In New England, lawyers and others interested in public policy have met weekly for fifty years to carry out CLSA's impressive agenda. CLSA pioneered a new philosophy and legal strategy in the fight against discrimination and prejudice in America. In sharp contrast to the prevailing view that prejudice would eventually give way to education and appeals to reason and tolerance, CLSA resorted to litigation and legislation. In the ensuing cases, CLSA was in the forefront of the national struggle for equal rights, civil liberties, religious freedom and separation of church and state. It left its imprint on virtually every landmark court decision in these areas and on major state and federal legislation.
New times mean new problems and a new understanding of old ones.
We have made our fiftieth anniversary an occasion to identify and prepare to meet the challenges ahead. We have assembled a group of progressive thinkers and doers to help lay the groundwork for our future work in Massachusetts and in the nation. Providing early warning and response by identifying political and policy issues that threaten members of the community and galvanizing to meet them Discrimination based on genetic testing Loss of benefits to elderly refugee immigrants Electronic threats to privacy of medical records Building coalitions by joining with other organizations to protect religious liberty, fight for quality public education and stand up for basic economic justice for Jew and non-Jew alike. It has been a place to act on Jewish values to meet the demands of contemporary society. Copyright 1998-2001, American Jewish Congress.