Welcome to the Tikkun Olam Committee (TOC) Monthly Update. We are looking forward to a busy and very important year ahead, so get ready to Do Justice!

The TOC is open to all congregants and offers a variety of ways, large and small, for congregants to get involved in tikkun olam, the mending of the world. Please contact co-chairs Betsy Kingery and Fran Paver at tikkunolam@templeshalom.net to learn more or to get involved. For more information about social action at Temple Shalom, take a look at the Temple Shalom website.

Join Our Next Meeting

We typically meet on the third Wednesday of each month. Our next (virtual) meeting will be on Wednesday, August 21 at 7:00pm. Please let us know by emailing tikkunolam@templeshalom.net if you plan to attend the meeting so we can send you the Zoom link.

Get Out the Vote with Temple Shalom and Reclaim Our Vote!!!

Postcard writing for the North Carolina general election has begun! The deadline for mailing is between September 15 and September 30. Reclaim Our Vote is hoping to reach 1,000,000 registered Black voters in North Carolina.

Temple Shalom has committed to write to 3,000 voters! We are off to a great start with 32 writers committed to writing 2,005 postcards. To help us achieve (or surpass) our goal, email tikkunolam@templeshalom.net.

Maryland Constitutional Amendment on Reproductive Rights: In addition to the Presidential, Senate and House Elections, there are other consequential measures on the Maryland ballot, including a referendum to amend Maryland’s constitution to ensure that everyone has the fundamental right to reproductive freedom, including the right to abortion access and birth control. It states:

That every person, as a central component of an individual’s rights to liberty and equality, has the fundamental right to reproductive freedom, including but not limited to the ability to make and effectuate decisions to prevent, continue, or end one’s own pregnancy. The state may not, directly or indirectly, deny, burden, or abridge the right unless justified by a compelling state interest achieved by the least restrictive means. 

By voting “yes,” we lock in our reproductive rights for future generations of Marylanders, regardless of who takes power. Reproductive Freedom is a Jewish Value! For more information about the proposed amendment, check out this flier prepared by Freedom In Reproduction - Maryland (FIRM).

Temple Shalom Food Policy

In Rabbi Ackerman’s Rosh Hashanah sermon last fall, she urged us to consider adopting an Environmental Values Advocacy and Action Statement that would include, among other things, the elimination of meat and reduction of dairy products served at Temple Shalom. Following up, at the request of the Temple Shalom Board of Trustees, the TOC is working to develop a draft food policy that would take into account our commitment to preserve our planet. We are looking for input from other members of the Congregation. Currently, although there is no written policy, the practice has been to limit food served at Temple functions to Kosher-style menus. Should we adopt a vegetarian or pescatarian policy for functions sponsored by and held at the Temple? Should we adopt any other restrictions? Our goal is to develop a draft policy that can be presented to the Board later this fiscal year. If you would like to help us, or have thoughts about what should or should not be included in such a policy, please contact us at tikkunolam@templeshalom.net. 

Blood Drive

Save the Date: Please consider donating blood on Sunday, October 27, between 9am and 2pm, at Temple Shalom. Once again, we will be working with INOVA Blood Donor Services. Please invite other local friends and family, including non-Temple Shalom members, to participate. Contact Glenda Cohen-Green at spencemoll@aol.com or Deborah Hutton at deborahbeth@gmail.com with any questions

Gun Violence Prevention - Recent Developments

Supreme Court Strikes Down Federal Ban on “Bump Stocks”: In a decision issued June 14, the Supreme Court struck down a federal rule that banned bump stocks (firearm attachments that allow dozens of bullets to be fired within seconds). The rule, issued by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), defined a semiautomatic rifle equipped with a bump stock attachment as a “machine gun,” which is generally prohibited under federal law. The Court’s 6-3 decision in Garland v. Cargill concluded that the ATF lacked legal authority to adopt the ban, and therefore the rule was invalid. The State of Maryland’s ban on bump stocks, however, remains in effect.

Click here to learn more about the Cargill decision. Click here to read a Statement by Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown.

Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Domestic Violence Victims: In a decision issued June 21, the Supreme Court upheld the federal law prohibiting possession of firearms by individuals subject to a domestic violence restraining order. Importantly, the Court in U.S. v. Rahimi found that “the Second Amendment permits more than just regulations identical to those existing in 1791,” referring to a controversial new legal standard set forth by the Court in a 2022 opinion on Second Amendment rights. Click here to learn more about the Rahimi decision. Click here for a brief explanation of “extreme risk protective orders” under Maryland law.

Surgeon General Declares Gun Violence a Public Health Crisis: On June 25, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an Advisory declaring that gun violence is a public health crisis. Click here to learn more about the Advisory and why gun violence, historically considered to be a law enforcement issue, is now being viewed through the lens of public health. Click here to learn about the Maryland Department of Health’s new Center for Firearm Violence Prevention and Intervention.

Federal Court of Appeals Upholds Maryland’s Ban on Assault Weapons: On August 6, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Maryland’s ban on assault weapons. In Bianchi v. Brown, the Court found that the “assault weapons at issue fall outside the ambit of protection offered by the Second Amendment because, in essence, they are military-style weapons designed for sustained combat operations that are ill-suited and disproportionate to the need for self-defense.” Second Amendment rights activists are likely to seek review by the Supreme Court. Click here to learn more about the Bianchi decision.

Shepherd's Table

On the first Monday of each month, Temple Shalom sponsors several volunteers to help serve dinner at Shepherd’s Table in Silver Spring. Shift hours are 5-7:30pm. Upcoming dates are September 2, October 7, and November 4. Contact Vickie Rocha at rochawitz@gmail.com or the Shepherd’s Table Volunteer Coordinator at MarcyM@shepherdstable.org, for more information. 

Are You Keeping Up with Tikkun Olam Committee

Action Alerts and Activities?

We encourage you to sign up for the TOC email list to ensure you receive timely updates about our activities. Some of our initiatives are time-sensitive, and the fastest way to get our message to you is via the email list. If you aren’t already on the list, please contact us at tikkunolam@templeshalom.net to let us know you want to sign up. Thank you!