16 | MAY 18 • 2023
ESTHER ALLWEISS INGBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
enforcing the law until the election results.
“In 100 days, we repealed the portion of the [penal]
code that made abortion a felony,
” Bayer said. But
there is a long way for legislators to go with “750
restrictions scattered throughout our code that restrict
the ability for women to get the services they need.
”
Similarly, Bayer said Michigan has a number of
laws pertaining to the marriage of minors. “The
idea that you can marry at an early age is based on
conservative religious standards,
” she said. A set
of bills under consideration includes one banning
marriage under age 18 without exception. “That
would be a change to something that’s been on the
books forever.
”
Moss was confronted by religious objections
during the years he worked on an amendment to the
Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, an anti-discrimination
measure he felt needed to include protecting the
LGBTQ+ community.
“Religious freedom was used as an excuse to
discriminate against others,
” Moss said. “One
lawmaker actually wanted to allow firing someone
whose religion doesn’t match his. But I’m proud to say
we did pass the amendment with no added text, so
religion stayed separate from civil rights in Michigan.
”
He also spoke about the 6-foot Christmas — er,
“holiday” — tree on display each December at the
Capital. A menorah next to it has to be within smaller
parameters and “requires extra labor to be taken
down each night.
” Bayer finds it all “wildly unfair.
Some religions don’t have any of those symbols. There
is always somebody who’s going to be left out.
”
Joyrich brought up the Secular Values Caucus in
New Hampshire and Secular Democracy Caucus in
Minnesota. The caucuses include “legislators from
various faiths and no faith who are committed to
defending the separation of religion and government,
protecting the rights of both religious and non-
religious people and advancing science and evidence-
based public policy.
”
Moss and Bayer went on the record to say they
would be open to starting such a caucus in Michigan.
Carol Ogusky of Sylvan Lake was among 75
attending the program — plus 100 who registered
to watch on Zoom. “Following the engaging
conversations,
” she said, “I came away feeling that
(Moss and Bayer) are both extremely hardworking,
conscientious politicians. They are acting
indefatigably to protect the safety and freedom and
security for us Michiganders.
”
Panel co-sponsors with CHJ were Detroit Jews for Justice,
Distill Social, Fems for Democracy, Jewish Community Relations
Council/AJC, Michigan Unitarian-Universalist Social Justice
Network, National Council of Jewish Women and Social Action
Committee of Temple Kol Ami.
Jews for a Secular Democracy
(JFASD) is an initiative of the
Society for Humanistic Judaism
(SHJ), a nonpartisan national orga-
nization with its headquarters in
Farmington Hills.
“We seek to strengthen the wall
between religion and govern-
ment,” said Nomi Joyrich. A polit-
ical activist and community orga-
nizer, she previously was a social
worker and small business owner.
Still an organizer for Michigan
Unitarian Universalist Justice
Network after four years, she was
recruited to JFASD in early 2022
as its first statewide coordinator.
The Donald R. and Esther Simon
Foundation provided the launch
grant for the program. Additional
local supporters and national
grantors have kept the initiative
going.
JFASD “makes the case that
the shared values of equality,
inclusion and fairness are the
true American ideals intended by
the First Amendment,” said SHJ
Executive Director Paul Golin, vis-
iting Metro Detroit from New York.
Golin for nearly two decades has
helped Jewish organizations and
movements understand key trends
affecting North American Jewry,
such as intermarriage, engage-
ment, disaffiliation and inclusion.
Golin said religious fundamen-
talists are now at “the height
of their power, with a Supreme
Court doing generational damage.
This is rule-by-minority, as most
Americans are with us on the
issues. We now have to rebuild
our own ground game, and we
see JFASD as adding one import-
ant angle in support of the many
excellent organizations and initia-
tives doing the work.”
Joyrich develops programs and
activities with partners from dif-
ferent Jewish organizations and
streams of Judaism. Especially
memorable was the first event
she arranged, a topical panel at
Temple Kol Ami featuring Reform
Rabbi Brent Guttmann, Modern
Orthodox Rabbi Asher Lopatin,
executive director of Jewish
Community Relations Council/
AJC, and Conservative Rabbi
Blair Nosanwisch of Adat Shalom
Synagogue.
The volunteers Joyrich orga-
nized obtained more than 15,000
signatures in support of two
November 2022 ballot initiatives:
Proposal 2, defending the right
to vote, and Proposal 3, allowing
reproductive freedom. Voters
passed both. A future JFASD pro-
gram “will have to do with the role
of school and library boards, and
Christian nationalist attempts to
take them over and to ban books.”
Joyrich also plans to “present
an interfaith group to talk about
how various faiths are impacted by
attempts to blur the line between
religion and government.”
“We feel Nomi has ‘a proven
concept’ for a professional state-
based JFASD organizer — mobi-
lizing volunteers and building
coalitions that bring Jewish voices
to religious freedom,” Golin said.
“We would like to replicate our
Michigan work in other states
where these issues remain in jeop-
ardy.”
In his introduction to the panel,
Golin said, “We hope to bring as
many diverse Jewish approaches
as possible to church-state sep-
aration issues, from secular to
religious. There is a remarkable
consensus in the Jewish commu-
nity across political and religious
ideologies on issues of religious
freedom.”
Joyrich added, “Our goal is to
help more Jews and allied friends
and family articulate these ideals
to their neighbors and to their
lawmakers. We’re already reaching
thousands; we hope to grow from
here.”
For information, contact nomij-
fasd@gmail.com and jfasd.org.
Jews for a Secular Democracy
OUR COMMUNITY
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