Rabbi Lester Bronstein

Lester Bronstein has served as rabbi of Bet Am Shalom Synagogue in White Plains, New York since 1989. He has served in leadership roles with the Westchester Board of Rabbis, the White Plains Religious Leaders Association, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, the UJA-Federation of New York, the JFNA Rabbinic Cabinet, the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education,...
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Rabbi Jill Jacobs headshot

Rabbi Jill Jacobs

Rabbi Jill Jacobs (she/her) is the CEO of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, an organization that trains and mobilizes more than 2,300 rabbis and cantors and their communities to bring a moral voice to protecting and advancing human rights in North America, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories. She is the author of...
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Summer Fellowship

Jump to: Information for Applicants >> About the Fellowship The T’ruah Rabbinical and Cantorial Student Summer Fellowship in Human Rights Leadership offers a select cohort of rabbinical and cantorial students the opportunity to work in a human rights or social justice organization, learn about human rights in Jewish text and tradition, and develop their moral...
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Bring Human Rights Shabbat to Your Community

On Human Rights Shabbat, we celebrate the deep intersections between Judaism and human rights. Since 2008, nearly 500 communities have joined this celebration. Human Rights Shabbat is observed on the Shabbat closest to International Human Rights Day, December 10, which is the anniversary of the UN’s adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We...
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Ending Tax Benefits for Terrorists

Israel’s far-right Kahanist movement is drawing new scrutiny and attention following Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s recent announcement that he welcomes bringing Otzma Yehudit, a reincarnation of Meir Kahane’s outlawed Kach party, into his governing coalition. This racist movement, made up of numerous far-right, terrorism-promoting groups that share the same leaders and activists as Otzma Yehudit...
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Worker Justice

“Great is work, as it gives honor to the one who does it.” —Nedarim 49b Our tradition tells us that it is a Jewish moral imperative to treat workers fairly. But we know that in this country and around the world, the workplace is often ground zero for forced labor, exploitation, wage theft, and violence...
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Immigration Justice

“Therefore, love the ger*: for you were gerim in the land of Egypt.” -Deuteronomy 10:19 Most immigrants to the U.S. come seeking safety, freedom, and a better life, just as many of our families did. Jewish texts, history, traditions, and values compel us to welcome them with dignity and compassion. But our country’s policies towards...
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Sandra Lawson

Sandra Lawson is a second year rabbinical student at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. Prior to moving to Philadelphia she worked as a personal trainer, an Adjunct Professor, and served as the Investigative Researcher for the Anti-Defamation League’s Southeast Region, becoming the go-to person when Law Enforcement in the South needed information on hate groups. As...
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Mass Incarceration

“Exalted and High, Mighty and Awesome, You bring low the proud and lift up the fallen; You free the imprisoned, redeem the humble, and help the poor.” -Blessing after the Shema, Morning service Mass incarceration is a racial justice issue. We cannot achieve real change unless we recognize and name that racism is at the...
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Modern Day Slavery and Human Trafficking

“This year we are slaves; next year, may we be free.” —Passover Haggadah “No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all other forms.” —Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 4 T’ruah is leading the charge in the Jewish community against modern-day slavery and human trafficking,...
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