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Over 200 Rabbis Affirm The Need To Protect The Adoption Tax Credit

The Torah is rooted in a belief of embracing community and family, celebrating diversity and inclusiveness, and upholding traditions. A constant thread throughout these beliefs is our work to improve the lives of children in the U.S. and across the world. As the Talmud says, “Whoever raises an orphan in their home, scripture considers them as if they gave birth to the child” (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 19b). You might ask yourself why does this matter now? Here’s the answer — within versions of the new tax reform proposal, the U.S. House of Representatives has eliminated the adoption tax credit.

The adoption tax credit is a little-known credit with a big impact on families. Created 20 years ago, it provides relief for parents who adopt children. Parents who adopt children through private, international, or foster-care adoptions are eligible to use the credit towards travel, legal, and agency fees. In 2014, close to 74,000 American families claimed some part of the adoption tax credit.

Today, hundreds of thousands more children await adoption in the U.S. foster care system, while thousands of potential parents hope to build loving families. Without the adoption tax credit, this hope moves out of reach for far too many.

Across the Jewish community, adoptions of all kinds have been welcomed, and many of our congregations are filled with adopted children. Jews throughout history have brought vulnerable children into their homes and we need to uphold that holy tradition.

As part of that effort, we join other religious groups, such as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, in calling on Congress to pass a tax reform package that is guided by more than just tax break considerations. Our government policies should be guided by compassion and support families of all kinds, including adoption. Creating stable families is good for our society and we should fight for policies that encourage positive contributions.

Across creed and color, we must work to make our society and our community better – and that starts with helping our children. Please support our efforts to save the adoption tax credit by reaching out to your Members of Congress.

Rabbi Jacob Adler

Rabbi Rachel Ain

Rabbi Mona Alfi

Rabbi Adina Allen

Rabbi David Almog

Rabbi Douglas Alpert

Rabbi Marc Baker

Rabbi Dr. Rachel Sabath Beit-Halachmi

Rabbi Dr. Ariel Berger

Rabbi Micha Berger

Rabbi Marc E. Berkson

Rabbi Marjorie Berman

Rabbi Phyllis Berman

Rabbi David Bigman

Cantor Emily Blank

Rabbi Barbara Block

Rabbi Herman J. Blumberg

Rabbi Jill Borodin

Rabbi Mark Borovitz

Rabbi Daniel Brenner

Rabbi Rick Brody

Rabbi Sharon Brous

Rabbi David Brusin

Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo

Rabbi Kerry Chaplin

Rabbi Joshua Chasan

Rabbi Mari Chernow

Rabbi Ian Chesir-Teran

Cantor Jack Chomsky

Rabbi Sandra Cohen

Rabbi David J. Cooper

Rabbi Nate Crane

Rabbi Meryl Crean

Rabbi Faith Joy Dantowitz

Rabbi Braham David

Rabbi Beth D. Davidson

Rabbi Stephanie Dickstein

Rabbi Lucy Dinner

Rabbi Tova Dodi

Rabbi Elliot Dorff, Ph.D.

Rabbi Aderet Drucker

Rabbi Menashe East

Rabbi Dr. Amy Eilberg

Rabbi Marc E. Ekstrand

Dr. Rabbi Barat Ellman

Rabbi Yehoshua Engelman

Rabbi Dr. Andrew Vogel Ettin

Rabbi David Fainsilber

Rabbi Michael Feinberg

Rabbi Sue Fendrick

Rabbi Michael Fessler

Rabbi Zev-Hayyim Feyer

Rabbi Ben Herman

Rabbi Pam Frydman

Rabbi Laura Geller

Rabbi Marc Gitler

Cantor Vicky Glikin

Rabbi Laura J. Gold, Ph.D.

Rabbi Susan Goldberg

Rabbi Ilanit Goldberg-Gradess

Rabbi Megan GoldMarche

Rabbi Seth W. Goren

Rabbi Rosalind Glazer

Rabbi Bob Gluck

Rabbi Mel Gottlieb, PH.D

Rabbi Andrea M. Gouze

Rabbi Lisa D. Grant, Ph.D.

Rabbi Dr. Yitz Greenberg

Rabbi David Greenstein

Rabbi Terry Greenstein

Rabbi Suzanne Griffel

Rabbi Tom Gutherz

Rabbi Ilene Harkavy Haigh

Rabbi Abraham Havivi

Rabbi Jill Hammer

Rabbi Maurice Harris

Rabbi Corey Helfand

Rabbi Tyson Herberger

Rabbi Moshe Thomas Heyn

Rabbi Jo Hirschmann

Rabbi Linda Holtzman

Rabbi Michael G. Holzman

Rabbi Sarit Horwitz

Rabbi Yitzhak Husbands-Hankin

Rabbi Mark Hurvitz

Rabbi David A. Ingber

Rabbi Daniel Isaak

Rabbi Shaya Isenberg

Rabbanit Bracha Jaffe

Rabbi David Jaffe

Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster

Rabbi David Kalb

Rabbi Yosef Kanefsky

Rabbi Jane Kanarek

Rabbi Elana Kanter

Rabbi Min Kantrowitz

Rabbanit Rachel Keren

Rabbi Daniel Kirzane

Rabbi Frederick Klein

Rabbi Jonathan D. Klein

Rabbi Michael Knopf

Rabbi Neil Kominsky

Rabbi Cherie Koller-Fox

Rabbi Debra Kolodny

Rabbi Bonnie Koppell

Rabbi Andy Koren

Rabbanit Oshra Koren

Rabbi Ira Korinow

Rabbi Riqi Kosovske

Julie Anne Kozlow

Rabbi Marc Kraus

Rabbi Gabriel Kretzmer-Seed

Rabbi Suri Krieger

Rabbi Mark H. Kula

Rabbi Judy Kummer

Rabbi Gail Labovitz

Rabbi Enid C. Lader

Rabbi Daniel Landes

Rabbi Michael Adam Latz

Cantor Allen Leider

Rabbi Darby J. Leigh

Rabbi Michael Lerner

Rabbi Aaron Levy

Rabbi Joshua Lesser

Rabbi Sheldon Lewis

Rabbi Ellen Lippmann

Rabbi Neal Joseph Loevinger

Rabbi Andrea London

Rabbi Yehoshua Looks

Rabbi Asher Lopatin

Rabbi Nina Mandel

Rabbi Paula Marcus

Rabbi Jeffrey Marker

Rabbi Roly Matalon

Rabbi Dr. Ariel Evan Mayse

Rabbi Rim Meirowitz

Rabbi Jessica Kate Meyer

Rabbi Abby Michaleski

Rabbi Dr. Yehudah Mirsky

Rabbi Avram Mlotek

Rabbi Jay Moses

Rabbi Anat Moskowitz

Rabbi Robin Nafshi

Rosh Kehillah Dina Najman

Rabbi Micha Odenheimer

Rabbi Haim Ovadia

Rabbi Malka Packer-Monroe

Rabbi David Paskin

Rabbi Shuli Passow

Rabbi Nina Perlmutter

Rabbi Laurie Phillips

Rabbi Justin Pines

Rabbi William Plevan

Rabbi Robin Podolsky

Rabbi Amber Powers

Rabbi Shaul Marshall Praver

Rabbi Dorothy Richman

Rabbi Yael Ridberg

Rabbi Carnie Rose

Rabbi David Rosen

Rabbi Michael Rothbaum

Rabbi Eva Sax-Bolder

Rabbi David Segal

Rabbi Dr. David Seidenberg

Rabbi Larry Sernovitz

Rabbi Merrill Shapiro

Rabbi Jeremy D. Sher

Rabbi Daniel Raphael Silverstein

Rabbi Suzanne Singer

Rabbi H D Uriel Smith

Rabbi Joel Soffin

Rabbi Ruth H. Sohn

Rabbi Felicia Sol

Rabbi Marc Soloway

Rabbi Robin Sparr

Rabbi Scott Sperling

Rabbi Ed Stafman

Rabbi Mikey Stein

Rabbi David Steinberg

Rabbi Lane Steinger

Rabbi Robert Tabak

Rabbi Shifrah Tobacman

Rabbi Devin Villarreal

Rabbi Arthur Waskow

Rabbi Mira Beth Wasserman PhD

Rabbi Deborah Waxman

Rabbi Elyse Wechterman

Rabbi Simkha Y. Weintraub

Rabbi Ora Weiss

Rabbi Raysh Weiss

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz

Rabbi Lina Zerbarini

Rabbi Shawn Zevit

Rabbi Jill Zimmerman

Rabbi Michael Zimmerman

Rabbi Misha Zinkow

Cantor Mike Zoosman

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