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Recent Women’s League Activities

Women’s League partners with many organizations in the areas of social action and public policy. As partners, Women’s League participates in advocacy that is consonant with our resolutions and mission. In the past month we have participated in these activities.

Through our representation on the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, we signed a petition to ensure that Iraqi Jewish artifacts are returned to the Iraqi Jewish community and not to the Iraqi government in order for the artifacts to be properly cared for. To view the petition, follow this link.

As part of a diverse group of organizations, we joined an amicus brief filed by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in the Sevcik and Jackson cases in the 9^th Circuit. According to the ADL, our collective voices emphasizing that there are many different religious views on marriage – and that no one religious understanding should be used to define marriage recognition and rights under civil law – make a real difference.

Women’s League is a member of the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life(COEJL). This year has been designated a Year of Action aimed at achieving a 14% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by September 2014, the next Shmittah (sabbatical) year.  COEJL launched their Jewish Energy Guide to provide resources to achieve this goal. In addition, Jewicology provides a list of actions to save energy.  These resources can be used to inform your members and encourage them to work to improve our planet.

As a member of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA), Women’s League representataives sit on this council. JCPA President and CEO Rabbi Steve Gutow released the following statement on November 23, 2013 regarding the interim agreement reached in Geneva between the P5+1 countries and Iran regarding that state’s nuclear program:

Though Iran has done little to deserve our trust, diplomacy is preferable to military action. At the same time, we support President Obama when he says that no option should be taken off the table. Thus, we believe the interim agreement reached in Geneva today has the potential to serve as a valuable stepping stone to a final agreement that can serve the long term security interests of the United States, Israel, the Middle East and the entire international community.  Such a final agreement, which should be negotiated in a tight time frame, must not leave Iran in a position to continue its drive for nuclear weapons capability, or to be able to restart it with ease anytime in the future. The menace of a nuclear armed Iran needs to be eliminated once and for all.

We also believe that it is important to maintain strong economic pressures on Iran until a satisfactory final agreement is reached as well as the strict inspection and verification mechanisms to ensure compliance with today’s interim agreement.  Economic pressures caused Iran to come to the negotiating table, and they will contribute to the effort to reach a final agreement.  Intrusive inspections can help ensure Iran does not continue to development of nuclear weapons while negotiations for a final agreement continue.