By Rabbi Arthur Waskow

In our view, the American public should strongly and immediately oppose the nomination of Judge Alito to the Supreme Court, and should particularly focus energy on the so-called "moderate" Republicans" and "moderate" Democrats whose votes will determine whether Alito is confirmed.

Why do we oppose his nomination? His record of judicial opinions shows that he is a smart, capable, right-wing ideologue. He has supported governmental power when it invades the personal freedoms of human beings and opposed governmental power when it tries to regulate corporations to protect workers, customers, or the environment.

Rabbi Brian Walt, 8/5/2003

Dear Chevra,

Rabbi Brian Walt was the founding rabbi (1988) and till a month ago the spiritual leader of the Philadelphia Reconstructionist congregation Mishkan Shalom, which he led into becoming one of the most successful of Recon synagogues, with himself as one of the most beloved congregational rabbis in that or any denomination. He and his wife, also a Recon rabbi, have left Philadelphia so that she could become the rabbi of the only synagogue on Martha's Vineyard. The move also gave Brian the opportunity to greatly expand the very part-time work he was already doing as Executive Director of Rabbis for Human Rights/North America.