Last week, a narrow majority of Senators failed to protect Americans' voting rights. We are deeply disappointed by Senators' failure to make the necessary reform to the outdated filibuster that prevented the passage of the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act. This bill would have modernized the preclearance formula of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and established national standards for federal elections.

We are in a time of great crisis, facing pandemics of systemic racism, poverty, climate change, voter suppression and COVID-19. Millions of Americans experience unemployment, hunger, and housing insecurity, facing the threat of climate change daily. People of Color and other marginalized communities experience the most adverse consequences. And the country continues to face endless attacks on our voting rights and reproductive rights. Before Congress breaks for their winter recess, there is much left to be done.

When my family lived in Strawberry Mansion were able to move up in the world, people that live there now are being thwarted and pushed down by a lack of representation. And that is why RAC-PA is proud to stand with the Keystone Counts coalition to demand that the LRC adopt these unity maps.

The use of executive power to protect our right to vote has never been more important: over 400 anti-voter bills have been introduced around the country in 2021 alone.  Examples include the elimination of polling locations, reducing early voting, and enacting stricter voter ID laws.  Some laws sink to new lows, including the banning of providing food and drink to those standing in line to vote, many of whom wait for hours.  

As a rabbi, my passion for the right to vote is not only derived from my love of democracy – but from my love of Jewish text and teachings.

A transcription of Remarks from Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner at the March On For Voting Rights Rally on August 28, 2021, in Washington, DC.

On Monday, Democratic state legislators in Texas walked out of the capitol building and flew to Washington, DC aboard private jets. This move broke the quorum of the Texas House, currently preventing the legislature from effectively operating, and consequently, from passing Senate Bill 1 and House Bill 3 which would restrict the freedom to vote. I took a charter bus to the Texas Capitol in Austin on Tuesday with fellow NFTY regional board member and RAC organizer Ronen Wenderfer where we teamed up with partner organizations to hold a rallied press conference, meet with legislators, and drop off postcards at their offices.

Learn about the opportunities to take action as an individual and with your congregation or community to advance racial justice.

The passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 teaches us that if we want Congress to enact legislation to protect the freedom to vote, we must organize our communities to be part of a sustained movement for justice.