H EADLINES
Reform Congregations Work to Mobilize Voters
LOCA L
SOPHIE PANZER | JE STAFF
RABBI DAVID STRAUS
believes voting is a nonpartisan
issue. “If you believe in democ-
racy, how can you not believe
that we need to do everything
we can to make sure that
everybody who’s eligible to be
registered to vote is registered
to vote? And that every vote
is counted and that all blocks
to voting are taken down so
that it becomes possible for
everybody to be able to vote?”
the senior rabbi at Main Line
Reform Temple said.

Straus and his congregation
are participating in Every Voice,
Every Vote, the Reform Jewish
Movement’s 2020 civic engage-
ment campaign. Th e statewide
nonpartisan initiative, which
is run by the Religious Action
Center of Reform Judaism,
aims to mobilize the entire
Reform Jewish Movement and
encourage all U.S. citizens to
exercise their right to vote.

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Reform congregations in
Pennsylvania. And, depending
on whose numbers you listen
to, that’s between 10,000 to
12,000 voters,” Straus said.

Th e campaign has projects
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Pennsylvania and Texas.

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Several Reform congregations
in the Philadelphia area are
participating. “It’s been really powerful for
our members to be connected
to Reform Jews and congrega-
tions not just around the Philly
area but in other parts of the
state,” said Beth Kalisch, senior
rabbi at Beth David Reform
Congregation in Gladwyne.

Th e campaign has three main
areas of focus: mobilizing voters,
combating voter suppression
and engaging student voters.

Straus said Main Line
Reform’s 35-member civic
engagement committee reached
out to every adult member of the
congregation two weeks ago.

“We divided the member-
ship list up and called every
member to make sure of three
things: Are they registered
to vote? Do they know the
mechanics of voting? And do
they understand how to request
a mail-in ballot?” he said.

Main Line Reform member
Margot Horwitz joined the
committee because she has
always been drawn to social
justice as a Jewish value, or “civic
mitzvah.” She said it was exciting
to see people deciding that they
want to make a better world.

Kalisch said Beth David
members had been reaching
out to their fellow congregants
with a goal of reaching 100%
voter participation among
members. Th eir main method
of outreach is phone banking
and distributing information.

“Th e process of getting a
mail-in ballot and completing
it and returning it is very
confusing. Although other
states have been doing it
for a long time, it’s new to
Pennsylvania, and people have
a lot of questions about it and
trying to decide whether to
vote in-person or by mail, so
we’re mostly sort of helping
people navigate a lot of those
conversations,” she said.

Beth David recently hosted
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM