Over 200 Rabbis Affirm The Need To Protect The Adoption Tax Credit
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By Shmuly Yanklowitz November 13, 2017
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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