RESOURCES FOR JEWISH LEADERS
An educated populace thrives when its leaders have the tools necessary to support their communities.
Jewish clergy and leaders have a tremendous role to play in educating and supporting their communities through this tumultuous period. In addition to providing Election-Related Information, which focuses on the mechanics of a free and fair election, we are committed to surfacing and sponsoring opportunities and resources to prepare and equip Jewish leaders to guide and educate their communities in this time. This includes virtual trainings, discussion opportunities, pastoral support, ritual-related resources or toolkits, and more.
We are working to update this website in near real-time. Know of an opportunity that should be added? Let us know.
QUICK LINKS
RESOURCES FOR JEWISH LEADERS
+ What to Expect Between Election Day and Inauguration Day (Recording)
+ Over Zero Preventing Identity-Based Violence Training (Recording)
+ Rabbinical Assembly Statement on the Attack on the United States Capitol
+ Rabbinical Assembly Resolution on Voting in the 2020 US Elections
What to Expect Between Election Day and Inauguration Day (recording)
When polls closed on the evening of November 3, election administrators were busy counting votes. But what happened next? In key states there were an unprecedented number of mailed ballots to process and tabulate. News networks were anxious to report any and all updates. Americans, used to having projected results on election night, were forced to linger in uncertainty.
Uncertainty, however, is not a crisis. And we can avoid a crisis altogether if we each play our role. Join the National Task Force on Election Crises for a briefing on potential crisis points between now and the inauguration—and what faith leaders can do to avoid them.
This event was put on by the National Task Force on Election Crises.
RESOURCE: T’ruah Election Center
The text studies, divrei Torah, action steps, webinar recordings, and links to partner organizations in this Election Center are intended to help rabbis, cantors, and the wider Jewish community learn and take action to protect voting rights and the integrity of the democratic process.
RESOURCE: Over Zero Preventing Identity-Based Violence Training (Recording)
This webinar introduced a set of tools to build resilience to political violence including discussion of what critical actions Jewish leaders can take now to overcome the levels of division and tension that have emerged throughout this election cycle. These tools and approaches are informed by domestic and international peacebuilding practice, interdisciplinary research from fields like cognitive neuroscience and social psychology, and historical case studies.
RESOURCE: RAC 2020 Clergy Toolkit
The toolkit from the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism provides actionable steps to Jewish clergy (of all denominations) involved in the work to ensure a free and fair election, including guidance on writing letters to the editor of valued news sources and communicating with elected officials.
RESOURCE: Building a Resiliency Network
This toolkit from Over Zero is intended to boost capacity to prevent, mitigate, and respond to violence in the face of potential escalation of tensions in the coming months.
We’ve found information on the following particularly helpful:
Explicit guidance on risk factors for election-related violence before, during, and after November 3rd (p. 4)
Engaging necessary stakeholders (p. 17)
Building a crisis monitoring plan (p. 45)
Correcting misinformation (p. 59)
Planning proactively to set positive norms and unite disparate groups (p. 70)
RESOURCE: Faithful Democracy’s 2020 Season of Sacred Voting Resources
Focus: Sukkot and Simchat Torah
Faithful Democracy invites you to participate in a multi-faith voter action campaign from Thursday, October 1st through the election. Each week, the Faithful Democracy Campaign prepares a simple toolkit with strategic GOTV messaging, social media, and reflections grounded in key religious markers to communicate the significance of this season of voting to people of faith.
RESOURCE: Election-Related Jewish Rituals
RitualWell has organized all of their Election Day rituals in one place to help Jewish clergy and leaders present voting and civic engagement as a sacred act.
Resource (European Perspective): Civil Liberties Union for Europe’s Free and Fair Elections: Definition and 8 Standards to Meet