Midtown Rabbi Attends White House Briefing

Rabbi Rachael M. Bregman of The Temple in Midtown said she felt “flattered and completely humbled” when she received an invitation to participate in a White House briefing to exchange ideas on housing, healthcare, food justice and education.

“It was quite incredible” to be invited, she said.

“This summer, the White House Office of Public Engagement is hosting Community Leaders Briefings,” said Matt Lehrich, a White House spokesman. “These events, held weekly at the White House, bring together leaders and activists from communities all across the country for an opportunity to discuss common challenges and learn how the government can help them as they work to improve their neighborhoods.”

Bregman was one of 170 U.S. Jewish social justice leaders, representing 21 organizations that make up the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable, who attended an all-day conference on July 29. She was selected to attend by the American Jewish World Service, an international development organization motivated by Judaism’s imperative to pursue justice.

“Rabbi Bregman is an articulate and impassioned advocate for the connection between Jewish values and global justice.” said Timi Gerson, director of advocacy for American Jewish World Service. “As an AJWS service program alumna, Rabbi Bregman has seen firsthand how decisions made in Washington impact people in the developing world. Her commitment to be a voice for these communities in the halls of power made her a natural choice for the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable White House delegation.”

Bregman developed her interest in global social justice as a student. While in rabbinical school in New York, she volunteered at a soup kitchen.

“I quickly found a passion for the people who came to the soup kitchen, how they took care of one another,” Bregman said. “Dignity was a focus of everything they did.”

She cited an example of soup kitchen clients sharing bananas, which were in short supply. “It was amazing to see people who have almost nothing be so willing to give to others,” Bregman added.

At the White House briefing, said Bregman, “I represented a young adult community in a vibrant city in the U.S. We are a new generation of Jews interested in a broad range of issues. We are citizens of this nation, passionate about food security, immigration, human rights, education and many other issues, in addition to Israel and anti-Semitism. I brought a passion to fight the good fight to move our nation ahead.”

At a session conducted by Jon Carson, the White House director of the Office of Public Engagement, Bregman stood up to convey a message to President Obama, who was unable to attend the briefing due to negotiations on the debt ceiling legislation.

“We are asking the president to talk to us about issues other than Israel and anti-Semitism,” she said, speaking for all the attendees. “We represent a whole range of interests.”

Bregman is confident the briefing was successful in giving the Obama administration a perspective on the concerns of modern Jews from across the spectrum of Jewish beliefs. She also saw it as an opportunity to become better acquainted with representatives of the other participating organizations.

Attending the briefing helped Bregman “refocus my energy on our social justice [efforts] here” she said. For instance, in conjunction with AJWS, Bregman is coordinating Global Hunger Shabbat, a multigenerational generational weekend program set for Nov. 4 to 6 at The Temple.

Bregman came to The Temple in June 2010 to head the Reform Jewish congregation’s Open Jewish Project. “This is about relationship building” with the goal of creating “a multitude of venues for expressing one’s Judaism,” she said. A major initiative of Open Jewish Project is an upcoming leadership development and education program to engage 160 young Jews in serious study, thought and living Judaism.