Assembling an after-abortion care kit. The Havdalah ceremony combined with an update on state reproductive rights legislation. Sermons on Abortion and Jewish Law.
More than 1,500 synagogues and Jewish communities nationwide are observing the third annual “Repro Shabbat,” starting tonight. This is the first time the Shabbat initiative is taking place since the Supreme Court Overturned federal abortion protection in June
The initiative, which is organized by the National Council of Jewish Women, is a local counterpart to the high-profile rally for reproductive rights the group held in Washington, D.C., last May. Rather than a national action, this weekend NCJW aims for local communities and people at home to engage more deeply with the issue.
“A lot of things are happening that are not big and flashy,” said Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, the group’s scholar in residence. “If we have rabbis saying the word abortion [pulpit]if we have shuls To be able to have spaces where people feel more comfortable telling their abortion story, and don’t feel stigmatized, if we have people who deeply understand that abortion justice is a Jewish value, that’s already a There is a big culture change.
In the months following the Supreme Court ruling, Jewish leaders have filed lawsuits challenging the abortion bans. Kentucky, FloridaIndiana and Missouri On the basis of religious freedom. polls show Jewish Americans, more than any other religious group, believe that abortion should be legal in most or all cases.
Rabbinic views on Jewish law and abortion differ. There is widespread agreement that Jewish law allows and even requires abortion in cases where the life of the pregnant person is at risk, and some non-Orthodox rabbis say that the imperative includes risks to mental health. Are. Meanwhile, some conservative groups have argued that abortion should be permitted only under narrow circumstances.
As part of Repro Shabbat, students at the University of Nevada, Reno Hillel will assemble post-abortion care kits. In Massachusetts — where 28 organizations have signed up for Repro Shabbat — after a day of reproductive justice-themed educational programming, participants will gather online on Zoom for a statewide Havdalah.
NCJW has created a source sheet, a Spotify playlist, and even a challah recipe with instructions for shaping the dough. in a uterus,
After the Supreme Court’s decision, Ruttenberg said, “People understand that this is not just an interesting and important thing to learn about. They understand that it matters in a different way.”
