Behind The Ballot Box: On Food Insecurity (with Abby Leibman)

Rabbi Jesse Olitzky

August 25, 2020

Back

Click here to read the article and listen to the podcast as published by JCast Network.

With Election Day rapidly approaching, there are many issues of concern to each voter before they cast their ballot. But the Jewish voter is not monolithic. In each episode of “Behind the Ballot Box: Jewish Values and Our Vote,” Rabbi Jesse Olitzky speaks to rabbis and Jewish communal professionals about a specific issue at stake in this election and why they believe it should be front and center in the minds of voters.

Host Rabbi Jesse Olitzky of Congregation Beth El in South Orange, NJ speaks with Abby Leibman, President and CEO of Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger about Food Insecurity in this country. They discuss SNAP Benefits, the Farm Bill, the Food Stamp Challenge, the balance between advocacy work and the charitable work of food banks and food pantries, and what is at stake in November’s election.

Stay up to date on our news.
Subscribe to our Newsletter.

News & Events

All News

When Trump plays favorites with faith, we all pay the price. (Religious News Service)

What they may not know is that on Easter Sunday, Brooke Rollins, the secretary of agriculture, sent an email to each of her nearly 100,000 agency employees, characterizing our country as a Christian nation. The Easter-themed email declared “He is Risen indeed!” and described the resurrection as the “foundation of our faith Read more.

Historic Cuts to SNAP Deepen the War on Women (Ms. Magazine)

The last few months in Washington, D.C., have been consumed with political theatrics around the budget reconciliation process. Republicans in the House and Senate scrambled to pass legislation that will cut $184 billion from SNAP through 2034—by far the largest cut to SNAP in the program’s history—to finance tax cuts for the wealthy big businesses. They also hope to increase funding for pursuit of immigrants. Read more.

House Ag Dems: OBBBA will allow states to end SNAP (The Fence Post)

States will be allowed to opt out of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program if state officials decide they cannot or will not pay the increased cost share under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), Democratic members of the House Agriculture Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee repeatedly pointed out at a hearing today. The three witnesses all agreed. Read more.