WASHINGTON DC Day 2 7.23.04

Today was another jam-packed day in Washington DC. We started out at AIPAC, the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee. They work to insure strong US/Israeli relations. Jonathan Kessler met with us and spoke about the Jewish role in the founding of America, how our dual identities as Jews and Americans play out in our actions and what issues surrounding our dual identities we should be concerned about. We also discussed the current situation between Israel and the Palestinians. Mr. Kessler spoke to us about his belief that the U.S. needs a strong Israel and how a strong Israel is vital if there is to be peace in the Middle East.
Our next meeting was with Billy’s friend, John Lerner. John is a political consultant for Republicans. We really enjoyed meeting with him and felt free to ask him his opinion on today’s hot issues. John also discussed trends in how certain areas of the country votes and also gave us an overview of how the Republican Party views various issues. The discussion got heated at times but was very insightful.
After that, we went to meet with the Executive Director of the Mid Atlantic Region of Amnesty International. They are a human rights advocacy group. We heard about the works they do, the current issues they are concerned with and how we could get involved in our hometowns. Our speaker left us with a very important message. He spoke to us about how vital it is for us to speak out against injustice and that we need to start now because the world is, and will be, ours.
Our last meeting of the day, and of the trip, was with the Founder and Executive Director of NORML, the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws. He spoke to us about marijuana should be treated like alcohol or tobacco. We should criminalize irresponsible use of marijuana. NORML feels that the punishment does not fit the crime. It was a side of this discussion that many of us have never heard before.
At this time, we went back to the hotel to prepare for Friday night services. We went to Kesher Israel, a modern Orthodox synagogue in Georgetown. We all really enjoyed the service. It was a low-key, relaxed service led by young adults and the average age in the room must have been 25. The atmosphere was very spiritual as many people banged on the table to the tunes of the prayers. It was a great way to spend our last Shabbat together.

Danielle Ladin

Meeting with Jonathan Kessler of AIPAC

Amnesty International

Meetng at NORML