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 “In 100 days, we repealed the portion of the [penal] code that made abortion a felony, ” Bayer said.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 continued from page 14