Spiritual Foundations of Social Action/Social Justice
As a community dedicated to deepening our commitment to Jewish spiritual values and to social justice, we at B'nai Jeshurun seek to ground our social action work in Jewish texts. Over the course of a year, certain texts with special meaning for our community were discussed and debated by the Rabbis, the Board of Trustees, and 180 congregants who participated in the Panim el Panim House Meetings of Nov.-Dec. 2005. These discussions were formulated into this living foundation document, which is intended to grow, change, and evolve over time. We hope it will be used to explore, inform, and enhance our collective efforts toward tikkun olam - as individuals, as a synagogue community, and as a society.
This statement of Jewish values will live on the BJ web site, where additional commentary, curricula, and other content will be added over time. Contributions and insights from members of our community will be essential to this document's evolution.
"And God said, Let us make human in our image, after our likeness. . . . And God created human in God's image . . . ." (Genesis 1:26-27)
- Protect the equal divinity of every human being from oppression and exploitation.
- See all people as potential agents of change in their lives and in society.
- Recognize our unique contributions, while seeking encounters and partnerships with diverse people and communities.
- Seek justice for other communities as well as for ourselves.
"God said to Cain, Where is your brother Abel? And he said, I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:9)
- See all people as our brothers and sisters, not as others apart from us.
- Accept responsibility for the well-being of others.
- Open our eyes to injustice and refuse to ignore it or deny it.
"You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the feelings of the stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt." (Exodus 23:9)
- Remember where we came from.
- Extend our welcome to all people at BJ.
- Empathize with strangers and treat them with respect.
- Safeguard the rights and dignity of immigrants and minorities in our society.
"God has told you what is good / And what God requires of you: / Only to do justice / And to love goodness / And to walk modestly with your God; / Then will your name achieve wisdom." (Micah 6:8-9)
- See justice and goodness as a path; one that we are able to walk.
- Take steps in our daily lives to seek justice and love goodness, even in our smallest actions.
- Approach our partner organizations and service recipients with humility, respect, and a readiness to listen and learn.
". . . I heard the voice of my God saying, Whom shall I send? Who will go for us? And I said, Hineni: Here I am; send me. And God said, Go." (Isaiah 6:8-9)
- See ourselves as agents of change and our actions as sacred work.
- Take personal responsibility for our involvement or complicity in unjust situations.
- Stand clearly and fearlessly for justice.
"And you shall have eaten, been satisfied, and made a blessing of thanks . . . " (Deuteronomy 8:10 and Birkat Hamazon, Blessing after Meals)
- Ensure that everyone has enough of what he or she needs.
- Recognize when enough is enough.
- Give thanks for what we consume, and for the efforts of those who provide and prepare it.
- Be aware that all we have is a gift from God, and not truly ours.
- Respect what is: the natural world, through which God provides for all of us.
"You are not obliged to complete the task, but neither are you free to desist from it." (Rabbi Tarfon in Pirkei Avot, 2:16)
- Seek wisdom and courage to join with others in action, without being overwhelmed by the enormity of need and injustice.
- Create structures and strategies to sustain our social justice work for the long haul.
- Value the process of our work as much as the outcomes.
- Strive to address the suffering and needs of today, and to prevent the suffering and needs of tomorrow.
- See our work as part of a long tradition of struggle for healing and justice.