WASHINGTON (JTA) – More than 275 rabbis signed on to a letter to Congress urging the lawmakers to end tax cuts for those earning more than $250,000 a year.
As part of the ongoing campaign by Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice, community advocacy events also will be held in homes and community centers throughout the United States.
Participants in the events will write and call their Congress member, recruit more supporters and create publicity materials. The efforts are designed to garner support for ending tax cuts for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans, according to a statement from Bend the Arc.
“The time has come for the American Jewish community to have a conversation with our elected officials about our tax system and our budget,” said Alan van Capelle, CEO of Bend the Arc. “Just saying don’t cut the specific programs that we run and that serve our community is no longer enough. We have to talk about taxes and revenue, and Bend the Arc is not afraid to do so.”
“The Jewish community’s prophetic voices are speaking up,” said Hadar Susskind, director of Bend the Arc Jewish Action and Bend the Arc Jewish Action PAC. “Hundreds of rabbis and thousands of others have made clear that ending these tax cuts is the moral thing to do and a priority for American Jews."
The letter from the rabbis speaks of a just society where everyone can share opportunity.
Prominent rabbis from all movements of Judaism signed the letter, including Irving "Yitz" Greenberg, David Saperstein, Jack Moline, Ellen Weinberg Dreyfus and Sydney Mintz.
“Whatever the President and Congress do regarding the tax cuts will have enormous effects on individuals and families across the nation,” the letter concludes.
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