Friend:

At this time of year, Jews like me are busy retelling the story of the liberation of the Jews from slavery at our Passover seders. So, in the name of retelling, I have a story to reshare with you all:

An elderly man in Oklahoma calls his son in New York and says, “I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are getting a divorce after 45 years of marriage.”

“Dad, what are you talking about?” the son yells.

“We can’t stand the sight of each other any longer,” the father explained. “We’re sick of each other, and I’m sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Hong Kong and tell her!”

Frantic, the son calls his sister, who shouts over the phone, “Like heck they’re getting divorced! I’ll take care of this.” She calls her father immediately and screams at him, “You are not getting divorced. Don’t do a single thing until I get there. I’m calling my brother back, and we’ll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don’t do a thing, you hear me?”

The man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife: “Okay, it’s all set. They’re both coming for Passover [or, INSERT ANY HOLIDAY OR OCCASION YOU MAY BE CELEBRATING] and paying their own airfare!”

Happy Passover to all of those who, like me, are celebrating the holiday. Happy Easter to Christians who are also celebrating this weekend, and happy holidays to our Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Baha’i, Sikh and Wiccan brothers and sisters, who, among others, are also observing religious holidays at this time of year. Happy Spring to our nonreligious friends!

It’s so easy to take for granted that you can practice the religion of your choice or choose to be nonreligious in America and expect the government to treat you equally. It’s awesome to have the right to be true to our core identities in this way.

But at AU, we know how fragile and under attack this right is today, and how vigilant we need to be in order to protect it. Still, even during these challenging times, our hard work continues to pay off. Let me tell you about a win that one of our Florida chapters scored this week.

In Palm Coast City near Daytona Beach, city council members considered adding invocations to their official meetings. Not only is this a divisive move that alienates community members who don’t share the speaker’s religious beliefs, but the council also considered limiting invocation-speakers to “religious leaders” from the community – potentially preventing people who practice a faith that doesn’t have clergy, those whose congregations meet outside Palm Coast City, or the nonreligious from participating equally in local government.

Members of AU’s Atlantic Coast Chapter, led by Rabbi Merrill Shapiro, vigilantly protested the invocations. They spoke at meetings and in local media. Their efforts paid off. After two months of debate, this week the council voted not to add invocations. Instead, they will lengthen the moment of silence so attendees have time to pray silently if they choose. It’s a compromise that respects the desire of some people to pray without forcing others to join them.

Whatever your religious beliefs or your plans in the coming days, let’s all join together in celebrating something we have in common: A commitment to separating religion and government, which gives all of us the freedom to observe whatever religious or nonreligious traditions we choose.

With hope and resolve,

Rachel K. Laser
President and CEO

P.S. I hope you are planning to join us at AU’s inaugural Summit for Religious Freedom (SRF) on April 22-24. There are just a few spots left to come in person in Washington, D.C., or you can attend virtually. SRF is a perfect time for us to celebrate our wins, learn from each other, and prepare for the battles ahead. See you there!