Social Justice and Advocacy

Tikkun Olam, or repair of the world, is contained within our congregation’s Mission Statement.  From the earliest days of Bangor’s Jewish Community when members sponsored refugees from Eastern Europe, to our historically strong support for Zionism, through to today, as we work to welcome immigrant families, Congregation Beth Israel takes a considered approach to issues of the day.  You’ll find our members working with veterans, addiction, and always preparing food at the Salvation Army.

We strive to live our Jewish values through meaningful action, and when appropriate, issue advocacy.

Our Social Action Committee recently lead the charge by drafting a letter in support of students of color who face racism in Bangor schools.  Our Rabbi and President, along with many other congregants, participated in Black Lives Matter events in the tumultuous summer of 2020.  We have congregants embedded in or leading numerous civic organizations in the Greater Bangor Region, from the Maine Multicultural Center to the NAACP.

You can read posts below about our advocacy work.

SCOTUS Should Suspend the Texas “Fetal Heartbeat” Law

We are gravely concerned about the decision of the Supreme Court to permit the Texas “fetal heartbeat” law to take effect.  This legislation permits private citizens to sue physicians that perform abortions six weeks after conception and threatens to deprive women in Texas of essential health care.  We recognize and teach that there are a […]

We Urge Susan Collins to Support the Equality Act

By unanimous vote of the Board of Directors, Congregation Beth Israel urges Senator Susan Collins to provide her support for the current Equality Act.  We ask her to set aside unnecessary concerns over transgender sports participation and “religious liberty.” As a religious institution, we see no real threat to religious liberty by affording federal workplace […]

Support for LD 187 – An Act to Require Education about African-American History and the History of Genocide

The Board of Directors of Congregation Beth Israel voted unanimously to send a letter to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs in support of this legislation.  Our community encourages the state of Maine to make both African-American History and the History of Genocide a mandatory component of public school curriculum. Letter (PDF)