GBIO History & Previous Work/Rallies
Watch the 2023 GBIO Housing Teach-In presented by the CDT Core Team:
Dorshei Tzedek’s institutional commitment to GBIO includes a significant annual financial commitment (1% of our annual operating budget) and an agreement to send significant membership representation to GBIO actions at which key elected officials and/or other leaders are introduced to and held accountable for addressing identified, actionable issues. Over the years, CDT members have participated in a variety of “campaigns” that helped bring about important change. Some of these include, among others, the following:
- Affordable housing
- Nursing home workers rights
- Financial education around debt reduction and asset building
- Access to affordable health care
- Support of the Community Preservations Act
- The rebuilding of the Dearborn Middle School in Roxbury
- Substantive criminal justice and reentry reform
GBIO’s previous agenda (2019-2020) focused on “Refounding,” an effort to expand its membership to include more faith communities and other organizations representing a broader spectrum of diversity – religious, racial, ethnic, and economic. This resulting in a significant increase in the number of member congregations to a current level of 61.
GBIO’s Health Care Reform campaign prioritized three issues: reducing the cost of prescription drugs, insuring parity for mental health care and substance abuse treatment, and limiting the cost of out of pocket, surprise billing. A meeting with Senate leadership drew about 850 participants from GBIO membership congregations.
In addition, GBIO's Criminal Justice Reform campaign resulted in the passage of the 2018 Criminal Justice law and 2020 Police Accountability law.
Rabbi Toba and CDT member Alan Epstein serve on the GBIO strategy team. Our team also includes many interested CDT members who have participated in both our CDT GBIO meetings, as well as attended other large and small GBIO actions and meetings in the Greater Boston area. With questions about any or all of this, please contact Louise (lpenoch@rcn.com).