Rabbi Sally Priesand said that as head of the clergy advisory committee of Planned Parenthood of Central New Jersey, she champions “a pluralistic society in which freedom of choice is protected.”
Photo by Jill Huber
October 21, 2008
A groundbreaking local rabbi has assumed a leadership post with a group working to secure “the basic human right of reproductive freedom.”
Rabbi Sally J. Priesand — religious leader emerita of Monmouth Reform Temple and the country’s first female rabbi — is the new chair of the clergy advisory committee of Planned Parenthood of Central New Jersey.
After retiring two years ago after 25 years as religious leader at the Tinton Falls temple, she joined the PPCNJ board of directors and began organizing its clergy advisory committee.
Priesand also serves on Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s 25-member national clergy advisory board.
In addition to Priesand, an Ocean Township resident, the PPCNJ clergy advisory committee consists of 12 religious leaders from Monmouth and Middlesex counties. (PPCNJ’s administrative office is in Shrewsbury, and the organization maintains health centers in Shrewsbury, Freehold, Hazlet, New Brunswick, Perth Amboy, and Spotswood.) The committee members include Jews, Presbyterians, Evangelical Lutherans, and Quakers.
“Our clergy statement reflects the mission of PPCNJ, which is to provide comprehensive reproductive and complementary healthcare services in settings that preserve and protect the essential privacy and rights of each individual,” Priesand told NJ Jewish News. “The committee will be an advocate on behalf of public policies that guarantee these rights and ensure access to these services.”
The committee also plans to show its support of Planned Parenthood’s staff, she said.
“As religious leaders, we acknowledge the many contributions made by PPCNJ to the well-being of our community,” said Priesand.
“We also commend the members of its staff who work so diligently to meet the needs of those they serve, and we want the public to know that many clergy members support these Planned Parenthood employees. We take pride in their accomplishments and stand with them in securing the basic human right of reproductive freedom, even as we are mindful of the many responsibilities that come with that freedom.”
During the 1980s, Planned Parenthood’s central NJ branch had an active affiliate clergy advisory committee, according to PPCNJ president and CEO Phyllis Kinsler. However, she told NJJN, the committee has not been active since that time.
“In light of the ongoing political and funding challenges to Planned Parenthood’s mission, the PPCNJ staff and board realized that it was time to get this committee back into action,” said Kinsler, who lives in Tinton Falls.
“When Rabbi Priesand became a board member two years ago, she agreed to re-start the committee. She firmly believes that women have the right to make their own choices and to determine their place in society.”
Diversity among those who use PPCNJ’s services is a welcome and acknowledged concept, Priesand said.
“As a rabbi, I think in terms of tzedaka and its connection to righteousness and justice,” she said. “We affirm the dignity and worth of every individual regardless of race, religion, age, gender, lifestyle, disability, or national origin. As a result, we champion the validity of a pluralistic society in which diversity is welcomed and freedom of choice is protected.”
PPCNJ also respects the right of all people to seek moral guidance and support from religious traditions of their own choosing, Priesand said.
“Religious values are part of a larger life,” she said. “In much the same way, Planned Parenthood can be part of an answer within a larger arena. In Judaism, one of the basic concepts is freedom, which involves making your own choices.”
Priesand said she is a strong believer in the separation of church and state.
“In a secular government like the one we have in the United States, the government should not police religious thought and values,” she said. “In a democracy, there are secular laws that protect and enforce the right to teach and observe different religions. It’s an avenue of social justice.”
The clergy committee also will act as a sounding board for PPCNJ clients who request its services, Kinsler said.
“The clergy members will play a role in the listening process, while someone walks along a path to examine options and make decisions,” she said. “Unfortunately, there aren’t that many places where these decisions are considered equally valid and are treated with dignity and respect.”
The clergy advisory committee has not determined a regular meeting schedule, Priesand said.
“Having been a congregational rabbi, I know that people don’t have much free time,” she said. “But the clergy committee will always meet if there’s a specific issue to discuss, and we’ll keep in regular touch through e-mail messages and telephone conversations. We are taking our responsibilities very seriously.”
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