Rabbi Marisa James
@marisaelana.bsky.social
Reconstructionist rabbi, woods-loving city-dweller, lover of languages, history, justice, coffee. Director of Social Justice Programming at CBST. She/her/rabbi 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Pinned
![Text of tweet: Trans kids, non-binary kids, you are so perfect and loved and incredible.
[images of trans flags]
And for those of you trying to stop kids from being who they are, or punish their families for supporting them? You're evil lumps of snot, and we're going to fight you until we win.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:n4uitomfp5ebpz2d7nmx4p4r/bafkreid7kpopob3hgsdufntbbtrhwhlhjqdukqnxldetvjdptw32uenvv4@jpeg)
My last pinned tweet, for 2.5 years, still true. 🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️
Slowly extricating myself from the Bad Place.
Slowly extricating myself from the Bad Place.
Reposted by Rabbi Marisa James
Read about the life of Sharon Camp, the woman who turned hard-to-obtain emergency contraception into over-the-counter Plan B, and forever bless the women who get things done! 🎁 link
Sharon Camp, Mother of the ‘Plan B’ Contraceptive Pill, Dies at 81
www.nytimes.com
November 14, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Read about the life of Sharon Camp, the woman who turned hard-to-obtain emergency contraception into over-the-counter Plan B, and forever bless the women who get things done! 🎁 link
Reposted by Rabbi Marisa James
From a statement from faith leaders at Broadview this morning:
"God does not bless cages. God does not sanction abductions. God demands freedom."
"God does not bless cages. God does not sanction abductions. God demands freedom."
November 15, 2025 at 1:00 AM
From a statement from faith leaders at Broadview this morning:
"God does not bless cages. God does not sanction abductions. God demands freedom."
"God does not bless cages. God does not sanction abductions. God demands freedom."
Reposted by Rabbi Marisa James
I just don’t see how we can pretend even for a moment that anything involving our federal government is remotely normal when the president is covering up his involvement in a child sex trafficking ring. Like, what are we doing here
November 15, 2025 at 1:14 AM
I just don’t see how we can pretend even for a moment that anything involving our federal government is remotely normal when the president is covering up his involvement in a child sex trafficking ring. Like, what are we doing here
Reposted by Rabbi Marisa James
The same people who claim we don’t know what a “woman” is are having a real tough time defining a “child”.
November 14, 2025 at 9:27 PM
The same people who claim we don’t know what a “woman” is are having a real tough time defining a “child”.
Reposted by Rabbi Marisa James
"You know us...So please trust us now when we say that what is happening in the Chicago area is wrong."
Powerful letter from retired Chicago broadcast journalists about what ICE/CBP is doing to our city: "it is terror"
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/13/l...
Powerful letter from retired Chicago broadcast journalists about what ICE/CBP is doing to our city: "it is terror"
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/13/l...
November 13, 2025 at 8:20 PM
"You know us...So please trust us now when we say that what is happening in the Chicago area is wrong."
Powerful letter from retired Chicago broadcast journalists about what ICE/CBP is doing to our city: "it is terror"
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/13/l...
Powerful letter from retired Chicago broadcast journalists about what ICE/CBP is doing to our city: "it is terror"
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/13/l...
Reposted by Rabbi Marisa James
"We’re done waiting for Dems to find their spine. We can’t afford a weak & cowardly Democratic Party while the authoritarians invade our cities, terrorize our communities, & threaten our democracy. We get the party we demand, & we intend to demand a Democratic Party that fights.” — @indivisible.org
Indivisible Launches its Largest Primary Program in Response to Senate Democrats Surrendering on the Shutdown Vote
indivisible.org
November 10, 2025 at 11:08 PM
"We’re done waiting for Dems to find their spine. We can’t afford a weak & cowardly Democratic Party while the authoritarians invade our cities, terrorize our communities, & threaten our democracy. We get the party we demand, & we intend to demand a Democratic Party that fights.” — @indivisible.org
Reposted by Rabbi Marisa James
This sounds like the start of a conversation to put Paw Paw in an assisted living center.
Pirro: "Mr President, there is in this room a group of people who love you, who believe in you, and who are so proud to be in this Oval Office and to be part of this amazing day because you have changed the course of America."
November 11, 2025 at 12:06 AM
This sounds like the start of a conversation to put Paw Paw in an assisted living center.
Reposted by Rabbi Marisa James
Kyle Kingsbury is not a journalist. He is not an op-ed writer.
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
November 9, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Kyle Kingsbury is not a journalist. He is not an op-ed writer.
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
Reposted by Rabbi Marisa James
I received this email about Democrats caving to end the shutdown from one of the SNAP recipients I spoke to:
November 10, 2025 at 2:17 PM
I received this email about Democrats caving to end the shutdown from one of the SNAP recipients I spoke to:
If you're not already following Erin for really helpful analysis, I *highly* recommend!
1. The text for the Continuing Resolution and three Minibus packages for VA/MilCon, Ag, and Leg have been released, and they contain no anti-trans riders.
The danger is not fully passed though: big fights are shaping up for Jan 30.
Read my latest analysis.
Subscribe to support our journalism.
The danger is not fully passed though: big fights are shaping up for Jan 30.
Read my latest analysis.
Subscribe to support our journalism.
Continuing Resolution And Shutdown Compromise Contains No Anti-Trans Riders
The shutdown package must still get through the House of Representatives, and further fights on appropriations are expected by the new Jan 30 deadline.
www.erininthemorning.com
November 10, 2025 at 5:22 PM
If you're not already following Erin for really helpful analysis, I *highly* recommend!
Reposted by Rabbi Marisa James
Democrats have to stop bailing out Republicans from facing the consequences of their own policies. And yeah, that means they have to stop sparing voters from experiencing what GOP government truly means.
Every time Dems step in, it only emboldens the GOP & they make it even worse the next time.
Every time Dems step in, it only emboldens the GOP & they make it even worse the next time.
So Democrats get:
1. A CR that will prevent the GOP from facing the wrath of Americans for a shutdown over the holidays
2. A coupon for one (1) meaningless ACA vote that will fail
3. An end to the illegal RIF/SNAP moves that are already before the courts
Those all seem like wins for the GOP.
1. A CR that will prevent the GOP from facing the wrath of Americans for a shutdown over the holidays
2. A coupon for one (1) meaningless ACA vote that will fail
3. An end to the illegal RIF/SNAP moves that are already before the courts
Those all seem like wins for the GOP.
November 10, 2025 at 12:28 AM
Democrats have to stop bailing out Republicans from facing the consequences of their own policies. And yeah, that means they have to stop sparing voters from experiencing what GOP government truly means.
Every time Dems step in, it only emboldens the GOP & they make it even worse the next time.
Every time Dems step in, it only emboldens the GOP & they make it even worse the next time.
Reposted by Rabbi Marisa James
Nice reporting from the Sun-Times on the Girl Scout aspect of my experience yesterday
tinyurl.com/4azkbhjy
tinyurl.com/4azkbhjy
Masked ICE agents put damper on Oak Park Girl Scout food drive: ‘It’s heartbreaking as a mom’
Federal immigration agents were confronted in Oak Park on Saturday morning by residents blowing whistles as local Girl Scouts collect food for local pantries, rattling some girls and their parents.
tinyurl.com
November 9, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Nice reporting from the Sun-Times on the Girl Scout aspect of my experience yesterday
tinyurl.com/4azkbhjy
tinyurl.com/4azkbhjy
Reposted by Rabbi Marisa James
OSCAR ISAAC, on whether he'd return to "Star Wars":
".. Yeah. I mean, I’d be open to it, although right now I’m not so open to working with Disney. But if they can kinda figure it out and, you know, not succumb to fascism, that would be great."
@variety.com $DIS
variety.com/2025/film/ne...
".. Yeah. I mean, I’d be open to it, although right now I’m not so open to working with Disney. But if they can kinda figure it out and, you know, not succumb to fascism, that would be great."
@variety.com $DIS
variety.com/2025/film/ne...
Oscar Isaac Was ‘Not So Open to Working With Disney’ After Jimmy Kimmel Suspension, Said He’d Return to ‘Star Wars’ if Disney Does ‘Not Succumb to Fascism’
Oscar Isaac was not open to working with Disney after Jimmy Kimmel's suspension and will only return to 'Star Wars' if the studio avoids fascism.
variety.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:28 PM
OSCAR ISAAC, on whether he'd return to "Star Wars":
".. Yeah. I mean, I’d be open to it, although right now I’m not so open to working with Disney. But if they can kinda figure it out and, you know, not succumb to fascism, that would be great."
@variety.com $DIS
variety.com/2025/film/ne...
".. Yeah. I mean, I’d be open to it, although right now I’m not so open to working with Disney. But if they can kinda figure it out and, you know, not succumb to fascism, that would be great."
@variety.com $DIS
variety.com/2025/film/ne...
Reposted by Rabbi Marisa James
This deal to reopen the government is fucking disgraceful.
Tens of millions will lose their healthcare. Trump will be emboldened.
This is exactly what’s wrong with Democratic Party leadership and why we need more people in Congress who will actually hold the line.
Tens of millions will lose their healthcare. Trump will be emboldened.
This is exactly what’s wrong with Democratic Party leadership and why we need more people in Congress who will actually hold the line.
November 10, 2025 at 12:43 PM
This deal to reopen the government is fucking disgraceful.
Tens of millions will lose their healthcare. Trump will be emboldened.
This is exactly what’s wrong with Democratic Party leadership and why we need more people in Congress who will actually hold the line.
Tens of millions will lose their healthcare. Trump will be emboldened.
This is exactly what’s wrong with Democratic Party leadership and why we need more people in Congress who will actually hold the line.
Reposted by Rabbi Marisa James
“This was a very very bad vote”
November 10, 2025 at 3:30 AM
“This was a very very bad vote”
Reposted by Rabbi Marisa James
The average SNAP benefit per month is $177 a person.
The average ACA benefit per month is up to $550 a person.
People want us to hold the line for a reason. This is not a matter of appealing to a base. It’s about people’s lives.
And working people want leaders whose word means something to them.
The average ACA benefit per month is up to $550 a person.
People want us to hold the line for a reason. This is not a matter of appealing to a base. It’s about people’s lives.
And working people want leaders whose word means something to them.
November 10, 2025 at 1:49 AM
The average SNAP benefit per month is $177 a person.
The average ACA benefit per month is up to $550 a person.
People want us to hold the line for a reason. This is not a matter of appealing to a base. It’s about people’s lives.
And working people want leaders whose word means something to them.
The average ACA benefit per month is up to $550 a person.
People want us to hold the line for a reason. This is not a matter of appealing to a base. It’s about people’s lives.
And working people want leaders whose word means something to them.
Reposted by Rabbi Marisa James
They’re wearing masks so they can’t be prosecuted later. As long as they think they can’t be prosecuted, their crimes will intensify. They will torture, starve and kill, as they have already, on greater and greater scale.
Signed, someone who’s covered the unaccountable War on Terror for 23 years.
Signed, someone who’s covered the unaccountable War on Terror for 23 years.
I’ve come to believe that we need to gather considerable forces and a campaign to demand the removal of face masks by ICE, Border Patrol, FBI and police.
It is a practice in conflict with the principles of transparency & accountability that are central to the concept of democracy.
It is a practice in conflict with the principles of transparency & accountability that are central to the concept of democracy.
Video on social media shows an immigration agent pulling a gun in Little Village and holding it to the side — which is not an appropriate or safe way to hold a gun. (Among other issues.)
November 9, 2025 at 2:36 PM
They’re wearing masks so they can’t be prosecuted later. As long as they think they can’t be prosecuted, their crimes will intensify. They will torture, starve and kill, as they have already, on greater and greater scale.
Signed, someone who’s covered the unaccountable War on Terror for 23 years.
Signed, someone who’s covered the unaccountable War on Terror for 23 years.
Reposted by Rabbi Marisa James
The regime despises poor people, yes. And importantly it does not fear poor people as a political force. It's important to take both of these together to understand what they are doing with SNAP. They do not believe that they will incur lasting political costs for their current actions.
November 9, 2025 at 3:52 PM
The regime despises poor people, yes. And importantly it does not fear poor people as a political force. It's important to take both of these together to understand what they are doing with SNAP. They do not believe that they will incur lasting political costs for their current actions.
Reposted by Rabbi Marisa James
NEW: Few could miss that election night delivered a cascade of victories for our democracy. And while national attention understandably focused on statewide races and high-profile ballot measures, smaller contests carried an outsized impact. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
The Down-Ballot Votes That Sustained The National Pro-Democracy Wave
Read more here.
www.democracydocket.com
November 8, 2025 at 11:27 PM
NEW: Few could miss that election night delivered a cascade of victories for our democracy. And while national attention understandably focused on statewide races and high-profile ballot measures, smaller contests carried an outsized impact. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
Reposted by Rabbi Marisa James
Nuremburg trials is the moderate position
He said that the agents would throw food at them to eat. The agents threatened to withhold food for a week and to beat him up if he didn't sign deportation papers. He said he saw others refuse and get beaten/receive no food. He signed because he was afraid.
November 7, 2025 at 12:34 PM
Nuremburg trials is the moderate position
Reposted by Rabbi Marisa James
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands
The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
November 6, 2025 at 9:00 PM
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
Reposted by Rabbi Marisa James
New York millionaires: threatening to flee the city since 2009
November 7, 2025 at 9:36 PM
New York millionaires: threatening to flee the city since 2009
Reposted by Rabbi Marisa James
Think of the quote in the photo below as you listen to this young man.
November 7, 2025 at 3:54 AM
Think of the quote in the photo below as you listen to this young man.
My grandma Katherine drove for the first time on a dare from her older brother; she was 14 years old and she managed to drive the family's Model T Ford into town, hopping all the way. I love imagining her thinking the same!
love reading a 12 year old girl in 1911 write a mech pilot tweet in her diary abt the experience of driving an automobile
November 7, 2025 at 5:19 AM
My grandma Katherine drove for the first time on a dare from her older brother; she was 14 years old and she managed to drive the family's Model T Ford into town, hopping all the way. I love imagining her thinking the same!
Reposted by Rabbi Marisa James
Indeed, he was allowed to to kill all those children because he is so rich
The man who ended USAID is the world's first trillionaire
November 7, 2025 at 2:20 AM
Indeed, he was allowed to to kill all those children because he is so rich