The First Liberty Institute Is A Defender Of The Jewish People

The fallout from Rebecca Taibleson’s nomination continues. I was very critical of an attack from a particular conservative group which focused on the rabbi that married Taibleson. That attack was distinct from a letter signed by about fifty other conservative groups, including the First Liberty Institute (FLI). Unfortunately, FLI is being lumped in with the organization that focused on Rebecca’s rabbi, and it has been suggested that FLI favors a religious test, and is hostile to Jewish people.

I can speak from experience that such a charge is absolutely unfounded. I have worked with FLI for more than a decade. In 2016, a group of poultry activists sued a Chabad Rabbi in California on the eve of the Jewish New Year. The Rabbi, preoccupied with other tasks, did not respond to the suit. A federal judge issued an Ex Parte TRO that prohibited the Rabbi from performing an important ritual that involves chickens. I found out about the case, and stayed up all night preparing an amicus brief, arguing that the poultry group could not establish diversity jurisdiction because the amount in controversy was less than $75,000. At the same time, First Liberty Institute swooped in and prepared a representation for the Rabbi in about twenty-four hours. With little notice, they presented oral arguments over the phone. When no one else was willing to defend this Rabbi, FLI stepped up to the plate. I wrote about the case in the Los Angeles Times.

More recently, a group of Jewish people in a Houston neighborhood began holding services in a home. Over time, more and more people started to attend this small, friendly minyan. It was called Heimish, which means homey. Some neighbors began to complain about the noise, and the City of Houston threatened to take a zoning enforcement action. FLI once again stepped up to the plate, and the City of Houston backed down.

Just last month, FLI secured a victory for a Jewish student at (of all places) the University of Wisconsin. The student requested on campus housing in walking distance to a synagogue, so she could walk to Shabbat services. After receiving a letter from FLI, the University acquiesced. There are many more cases: a property dispute for a Chabad in Long Island, harassment of a Rabbi in Boca Raton, a Jewish prayer group in Hawaii, a Rabbi in Beverly Hills, and many more.

Every year I speak at First Liberty’s annual conference, which usually runs over the weekend. For the past few years, I have brought shabbat candles, challah, and grape juice so my family can celebrate Shabbat. This past year, the FLI staff volunteered to coordinate everything, and brought all of the things needed to celebrate. It was such a thoughtful gesture, for which I was grateful. Indeed, my kids led a mini shabbat service for many people in attendance, who had never had that experience. It was beautiful.

I could go on.

Whenever conservatives oppose a Republican-appointed judge, we have the equivalent of a family feud. It’s not ideal, but sometimes these issues need to be ventilated publicly, as Senator Cruz explained. But I think we need to be careful about unfairly assigning blame to those groups that speak out.

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