Civic Engagement

Climate Change

Woodlands has joined Religious Action Center-NY in its multi-year Climate Covenant. We have already achieved several of our legislative goals. Join us at our October 20 Shabbat Service dedicated to climate change and what we can do to mitigate its effects.

Post-Carding Campaign

For the past few years, Woodlands congregants have been participating in a campaign to fight voter suppression and encourage all Americans to vote, most particularly those whose voices have traditionally been silenced. Some folks wrote cards individually, some in family groups, and some on zoom with other congregants. We felt proud and we felt powerful – and we had fun! 

The fight continues. We have learned that local counts. Even though 2023 may appear to be an “off year,” it is one in which there are many local elections that have national import. One such state is Virginia – which is why we have joined Reclaim Our Vote, a project of the Center for Common Ground, a non-partisan voting rights organization led by Black and Brown citizens. Virginia is a state that became a stronghold of voting rights in 2021. Those rights, along with education and reproductive health are under threat in the November election. For now, VA has the least restrictive abortion laws in the South (26-28 weeks). We can help safeguard and expand hard-won civil rights by increasing BIPOC participation in elections. 

The general election is on November 7 but in-person early voting in Virginia begins on September 22, earliest in the country. On the ballot will be all 40 seats of the Virginia state Senate, all 100 seats of its state House of Delegates, as well as many local offices, including some school boards.

Postcards inform voters of where and when to vote, and key issues at stake. Cards need to be mailed Sep 8 – Oct 25. Please join us again in this important work. Sign up for your postcard-writing kit HERE. 

Details about postcard writing:

• View the training video HERE. 

• You order your postcard kits HERE.

• Check off the number of postcard kits (containing 20 cards each) you wish to order. 

• When postcard kits are ready for distribution, you will be notified of the choices of pick-up times. (If none work for you, we will deliver them to you.) 

• In the meantime, we suggest you obtain your postcard stamps from the US Postal Service. 

• You write the cards according to the detailed instructions you receive. You can write them on your own, with family members or friends.

• You add a US postcard stamp to each card. You can purchase stamps online HERE or at a local post office. The stamps are 51 cents each. 

• Hold your completed postcards until the specified mailing date for the state/county you are working on.

Our Work

Join us in working with the Religious Action Center (RAC – the Reform movement’s vehicle for working to educate, inspire, and mobilize the Reform Jewish community to advocate for social justice) and RAC-New York (focused on NYS issues). In the past, we have successfully lobbied for parole reform and driver’s licenses for all. We are very proud of our contributions toward fighting voter suppression and the passage of New York’s Environmental Bond Act. 

Our current focus is on passage of laws in NYS that will reduce the impact of climate change. 

Leader: Andrea Olstein CETF@wct.org

CONTACTING OFFICIALS

A major way in which we advocate for a just society is by communicating our thoughts to leaders of government. Click HERE for contact information.