narberth. He writes a weekly column on local preservation issues for the local newspaper, Main Line Times, and is a frequent contributor to magazines and journals like E: The Environmental Magazine and Green Teacher, an education journal. Mike hosted "Earth Talk," an environmental news radio show on WHYY 91 FM in Philadelphia, throughout its five-year run. The Pennsylvania Resources Council selected him for its Outstanding Individual Achievement Award in Environmental Education in 1999. A member of Beth Am Israel in Penn Valley, Mike has been part of an ongoing effort to keep the shul 100% wind-powered. |
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Results of Membership Survey: June 2009 |
In celebration of its fifth birthday, and to plan for the future, JSPAN surveyed its membership in order to get a better picture of those issues that are of concern to the Jewish community. The results show a diversity of interests.
The survey consisted of two questions.
The first question: “What issues of Social Justice concern you the most?” asked the respondents to examine 13 issues. For each issue they were to indicate whether it was:
A. Not a priority for me
B. I care but would not take action
C. I care and want to take action
D. I care and will help lead the charge
The chart below lists the responses. The column headings correspond to the responses listed above. The percent column shows the distribution of responses for each issue listed. They are ranked in the order of those who answered “C” and “D”.
Civil Liberties received the greatest percentage of votes, followed by International Issues, and then Church/State issues.
The second question asked the members to indicate what types of programs interest them. As shown in the next chart, our members prefer issue-oriented programs led by experts, activitists,or community leaders.
While these results will be useful in assisting the JSPAN Board to plan future events, it must be pointed out that these answers only reflect the opinions of those who responded.
Anyone reading the newsletter who did not respond to the survey and who would like to add a comment, may do so by contacting Mort Levine (mort@jspan.org)
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In His Cairo Speech, Did President Obama Get It Right? |
 On June 11, 2009, in an op-ed in the Jewish Exponent, JSPAN Board member Ted Mann asked: "Is there anyone who can provide a solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict that is not based on the creation of two separate states - one Israeli and one Palestinian?"
Ted presented an historical review of the ways that American presidents, beginning with Jimmy Carter, have "confronted Israeli premiers" over the settlements issue. "Even though America is Israel's best friend and an indispensable ally, nine successive U.S. presidents over a period of 42 years have opposed Israel's expansion of settlements in the territories. For those four decades, Israel has ignored all of them.
"Now it is President Obama's turn. Can he be ignored? I do not think so, and I hope he's not."
To read "In His Cairo Speech, Did President Obama Get It Right?" by Ted Mann in its entirety, click here.
Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer was the U.S. ambassador to Israel from 2001 to 2005, and is currently a visiting professor of Middle East policy studies at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Click here to read "The Settlement Facts," which appeared in the Washington Post on June 14, 2009.
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Should We Be Trying and Incarcerating Children as Adults in PA? |
On behalf of Education Not Incarceration-Delaware Valley, the ACLU of Pennsylvania invites you to participate in a public dialogue on the question: "Should we be trying and incarcerating children as adults in Pennsylvania?"
Education Not IncarcerationThis forum is the first in a series of public dialogues about dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline and supporting young people in building new paths into the future.
Saturday, June 27th
12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Hawthorne Cultural Center in Philadelphia
1200 Carpenter Street
(a short walk from the Ellsworth-Federal stop on the Broad Street Line)
The day will include:
A panel discussion with formerly incarcerated youth, advocates, and parents
Break-out groups to share your thoughts on the issue
Poetry/open mic featuring works by incarcerated youth
A display of artwork by incarcerated youthFood and drinks
Free childcare available on-site for those who need it
Education Not Incarceration-Delaware Valley seeks to build a movement of young people, parents, teachers, community leaders and other allies to end the school-to-prison pipeline in Philadelphia and the rest of the Delaware Valley.
We hope to see you there!
Sponsors: ACT UP Philadelphia, American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, Human Rights Coalition, Philadelphia Student Union, Reconstruction, Inc., Project UNSHACKLE of the Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project (CHAMP), and the Youth Art & Self-empowerment Project.
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How to Trust Electronic Voting |
The debate over paperless electronic voting continues. According to an editorial in The New York Times on June 22, 2009, "electronic voting machines that do not produce a paper record of every vote cast cannot be trusted. ... I(n) a close election, there is ... no way of conducting a meaningful recount." To correct this problem, Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) has again introduced a bill in the House that would ban paperless electronic voting in all federal elections. The Times urges "Congress (to) pass it while there is still time to get ready for 2010."
Rep. Holt is a staunch supporter of maintaining paper ballots as the official vote, but using them in conjunction with "the best of the currently available technologies: optical-scan voting." His hope is that by 2014, machines in which voters directly record their votes on paper will be in use throughout the country. It is widely believed that this system is the safest and most effective of all.
The Times concludes that "the House leadership should make passing Mr. Holt's bill a priority. Few issues matter as much as ensuring that election results can be trusted."
To read The New York Times editorial "How to Trust Electronic Voting" in its entirety, click here.
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Of Interest to our Readers: An Award for Uncommon Courage |
Common Cause is honoring select members of the United States Army's Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corp, the "oldest law firm in the nation." Those chosen for their "uncommon courage" are military and civilian officials who stood up for the rule of law and worked to stop misguided policies and practices involving torture of detainees.
Everyone is invited to sign a letter of commendation which will be delivered to the honorees around the 4th of July.
To learn more about the individuals who have been selected, click here.
To sign the letter of commendation, click here.
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Your Voice Needed for a Clean Energy Future |
 By Friday, June 26, the House of Representatives was expected to vote on the American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R. 2454). This historic climate and energy legislation would speed the transition to renewable and efficient clean energy, reduce greenhouse carbon gas emissions, protect vulnerable developing countries around the world from the impacts of climate change and reengage our nation with the global debate on climate change.
The vote will probably be very close, but the bill will most likely pass if brought before the House. However, in order to keep a strong bill moving forward, it is imperative that everyone concerned with the environmental and economic crises surrounding these issues must continue to urge support from members of Congress for comprehensive legislation that sets strong emissions reductions and clean energy development targets, holds polluters accountable and addresses the needs of poor and vulnerable communities at home and abroad.
The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism has developed a special resource page which is continually updated with information about the progress of the American Clean Energy and Security Act. To access this page, click here.
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The Obama Effect |
Hendrik Hertzberg is a senior editor and staff writer at The New Yorker, where he frequently writes the opening Comment in The Talk of the Town. In the June 22, 2009 issue of the magazine, Mr. Hertzberg analysed the effect of President Obama's recent address to the Arab and Muslim world on the parliamentary vote in Lebanon, the election of the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran and, perhaps of greatest significance, the ongoing efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In remarks directed to all of these issues, Obama "wished, he said, to speak clearly and plainly, and that is what he did. ... The Cairo address had the qualities we have come to expect from Obama's best speeches: empathy, frankness, respect for his listeners' intelligence. ... The President's words ... were inspiring and indispensable."
Mr. Hertzberg feels that with his comments, "Obama was seeking to create a new mood, which is a prerequisite to progress. ... (He) appears to be serious" about his insistence that settlement growth "is indeed harmful. ... And what everyone knows to be true, admittedly or not, is that the only solution offering a modicum of peace and justice for the peoples of Israel and Palestine is a state for each; that neither is capable of finding its way to that solution on its own; and that only American firmness and perseverance can save them both."
In conclusion, Mr. Hertzberg conjectures "whether, years from now, (the President's words) will be remembered with pride or with pity, with admiration or with mockery, ... something that no one, not even most analysts, can say."
To read "Comment: The Obama Effect" by Hendirk Hertzberg in its entirety, click here.
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Adopting Forebear's Faith and Leaving Peru for Israel |
On June 22, 2009, Simon Romero of The New York Times, who has reported on Peru since 2007, wrote about the Jewish community of Iquitos, in a remote corner of the Amazon basin which is reachable only by boat or plane. Mr. Romero explained that Sephardic merchants and pioneers from places as varied as Morocco, Gibraltar, Malta, England and France settled in Iquitos during the late 19th century rubber boom in search of riches and adventure. When the rubber trade collapsed, "a few stayed, marrying local women and raising families. Others returned home, leaving behind descendants who clung to the belief that they were Jews. ... Isolation, intermarriage and assimilation nearly wiped out the vestiges of Judaism here."
In recent years, the Jewish community of Iquitos has sought "in varying ways ... to reclaim a Jewish identity." Lorry Salcedo Mitrani, the director of a new documentary, "The Fire Within," about the Jews of the Peruvian Amazon, "was astound(ed) to discover that in Iquitos there existed this group of people who were desperate to reconnect to their roots and re-establish ties to the broader Jewish world."
In the last decade, more than 400 descendants of the original Jewish immigrants have formally converted to Judaism, and many of them have emigrated to Israel. If the steady movement to Israel continues, it is conceivable that within a few generations, scholars will reflect on "the last Jew of Iquitos."
To read "Adopting Forebears' Faith and Leaving Peru for Israel" by Simon Romero in its entirety, click here.
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Support JSPAN |
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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
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Want to Join?
To become a voting JSPAN member, please go to www.JSPAN.org. On the right side of your screen you will be able to start a secure transaction and become a voting member.
Make all checks payable to:
JSPAN
1735 Market Street, Suite #A417
Philadelphia, PA 19103
JSPAN Officers
Brian Gralnick
President
Kenneth Fox
Vice President
Ruth Laibson
Vice President
Kenneth Myers
Vice President
Stephen Applebaum
Treasurer
Stewart Weintraub
Secretary & General Counsel
Susan Myers
Chair, Policy Centers
Directors:
Jeffrey Pasek, Chair
Alex Urevick
Ackelsberg
Irwin Aronson
Sheila Bellen
Susan Bolno
Adam Bonin
David S. Broida
Deanne Comer
Hon. Ruth Damsker
Marshall Dayan
William Epstein
Helen Fox
Sarita Gocial
Jordanna Greenwald
Rabbi Richard Hirsh
Rabbi Elliot Holin
Margot Horwitz
Rhoda Indictor
Jerome Kaplan
Jennifer Kates
Lazar Kleit
Judah Labovitz
Rabbi Robert Layman
Spencer Lempert
Daniel Loeb
Theodore Mann
Aaron Marcus
Susan Myers
Norm Newberg
Maureen Pelta
Adena Potok
Ruth Schultz
Randy Schulz
Daniel Segal
Burt Siegel
Rabbi David Straus
Rabbi Joshua Waxman
Mike Weilbacher
Executive Director:
Mort Levine
Editor:
Ruth Laibson
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