Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on June 5, 2021

By Benjamin David, Peter Buchsbaum and Nilene Evans

A year ago, many of New Jersey Reform Jews left home after months of lockdown. We could not stay inside following the murder of George Floyd. Across the state, faith leaders and advocates, young and old, said it clearly: Black lives matter. In congregations in all parts of the state the message was the same: we needed to act to reduce racial injustice because the status quo, in which a Black man could be murdered by a state actor in broad daylight, was reprehensible.

On Thursday, the New Jersey Legislature can ensure that we begin to heal the legacy of our states shameful reality that at 12 Black adults incarcerated for every white adult, New Jersey has the nations highest disparity in Black/white incarceration rates. Over 60% of New Jerseys prison population is Black, although less than 15% of our states population is Black.

The Fair Chance in Housing Act, A1919/S250, seeks to disrupt New Jerseys cycle of recidivism by increasing access to safe and secure housing for returning citizens. A returning citizen with access to stable housing is far less likely to re-offend. The Fair Chance in Housing Act would prevent most landlords from collecting information regarding a potential tenants criminal history upfront. Landlords would still be able to run a criminal history check after making a conditional offer to enter a lease.

Putting such checks at the end of the process rather than the beginning gives potential tenants the chance to tell their stories to potential landlords of what we Jews call tshuvah returning to the right path. For example, a formerly incarcerated person might explain how she has earned a degree while in prison, or he might seek to rebuild a hands-on relationship with his children, and that living in this apartment complex with a public transportation route to her job or near his kids will be a next step on the returning citizens path.

For far too long returning citizens have been discriminated against when pursuing housing. Those who must check the box for having a criminal background are regularly turned away by landlords. But we can change these discriminatory practices by passing the Fair Chance in Housing Act.

This is why the New Jersey Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC-NJ) is using our collective voice in partnership with the Fair Share Housing Center to support the Fair Chance in Housing Act. Our 45 congregations are located in 27 of New Jerseys 40 legislative districts, and we are acting together with a united voice to find meaningful ways to address New Jerseys legacy of racial and economic injustice.

As part of a storied Jewish advocacy organization that continues to mobilize the Reform Jewish community to advocate for social and racial justice, including launching a movement-wide racial justice campaign, we take seriously the concept of tshuvah atonement and tikkun olam repairing the world. We believe that no humans should be permanently defined by their worst mistakes and that God offers each of us the opportunity to move toward a better future. This bill gives people who have completed their sentences a chance to shift their story to one of redemption, rather than tether them forever to past mistakes.

The bill would also help returning citizens rebuild their lives and move forward. One reason for the revolving door between incarceration and homelessness is housing discrimination against people with criminal records. Research shows that prior criminal history is not a predictor of tenant behavior.

As Jews, we believe that all people are created Btzelem Elohim in Gods image. We know from the clear-eyed study of our nations history that we need to address the ways in which mass incarceration is driven by the War on Drugs has served to criminalize a generation. As we reckon with our nations legacy of systemic racism and white supremacy and work to ensure that our children and grandchildren inherit a world, we are obligated to work to undo the harms caused by mass incarceration.

Rabbi Benjamin David, Judge Peter Buschbaum and Nilene Evans are members of the New Jersey Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism Core Team.

Rabbi David serves at Adath Emanu-El in Mount Laurel.

Judge Buchsbaum is a retired state Superior Court judge, a member of the North American Advisory Board of the World Union of Progressive Judaism and attends Har Sinai Hebrew Congregation in Pennington.

Nilene Evans is a member of Temple Avodat Shalom in River Edge.

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As Jews, we believe in repairing the world and we believe in the Fair Chance in Housing Act | Opinion - NJ.com

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