More than 100 New York State Jewish Leaders: Don’t Rollback Bail Reform, Governor Cuomo
March 20, 2020
The Honorable Andrew Cuomo
Governor of New York State
New York State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224
Dear Governor Cuomo,
We write to you today as leaders of New York’s Jewish community. We stand together as individuals and organizations representing our community’s diversity, racially and ethnically, religiously, and geographically, from throughout our state. Our conviction stems from our Jewish values.
At the outset, we would like to commend your proactive handling of the coronavirus pandemic, under which you have consistently put the public health and safety of New Yorkers ahead of political expediency.
Today, we ask you to stand firmly against efforts to rollback or revise the state’s bail reform law and continue the statewide leadership that brought about bail reform in the first place. We note that we do not stand alone: a brand new statewide poll demonstrates that the public still strongly supports these reforms — in every region of New York State.
We are disturbed by the unjust attempts to revise the bail reform measures you signed into law last year and that have been in effect only a little over two months. Although we do not know the precise changes that are being considered, we are deeply concerned that short-term political expediency threatens to eviscerate bail reform. Any alterations to the law that expand the number of people potentially subject to pretrial jailing or that weaken the discovery reforms will perpetuate the racial and economic inequality that bail reform counteracted.
As you noted in 2018, “The blunt ugly reality is that too often, if you can make bail, you are set free, and if you are too poor to make bail, you are punished.” The injustice and inequality of the cash bail system before bail reform was adopted arose from the devastating impacts of extended pretrial detention on individual lives: the trauma of jail contributing to recidivism; the loss of jobs and housing; and the impact on families and children. New York enacted bail reform to rectify these injustices and put an end to a system of mass pretrial incarceration.
Bail reform has worked, lowering the number of individuals in pretrial detention. During our current public health crisis, in which social distancing is paramount, bail reform helps reduce crowding in our jails and can save lives. At a time of crisis, while attention is diverted elsewhere, and while limiting population density is key, we should not make changes that would put or keep more people in jail, especially those who are at greater risk of contracting COVID-19.
In the Jewish tradition, we are taught that every human being is made in the divine image, b’tzelem elohim, and are therefore equally worthy of fairness and equality. The Bible teaches: “Do not deny justice to a poor man when he appears in court” (Exodus 23:6). This righteous commandment of equal justice lies at the core of the bail reform measures you championed, just as it lies at the core of our Jewish and American traditions. To undo these measures now, returning us to jailing hundreds or thousands of presumptively innocent New Yorkers who have not been convicted or had a trial under a racially discriminatory system, upends the principle of innocence before proven guilty, and creates disparity before the law. It also represents a dangerous rush to judgement for a law that has only been in effect less than three months.
New Yorkers recognize the necessity of criminal justice reform to reduce mass incarceration and remove systemic inequality from the criminal justice system. Bail reform is the cornerstone of this reform. Rolling it back will have consequences that extend beyond the bail issue itself. Your leadership is critical.
Sincerely,
New York Jewish Agenda
Union for Reform Judaism
Avodah
Bend the Arc
Central Synagogue
Congregation Beit Simchat Torah Ending Mass Incarceration Team
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
Jews for Racial & Economic Justice (JFREJ)
Repair the World Brooklyn
T’ruah
West End Synagogue
Workers Circle
Hon. Brad Lander, New York City Council
Hon. Stephen Levin, New York City Council
Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, Co-Founder and Board, New York Jewish Agenda
Matt Nosanchuk, Co-Founder, New York Jewish Agenda
Rabbi Rachel Timoner, Co-Founder and Board, New York Jewish Agenda
Karyn Grossman Gershon, Board, New York Jewish Agenda
Micah Lasher, Board, New York Jewish Agenda
Sam Rubin, New York Jewish Agenda
Rabbi David Adelson, Dean, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion
Karen Adler
Anita Altman
Karen Bassuk
Talia Benamy
Kenneth Bob, National President, Ameinu
Michal Bowen
Cantor Josh Breitzer, Congregation Beth Elohim
Dr. Jessica Brown
Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, Senior Rabbi, Central Synagogue
Emmanuel Cantor, Rabbinical Student, Jewish Theological Seminary
Rabbi Ayelet S. Cohen
Rabbi Joshua M. Davidson
Alan S. Divack
Alisa Doctoroff
Aaron Dorfman, Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah
Sandi DuBowski, Filmmaker and Co-Founder, The Creative Resistance
Rabbi Jacqueline Koch Ellenson
Rabbi Rebecca Epstein, Congregation Beth Elohim
Evelyn Frankford
Peter Frey
Rochelle Friedlich
Rabbi David Gelfand, Temple Israel of the City of New York
Gili Getz
Lee Jason Goldberg, Co-Chair, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah Mass Incarceration Team
Rabbi Barbara Goldman-Wartell, Temple Concord
Blu Greenberg
Rabbi Reuven Greenvald
Stephen Gutow, Scholar, New York University Wagner School
Rabbi Hilly Haber, Director of Social Justice Organizing and Education, Central Synagogue
Joy Hill
Mari Hinojosa, Co-Chair Central in Action Leadership Team, Central Synagogue
Rabbi Deborah Hirsch, Temple Israel of the City of New York
Betty Jane Jacobs
Rabbi Andy Kahn
Deborah Kalmuss
Talia Kaplan, Rabbinical Student, Jewish Theological Seminary
Rabbi Juliana Karol
Zachary Katznelson, Co-founder, Dismantling Racism Team, Congregation Beth Elohim
Nancy Kaufman
Rabbi Leora Kaye
Sherry King, Co-Chair Central in Action Leadership Team, Central Synagogue
Elaine Klein
Robert Klein
Jonathan Kopp
Gil Kulick
Alisa F. Levin
Francine Hermelin Levite
Rabbi Ellen Lippmann, Rabbi Emerita, Kolot Chayeinu
Allen Lipson, Rabbinical Student, Jewish Theological Seminary
Harvey Lubitz, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah
Rabbi Marc Margolius
Noemi Masliah
Ruth Messinger, Former Manhattan Borough President
Susan Miller, Artist and Teacher, The Abraham Joshua Heschel School
Jo-Ann Mort, Member, Congregation Beth Elohim
Rabbi Mike Moskowitz, Scholar-in-Residence, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah
Rabbi Linda Motzkin, Temple Sinai, Saratoga Springs
Elad Nehorai
Rabbi Lev Meirowitz Nelson, Director of Rabbinic Training, T’ruah
Rebecca Neuwirth
Cantor Barbara Ostfeld, Placement Director Emerita, American Conference of Cantors
Lynn M. Paltrow, Member, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah
Rabbi Salem Pearce
Rabbi Hara Person
Letty Cottin Pogrebin
Rabbi Sarah Reines
Rabbi David A. Reinhart
Cantor Chanin Rosen
Rabbi Jennie Rosenn
Edward Rosenfeld
Kathleen Rubenstein
Rabbi Jonathan Rubenstein, Temple Sinai, Saratoga Springs
Rabbi Stephanie Ruskay
Johanna Sanders, Director of Policy and Organizing, The Vaid Group
Emily Sarasa
Audrey Sasson, Executive Director, Jews for Racial & Economic Justice (JFREJ)
Rabbi Peter Schaktman, Temple Emanu-El of Utica
Cantor Benjie Ellen Schiller, Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman Professor of Liturgy, Worship and Ritual and Professor of Cantorial Arts, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion
Rabbi Drorah Setel, Temple Emanu-El
Laura Spitzer
Rabbi Josh Stanton
Rabbi Peter Stein
Rabbi Lennard R. Thal, Senior Vice President Emeritus, Union for Reform Judaism
Rabbi Debbi Till
Ann Toback, Chief Executive Officer, The Workers Circle
Rabbi Burton Visotzky
Rabbi Brian Walt, Congregation Tikkun v’Or
Aron Wander, Rabbinical Student, Jewish Theological Seminary
Alex Willick, Manager of Strategic Partnerships, Avodah
Judy Woods, Three Parks Democratic Club
Michael Young
Hazzan Sarah Zemel
Myra Zuckerbraun
Rabbi Elizabeth Zeller, Senior Rabbi, Temple Chaverim
Organizational affiliations are listed for identification purposes only.
