Dear Mayor Eric Adams,
As New York City faith and religious leaders representing many different spiritual and religious communities, we are calling on you to immediately restore a minimum of the $469 million cut from public schools.
First and foremost, public schools have always been underfunded, a disinvestment that has impacted Black and Brown students in particular, a fact we have seen as leaders in our communities. We have seen it in our religious communities as parents and guardians struggle to support their children with school supplies; as families seek to find adequate behavioral, mental health, and language services; and as hospital chaplains who have met these same students in intensive care units following suicide attempts because of the lack of care and resources given to our young people.
We adamantly oppose these cuts because we have seen firsthand the detrimental effects disinvestment in public education already has in our communities — including the literal lives of our young Black and Brown people. These cuts threaten the already inadequately-funded education that young people in this city receive, and consequently underfund the education of Black and Brown students at disproportionate rates.
Mayor Adams, you have recently told students, parents, and educators time and time again to “pray” for the restoration of cuts, obscuring the power you have to act and stop the pain to our schools. As faith leaders, we recognize your deployment of this language as “spiritual bypassing,” a term originally used by a Buddhist teacher and to which we apply here as you use spiritual rhetoric to avoid your responsibilities to the people of this city. While many of our traditions do value prayer, a more holistic understanding of prayer does not shirk the responsibilities we owe to our communities, especially as people in positions of power.
In fact, many of our faith traditions demand action from us, in addition to prayer, especially when it comes to education. A few examples of this from our different traditions are listed below:
The Christian Testament contains story after story about how Jesus resisted the people in positions of power and advocated for the most marginalized among him. The Christian Testament tells us that “faith without works is dead” (James 2:14-26), and God calls upon us to love our neighbors lavishly.
In the Talmud, one of the central texts of the Jewish tradition, we find the story of the Sage Yehoshua ben Gamla, who decreed “that teachers of children should be established in each and every province and in each and every town,” starting at six years old, and that this responsibility falls on the entire community (Bava Batra 21a).
The Qur’an in the Islamic tradition, states “‘Take action! Allah will see [it]…and [when] you will be returned to Him...He will tell you what you’ve done.” (At-Tawbah 9:105) and “Blessed is the reward of the doer” (The Family of Imran 4:136). The Prophet (PBUH) said of importance of education; “Seeking knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim.”
In the Buddhist sutras, the Buddha encouraged an endless, life-long pursuit of knowledge. He also emphasized that students should develop their own critical thinking: " Nay, Kālāma, do not be led by revelation, or by tradition, or by hearsay, not by authority of the secret scriptures, or by mere reasoning, not by seeming logical, not by mere believing in the person who spoke it.." (Kesamutti sutta, AN).
In the Hindu tradition, the Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 17, Verse 19- BG 17.19 states: “Austerity that is performed by those with confused notions, and which involves torturing the self or harming others, is described to be in the mode of ignorance.”
One of the three core pillars of Sikhism is Vand Chakhna, which means to share and to consume. The wisdom of this pillar calls upon us to distribute wealth among our larger community. In other words, we are obligated as faithful people to distribute resources generously in service of our community, especially if we already have the funds to do so.
Mayor Adams, as a man who says he is guided by his faith, you must act now. The Comptroller has identified $1.3 billion in available funding, and your office can simply negotiate with the City Council and use your powers to restore the cuts now, before school starts and the damage done by these cuts is irreversible.
Education is a human right, one recognized by many faith traditions, and you must restore all the cuts immediately in order to serve our students, especially those in greatest need. If you are indeed a prayerful person, we believe you’ll join us in prayer AND action to support our most marginalized students, and use the power you have to adequately fund their education by restoring the cuts.
The undersigned,
Group Endorsements
Advent Lutheran Church
Bangladesh Buddhist Vihara of NY
Bhumisparsha
The Center for Jubilee Practice
Christ Church UCC
The Community Church of New York City
Congregation Beit Simchat Torah
Congregation Tehillah
Cross Street Community of NYC
Episcopal Church in Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk
First Corinthian Baptist Church
First Spanish United Methodist Church: The People’s Church
Free Synagogue of Flushing
Grace Baptist Church
Jews For Racial & Economic Justice
Latino Pastoral Action Center, Inc., Sanctuary Church
Malkhut: progressive Jewish spirituality in Queens
Masjid Al Ikhlas
Middle Collegiate Church
Mott Haven Reformed Church
New York Finnish Lutheran Congregation
Nurudeen Islamic Charity Organization of New York Inc.
NYC-DSA Religion Socialism Working Group
NYC Movement Chaplain Collective
Sadhana: Coalition of Progressive Hindus
The Shul of New York
St. Michael’s Church
St. Peter’s Chelsea
T’ruah
UFT Jewish Heritage Committee
Zangdokpalri Foundation for Great Compassion
Individual Endorsements
Acharya Arun Gossai, The Queens Branch of the Bhuvaneshwar Mandir
Dr. Ahmet Atlig, Imam, Chaplain and Spiritual Counselor, NEICC (North East Islamic Community Center)
Cantor Alan J Brava, Free Synagogue of Flushing
Rev. Alexis Lillie, Church of the Village
Rev. Amanda Hambrick Ashcraft, Middle Collegiate Church
Rev. Ann M. Kansfield, Greenpoint Reformed Church
Rev. Antoinnette R. Donegan, First Central Baptist Church
Rev. Ashley Amber Birt, The Center for Jubilee Practice
Rabbi Dr. Barat Ellman, Jews for Racial & Economic Justice
The Rev. Dr. Barbara E. Davis, Executive Minister, The First Presbyterian Church in the City of New York
Rev. Bertram Johnson, Interfaith Minister, Union Theological Seminary
Chaplain Brandon Roiger, NYC Movement Chaplain Collective
Rabbi Brian Denker, International Federation of Rabbis
Rev. Dr. Bruce C. Rivera, Christ Church UCC & Bronx Multi-Faith Advisory Group
Elder Bryan Simmons-Scie, The Community Church of New York City
Chaplain-in-Training Caleb Huffman, Union Theological Seminary
Sister Dr. Celia Deutsch, Sisters of Our Lady of Sion
The Rev. Christine Lee, St. Peter’s Chelsea
Dr. Cornel West, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Professor of Philosophy & Christian Practice, Union Theological Seminary
Bishop D. A. Sherron, Global Fire International Church
Dan DeBrucker-Cota, Community Leader, Cross Street Community of NYC
Rev. Danielle Miller, Advent Lutheran Church
Donal Cogdell, Director of Justice, Hope Astoria Church
Rev. Doyeon Park, Won Buddhism of Manhattan
Rev. Eleanor Harrison Bregman
Eli Valentin, Adjunct Lecturer, Union Theological Seminary
Rabbi Emerita Ellen Lippmann, Kolot Chayeinu/Voices of Our Lives
Rabbi Emily Cohen, West End Synagogue
Rev. Emmie Arnold, Queens Hospital Center
Rev. Dr. Eric A. Thomas, Siloam Presbyterian Church
Rev. Erica Poellot, Faith in Harm Reduction
F A Sardar, President, Darul Uloom New York
Mx. Flourish Klink, St. Mark’s in the Bowery
Dr. Geshe Tashi Dorje, Shi-De Kunkyabling (Center for Universal Peace) & NYNJ Dolchok Tsokpa
Gregory Smith, No Traces Sangha
Rabbi Guy Austrian, Fort Tryon Jewish Center
Chaplain Hannah Ervin, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
Hannah Griggs, Theology Instructor and PhD Student, Fordham University
The Rev. Heidi Neumark, Trinity Lutheran Church of Manhattan
Dr. Helen Meltzer-Krim, Riverdale Temple
Rev. Dr. Jacqueline J. Lewis, Middle Collegiate Church
Chaplain Jennifer Kent, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
Jessica Baker, Diploma in Theology (‘05), Life Christian University
Pastor Joshua Spears, Grace Baptist Church
Rabbi Joshua Stanton, East End Temple
Rabbi Emerita Judith Lewis, Riverdale Temple
Rev. Julie Johnson Staples, J.D., Judson Memorial Church
Rev. Julie Hoplamazian, St. Michael’s Church
Lama Justin von Bujdoss, Bhumisparsha
The Rev. Katharine Flexer, St. Michael’s Church
Rev. Fr. Kelly, St. Thomas Catholic Church
The Very Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, Dean of Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary
Imam Khalid Latif, The Islamic Center at NYU
Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann, SAJ-Judaism that Stands for All
The Rt. Rev. Bishop Lawrence Provenzano, Episcopal Church in Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk
Rev. Lea A. Matthews, St. Paul & St. Andrew United Methodist Church
Rabbi Linda Shriner-Cahn, Congregation Tehillah
Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, Co-Chair of the Poor People’s Campaign; Director of the Kairos Center at Union Theological Seminary; Pastor, Freedom Church of the Poor
Loyalty JeanAimé, Union Theological Seminary (M.A., ‘22)
Rev. Lynn Casteel Harper, The Riverside Church
Rabbi Margo Hughes-Robinson, T’ruah
Rabbi Miriam Grossman, Kolot Chayeinu
Pastor Martin Hauser, Grace & St. Paul’s Church
The Rev. Matthew Gordon Dimick, Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital @ NYU Langone
The Rev. Matthew Heyd, Church of the Heavenly Rest
Meagan Henry, First Unitarian Congregational Society in Brooklyn
Rabbi Mia Simring
Rev. Micah Bucey, Judson Memorial Church
Rev. Michael Livingston, Interim Senior Minister, The Riverside Church
Sr. Pastor Michael Walrond, First Corinthian Baptist Church
Miguel Escobar, Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary
Ms. Monica Hakoola, Interim Coordinator for Children’s and Youth Ministries, St. Michael’s Church
Rev. Natalie R. Perkins, Middle Collegiate Church
Chaplain Navin Ramlogan, Servanthood Int.
Chaplain Oriana Mayorga, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
Rev. Dr. Patricia Sealy, Mott Haven Reformed Church
The Rev. Bishop Paul Egensteiner, Metropolitan New York, Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Rev. Peter Simmons-Scie, The Community Church of New York City
The Rev. Peter Thompson, St. Bartholomew’s Church in the City of New York
Rabbi Rachel Goldenberg, Malkhut: progressive Jewish spirituality in Queens
Rabbi Rachel Timoner, Congregation Beth Elohim
Pastor Rebecca Seely, Lutheran Ministries in Higher Education of New York City
Robina Niaz, Turning Point for Women and Families
Rev. Dr. Sanayi Beckles Canton, Emanuel AME Church
Dr. Sarah Azaransky, Associate Professor of Social Ethics, Union Theological Seminary
Sarah Hill, LCSW, Adjunct Professor, Union Theological Seminary
Shanaz Deen, Union Theological Seminary
Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah
Rev. Shinga Takikawa, NST Myosetsuji Temple
Simarjeet Singh, Baba Makhan Shah Lobana Sikh Center, Inc.
Dr. Simran Jeet Singh, Sikh Spiritual Life Adviser, NYU
Rev. Stefanie Bennett, John Street United Methodist Church
The Rev. Stephanie Kendell, Executive Minister, Park Avenue Christian Church, NYC
The Rev. Canon Dr. Stephanie Spellers, The Episcopal Church (national) and St. Bartholomew's Church (NYC)
Rabbi Susan Falk, The Shul of New York
Sister Susan Wilcox, Sisters of St. Joseph
Swami Satyanandji, Spiritual Leader, Geeta Temple Ashram
Tara McManus, Union Theological Seminary
Rabbi Thomas Gardner, Riverdale Temple
Rev. Tiina Talvitie, New York Finnish Lutheran Congregation
The Rev. Timothy Weisman, The Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity
Vickram Deonarain, President, New York Hindu Milan Mandir, Inc.
Yarilynne Esther Regalado, Union Theological Seminary (M.Div., ‘24)
The Rev. Zack Nyein, St. Bartholomew’s Church in the City of New York