This week, we join the National Council of Jewish Women and synagogues across the country in honoring Repro Shabbat. According to NCJW, “Repro Shabbat takes place annually on the Shabbat when we read Parshat Mishpatim because it contains the verses commonly used as the foundation of Judaism’s approach to reproductive health, rights, and justice.”
In anticipation of Repro Shabbat, Rabbi Laura Rumpf, Temple’s Rabbi-in-Residence for Spirituality & Social Justice, shares reflections on reproductive justice and its connection to Jewish values. Read a transcript of her statement after the video.
This is not a song of surrender/ This is not a funeral march/But a ripple in a well, the echo of a bell/Tolling from the trouble in my heart
This is not a song of Hallelujahs/
Some truths are not self-evident at all/
Many voices with one cry, “it’s my body—I decide”We rock the boat, we rise, and will not fall…
Last summer, when it felt like an entire century of hard-won victories for reproductive rights in this country came undone in a matter of weeks-these verses from Jewish artist Batya Diamond, reminded me of the power of our voices and our actions to uphold Jewish values of kavod, dignity, and pikuach nefesh, care for human life, in fighting for reproductive health, rights, and justice.
As a female clergy person, I don’t take for granted that I share my voice on this issue because of my faith tradition, not in spite of it. I am inspired to know that alongside TDHS, over 500 Jewish congregations across the country are celebrating National Reproductive Rights Shabbat this month — an unprecedented signaling to our country’s elected officials that Jewish moral leadership, and centuries of Jewish tradition stand in favor of expansive access to reproductive rights.
This Shabbat, we honor a religious tradition that makes unequivocally clear that the physical and mental health of a pregnant person takes precedence over fetus viability. We honor the truth that to be created B’tselem Elohim means that every body has a worthy story that no other person has the right to tell for them.
And, we honor Reproductive Rights Shabbat acknowledging the way this justice issue intertwines with so many others that affect a wide range of people in our community.
Those who lack access to reproductive health care are disproportionately those struggling financially; Black, Indigenous, and people of color; young people; rural communities; immigrants; people living with disabilities; and LGBTQ individuals —
To fail to fight for reproductive freedom is to fail to honor human dignity at every level.
Our communities must be places where anyone who has, or may ever, terminate a pregnancy feels loved and welcomed. They should be places where people understand what our tradition teaches about these issues. And they should be places where we understand the importance of fighting for reproductive health, rights, and justice for everyone.
Shabbat shalom.