Washington National Cathedral

The Sunday Forum: Critical Issues in the Light of Faith

The Very Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III, host

Rabbi David Saperstein—activist, lawyer, lobbyist, and professor—joins Cathedral Dean Samuel T. Lloyd III for a discussion about “Five Moral Issues for the Next President.” Saperstein serves as director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, which represents 1.5 million members of Reform Jewish congregations throughout the United States.

Lloyd asks Saperstein to discuss his work as a lobbyist for a religious tradition. “Out of the prophetic tradition, enshrined in our sacred texts, has come a mandate that we should be, to the best of our God-given knowledge and wisdom, a moral goad to the conscience of our country,” Saperstein answers. Reform Judaism emerges from the Age of Reason, which has strongly shaped America. The rabbi specifies that “God’s pervasive preference for the poor should animate our work here today.”

Saperstein describes the following issues that will face the new president of the United States:

Genocide. The central lesson of the Holocaust is “what evil can happen when good people stand idly by… We cannot do everything. We can’t even stop, necessarily, all genocides across the globe. But the notion that we cannot do everything should never be justified to mean that we should not do anything.” He cites genocidal activity in Cambodia and Rwanda—and Darfur, which notoriously continues to take place.

Spread of nuclear weapons. “It is dangerous enough that countries that have a structured system of government, no matter how free or oppressive it might be, but a functioning, stable structure of government has these weapons,” Saperstein comments. “As we’ve seen, weapons now have spread to countries that have a less stable government.” He mentions Iran as one such government, and raises the possibility that Al Qaeda or other terrorist organizations might acquire nuclear weapons.

Conflict between Israel and Palestine. Lloyd asks, “Do you see any way that a new president coming in can find a way forward to strike some kind of agreement to calm things there?” Saperstein describes the Bush administration’s efforts as belated but commendable. He says of the two peoples’ dispute over the land, “There must be compromises. Neither one can have everything that they want… But in the end, you know, that compromise has to achieve both a contiguous, politically, economically viable state for the Palestinians, and security for Israel.”

Climate change. Saperstein quotes a single verse: “‘The earth is the eternal’s and the fullness thereof.’ What we own, we own in a trust relationship with God… Friends, we’re blowing it.”

Health care. The rabbi expresses outrage that millions of people go without health insurance. He projects grimly, “If we don’t get it right soon, it’s going to spiral out of control, and we’re going to be facing a crisis in health care akin to what we’re facing in the financial sector.” The United States, he points out, has an aging population, increasingly complex end-of-life decisions, and a growing number of uninsured.

About Rabbi David Saperstein

Rabbi David Saperstein is an activist, lawyer, lobbyist, and professor. Saperstein serves as director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, which represents 1.5 million members of Reform Jewish congregations throughout the United States.