In response to the latest spate of bills that restrict access to abortion in states across the U.S., the Reform Movement has announced the WRJ-RAC Reproductive Health & Rights Campaign (RHRC), to provide the organizing structure for Reform congregations, women’s groups, and individuals to take collective action. With newly hired Campaign Associate, Ally Karpel, we will mobilize our communities to secure our reproductive rights by training activists to be strategic and effective advocates. Through this new initiative, we will fight state and federal efforts that restrict access to abortion and advocate for policies that restore health and dignity to women as moral agents of their own medical and health care needs.
Rabbi Marla J. Feldman, Executive Director of Women of Reform Judaism, stated: “We are thrilled to have Ally Karpel on board in this exciting new role. With her expertise and passion, we will lead the Reform Movement on the issue of reproductive health and rights and fight to restore access to reproductive choice for all affected by these restrictive new laws.”
Rabbi Jonah Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center, added: "In the midst of unprecedented assaults on abortion access, contraceptive care, and family planning services at the state and federal level, mobilizing the Reform Jewish community and building a grassroots movement to ensure that every individual has moral agency over their own bodies is more important than ever. We are proud to partner with Women of Reform Judaism to launch the Reproductive Health & Rights Campaign and to welcome Ally Karpel, who has already distinguished herself as an effective champion for these issues over the last year as a Legislative Assistant at the RAC, to lead this critical work."
Social justice has been a key priority for the Reform Jewish Movement throughout its history. Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ) has been a partner in this work throughout its 100+ years and has taken the lead on issues of particular concern to women. The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (the RAC) is the hub of Jewish social justice work, mobilizing and organizing communities to create a world of justice, compassion, and peace. Together, WRJ and the RAC educate and mobilize our members to be effective advocates for our progressive Jewish values as we pursue the crucial work of tikkun olam: repairing our world.