Our Approach To The New US Administration
The events of the past week—from the ceasefire in Israel to President Trump’s first actions in office—highlight the essential role our Rabbinical Assembly must play in offering support for the new administration when appropriate while speaking out loudly as needed over the next four years.
Last Wednesday, we expressed gratitude to President Trump and his staff for working with President Biden’s and Prime Minister Netanyahu’s administrations to reach the hostage-ceasefire deal. We were overjoyed to see Emily Damari, Romi Gonen, and Doron Steinbrecher return to freedom on Sunday and continue to push for the release of 94 remaining abductees, living and dead, from Hamas’s captivity.
President Trump demonstrated that he recognizes the moral imperative to save lives and redeem hostages and saw the value in humanity.
But he took a different approach on Inauguration Day. He granted unconditional clemency to 1,600 people who were charged with or convicted of participating in the violent attempted overthrow of our democracy on January 6, 2021. These included pardons for leaders of extremist groups like the Proud Boys, which traffic in white supremacy, antisemitism, and many forms of hate.
President Trump has also denied recognition of transgender rights and banned transgender people from serving in the military while taking steps to deport undocumented immigrants and restrict asylum.
After witnessing a presidential campaign that often played to hate and fear, we recognize that many members of the Conservative/Masorti Movement are now deeply troubled by these actions taken on the first day in office.
Hamehadesh b’tuvo b’khol yom tamid – we always understand that each new day brings the potential for positive change. So our RA prays this new administration will overcome this divisiveness and mend the tears in the fabric of our society.
But we also stand ready to raise our voice if its policies, actions, and rhetoric—like those we have already seen—fall short of those aspirations, damage ordinary lives, or conflict with the core values of Conservative/Masorti Judaism.
When we weigh in on public issues, we strive to reflect a broad consensus of our members' views, as reflected in our resolutions. Our goal will always be to advocate from a leadership position that reflects our global membership of 1,600 colleagues and the 1.5 million people who identify with our Movement. We will also provide ideas, language, and Torah for our colleagues to use in their communities.
Among the areas where we will engage are:
Support for Israel
We are committed to reinforcing the deep, historical ties between Israel and the U.S. This includes cultivating bipartisan support for Israel as it fights enemies who seek to destroy the Jewish state, works to free the remaining hostages, and assists displaced
Israelis in returning home. We pray for a full and final resolution to the war, a return to normalcy in Israel, ending the suffering in Gaza, and for a future that allows Israelis and Palestinians to live with dignity and safety.
We are horrified by the alarming rise in antisemitism both before and since October 7 and are committed to increasing awareness and rooting out such Jew-hatred across the ideological and political spectrums. We urge government officials, law enforcement, faith leaders, schools, universities, and allied groups to work collectively to protect and secure the Jewish community.
Humanity and Human Rights
We proudly stand for the rights of all and champion democratic principles and will call out racism, Islamophobia, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of bigotry when we see it.
We are troubled by the continued erosion and decline of reproductive rights. Building on our longstanding recognition of the halakhic necessity of access to abortion, we will oppose any federal and state legislation or judicial actions that pose new threats to reproductive freedom.
We actively support a federal immigration policy that upholds humanitarian values, gives undocumented immigrants a pathway to citizenship, and reunites families while establishing border protection and enforcement policies that can enhance national security.
Ultimately, our goal is to foster constructive dialogue and encourage policies that promote human rights, recognize the humanity of all people and communities, and affirm the religious pluralism that has defined the United States for generations.
As the rabbinic arm of the largest centrist Jewish movement in the world, we play a vital role in nurturing a democratic society, addressing policies that impact millions, and fostering a just and moral society that sees humanity in every person. We will do so through resolutions and public statements and by working directly with leaders, both publicly and privately, to share our perspectives and shape their decisions.
Through these efforts, we will remain vigilant about the path forward.
Rabbi Jay Kornsgold, RA President
Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal, RA/USCJ CEO