Rabbi Rebecca Sirbu joins 52 others in backing police-reform bill
Fifty-three rabbis who live and work in New York City signed a letter to the New York City Council calling on them to to immediately hold a hearing and pass the Right to Know Act.
The letter represents a growing movement within the Jewish community, in partnership with communities across the city, to support police reform legislation in New York that was just recently endorsed by President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing.
“As a religious person of privilege I support this bill because holding people with power accountable is as critical for those experiencing injustice, who are driving this legislation, as it is for ensuring the rebuilding of trust needed for police to effectively do their job,” said Rabbi Irwin Kula.
While support continues to build amongst Jewish faith leaders for the Council to pass the legislation, two thirds of the City Council’s Jewish Caucus have yet to sign on as bill sponsors to the full Right to Know Act package.
Rabbis who signed the letter are Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist and Unaffiliated. They work in congregations, rabbinic schools, universities, and Jewish institutions based in the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan.
“We are all created in the image of God and should treat each other as if a divine spark is in each one of us. Transparent policing is one of the best ways to value all human life,” said another supporter, Rabbi Rebecca Sirbu, Director of Rabbis Without Borders for CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership.
The Right to Know Act is a legislative package consisting of two bills. The first, the “ID Bill”, requires officers to identify themselves and explain the reason for subjecting someone to law enforcement action, like a stop.
The second, “the Consent to Search Bill”, would help end unconstitutional searches by requiring officers to explain a person’s right to refuse a search when there is no legal justification for it and obtain objective proof of consent if the person voluntarily agreed to the search.
Dr. Rabbi Barat Ellman stated that the culture of transparency created by the Right to Know Act “is of vital and moral importance. As a professor of Bible and theology, I believe that knowledge is not just power but also the foundation of moral conscience.”
The rabbis signed onto the letter as part of Jews for Racial & Economic Justice and in partnership with Communities United for Police Reform (CPR). CPR is campaign of organizations across New York City working to end discriminatory policing in NYC and is led by communities directly targeted by discriminatory policing.
Rabbi Robyn Fryer Bodzin from Israel Center of Conservative Judaism said: “As a rabbi in Queens, a multi-ethnic borough, I think it’s unfair that I am at an advantage as a white woman. I honor the moment when Rabbi Heschel and Dr. King walked together arm and arm and refer to it frequently in my rabbinate. Deep partnerships will only make this country a better place to live.”
The rabbis’ letter to the City Council can be found here.
The Rabbis signed onto letter:
Rabbi Renni S. Altman, HUC-JIR
Rabbi Guy Austrian, Fort Tryon Jewish Center
Rabbi Sharon Ballan, Temple Beth Sholom, Flushing
Rabbi David Dunn Bauer, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah
Rabbi Robyn Fryer Bodzin, Israel Center of Conservative Judaism
Rabbi Marcelo Bronstein, B’nai Jeshurun
Rabbi Ayelet Cohen, The Center for Jewish Living, The David H. Sonabend Center for Israel
Rabbi Dr. Barat Ellman
Rabbi Michael Feinberg, Executive Director Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition
Rabbi Brian Fink, Engage Jewish Service Corps, JCC Manhattan
Rabbi Zach Fredman, The New Shul, Manhattan
Rabbi Megan Goldman, Columbia/Barnard Hillel
Rabbi Rachel Grant-Meyer
Rabbi Yael Hammerman, Ansche Chesed
Rabbi Shai Held
Rabbi Jo Hirschmann, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion
Rabbi David Ingber, Founder and Spiritual Director, Romemu: Judaism for Body, Mind and Spirit
Rabbi Jill Jacobs, T’ruah: the Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster, T’ruah: the Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
Rabbi Mark Kaiserman, The Reform Temple of Forest Hills
Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky, Ansche Chesed
Rabbi Marc Katz, Associate Rabbi, Congregation Beith Elohim
Rabbi Avi Kilip
Rabbi Daniel Kirzane, Associate Rabbi Beth Havorim Shir Shalom
Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah
Rabbi Manes Kogan, Hillcrest Jewish Center
Rabbi Chava Koster,B’nai Israel,The Village Temple
Rabbi Irwin Kula
Rabbi Judith Lewis
Rabbi Dov Linzer, YCT Rabbinical School
Rabbi Ellen Lippmann, Kolot Chayeinu
Rabbi Marc Margolius, West End Synagogue
Rabbi Jeffrey Marker
Rabbi J. Rolando Matalon, B’nai Jeshurun
Rabbi Lev Meirowitz Nelson, T’ruah: the Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
Rabbi Jessica Minnen
Rabbi Michael Paley
Rabbi Dina Rosenberg, Bay Ridge Jewish Center
Rabbi David Rosenn, New Israel Fund
Rabbi Jennie Rosenn, HIAS
Rabbi Jason Rubenstein, Dean of Students, Yeshivat Hadar
Rabbi Stephanie Ruskay, AVODAH and JOIN
Rabbi Regina Sandler-Phillip
Rabbi Linda Shriner-Cahn, Congregation Tehillah
Rabbi Andy Shugerman
Rabbi Rebecca W. Sirbu, Director of Rabbis Without Borders for CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership
Rabbi Felicia Sol, B’nai Jeshurun
Rabbi Bonnie Steinberg
Rabbi Burton L. Visotzky, JTS
Rabbi Seth Wax, Congregation Mount Sinai, Brooklyn
Rabbi Josh Weinberg
Rabbi Rachel Weiss, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah
Rabbi Nancy Wiener, Hebrew Union College- Jewish Institute of Religion
The institutions listed for identification purposes only.