Sunday, October 02, 2016

Obama Holds Pre-Rosh Hashanah Call With 600 Rabbis

Rosh Hashanah begins this evening. As reported by JTA, last Monday President Obama held a pre-holiday conference call with over 600 rabbis from the Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and Reconstuctionist movements of Judaism.  In his opening remarks (full text), the President said in part:
... Rosh Hashanah is a time for reflection, and I'm not exempt from that. So, looking back on the last eight years, I'm both proud of what we've accomplished together, but also mindful of the work we have before us.....
... [W]e've still got a lot of work to do -- on the refugee crisis, on criminal justice reform, reducing violence, and creating a political culture in this country that’s a little more functional. But a new year brings new hope, and the community represented on this phone call has always known what it means to stand up for the less fortunate, the stranger, the immigrant, the refugee.