New Yorkers flooded Foley Square on May 3rd in response to a draft Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade. JFREJ members marched proudly among hundreds of our fellow New Yorkers, carrying signs saying: ב״ה (thank G-d) for abortion.

Photo by Gili Getz

This assault on reproductive justice is part of a broader white Christian nationalist agenda that has been building power for decades. That agenda is one of domination: men over women; straight over queer; cis over trans; rich over poor; landlords over tenants; white people over Black and Indigenous and all people of color; non-disabled over disabled; Christians over Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists, Hindus, atheists, everyone.

Since Trump left office, assaults on protections and rights of trans people, queer people, and disabled people have increased. All the while, violence and harm against BIPOC people and low-income people — especially low-income women of color — continues at every level.

This most recent news is a deepening of right-wing minority rule. This is particularly dangerous for BIPOC people, low-income people, and people living in the South and Midwest. First things first, extend care, support, resources, and organizing capacity to those who need it most right now. See below for some places to donate. And take the time to check in with yourself, your loved ones, and your neighbors.

💚 National Network of Abortion Funds
💚 SisterSong
💚 Abortion Care Network
💚 Brigid Alliance
💚 Midwest Access Coalition
💚 Kentucky Health Justice Network
💚 ARC Southeast
💚 Frontera Fund

Remember: there are far more of us than there are of them. It is our political duty to remember that and act accordingly. We have the people, and we have hundreds of years of organizing history, solidarity, resilience, and courage against domination and against their consolidation of wealth and resources. How can we recommit to being a part of that legacy of both resistance and creativity in this moment?

At JFREJ we are immeasurably lucky to draw upon the experience of generations of resistance to these repressive and violent policies with a clear understanding of how far they reach. As we move closer and closer to a reality where abortion is criminalized, the full force of the carceral system that we’ve been fighting as abolitionists will come down against people making choices for our own bodies — reproductive choices and gender-affirming choices alike.

We will be brave and steadfast in our Jewish values that affirm our commitment to the pregnant person’s life and well being above all, and we will defy any and all attempts to force our community — or any other — into submission.

The white Christian nationalist political coalition is designed to quash dissent and democracy and to assert a new, frightfully reactionary vision that hearkens back to the violence of the 1950s and 1850s. It is our task as Jews and as Leftists to contend with organizing with our own political coalition to bring about the future we deserve and we know we can build; a future that draws upon the experience of generations before us and that forges a path toward a future where all bodies and all people are sacred, free, and have what they need to thrive.

Photo by Gili Getz
Photo by Gili Getz
Photo by Gili Getz
Photo by Gili Getz
Photo by Gili Getz
Photo by Daniel Smith, DS Forever Photography
Photo by Peter Hogness