About the Commission on Social Action
The CSA is a deliberative, policy-development and leadership body, bringing the vision of Reform Judaism to issues of social justice; it is involved with education, programming, advocacy, leadership development and engagement on behalf of the positions which it and/or the URJ and the CCAR have adopted; and it encourages, supports and enhances the social action and social justice work of URJ congregations and CCAR rabbis.
The Commission on Social Action (CSA) of Reform Judaism is a joint commission of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and the Union for Reform Judaism and its affiliates. The CSA and the RAC inspire and implement the social justice policy positions of the Union for Reform Judaism and Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR).
The CSA provides governance for itself and the Religious Action Center (RAC). The CSA is involved with social justice education, programming, advocacy, and leadership development within the congregations and affiliates of the Reform Movement. Its members engage congregations and constituencies to advocate at the federal, state, provincial, and local levels for the positions which the CSA and/or the URJ and the CCAR have adopted. The goal of this work is to empower the Reform Movement to realize its social justice agenda.
Contact our team
For more about this topic, contact Commission on Social Action Director and RAC Associate Director Barbara Weinstein by email or at (202) 387-2800.
Help Lead the Reform Movement’s Social Justice Initiatives
Apply to Join the Commission on Social Action
At this moment, we are faced with an array of challenges: racial injustice, attacks on abortion rights, immigration justice, climate change, economic inequality, and more. As Reform Jews, we know that we can and must work to repair what is broken in our world. The Commission on Social Action leads the Reform Movement’s social justice work – and we are eager for you to join us.
The CSA inspires and implements the social justice policy positions of the Reform Movement through education, programming, advocacy, and leadership development. In recent years, the CSA has created the 2020 Civic Engagement Campaign, led the ongoing Racial Justice Campaign, and crafted policy resolutions on issues including reparations for slavery and ongoing systemic racism, the opioid crisis, and reform of the Senate filibuster.
If you are a committed social justice leader, we need you on the Commission. Apply to join us for a two-year term beginning in January 2022. Applications are open until November 26, 2021. Contact CSA Director Barbara Weinstein with any questions.
**Please note that this application is for prospective lay members only. Individuals who are professional members of Reform Movement institutions or affiliates such as URJ, CCAR, ACC, NATA, PEP-RJ, etc. should contact their organizational leaders or CSA Director Barbara Weinstein for more information.