Private Prisons, God’s People

A number of years ago my husband’s nephew suggested that we invest some funds with him in high-risk high-yield bonds. We did. After earning a good return, I asked my husband what his nephew had done with our money. He answered that his nephew, among other ventures, had invested in for-profit prisons. I was horrified....
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All God’s Creatures Great and Small (Parshat Noach)

The dominion over animals given to humans in Genesis 1:27, compared with the rabbis’ notion that humans were created equal to the rest of creation, is an example of God’s and our own ambivalence about being the stewards of every other plant and animal species. Noah’s care of the animals, taken in light of permission to eat them, seems to suggest that he owns them and can do what he wants with them. We, like God and our Sages, seem also to be ambivalent about our role as stewards of the rest of creation.
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To Transform Our Economic System, We Need to Challenge Inheritance

Mahlah, Noa, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah, the daughters of Zelophehad, recognize and name another crisis, which is that the inheritance laws are set so that families with only daughters are unable to inherit land and instead their families lose their access to land. The five women respond powerfully to the crisis of their father’s death, and a structural shortcoming, with an eye towards intergenerational shifts rather than short-term reform.
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Rabbi Karen Bender and HUC student Samantha Thal

Sukkot: Sukkot and the Human Right of Dwelling Safely

Perhaps Sukkot is the festival of understanding our journey, for journeys have no concrete and steel foundations, only earth and sandy feet. And the yearning that should come out of this collective memory must be a passionate commitment to end homelessness everywhere, physical, spiritual, or national.
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Photo of the author, Rabbi Alanna Sklover

Tzav: We Are the Stranger

We know the heart of the stranger and we cannot allow ourselves to lose sight of these people, or allow statistics to blur them and their lives into a faceless “issue.”
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250+ Rabbis and Cantors to Israeli Ambassador: Stop Settler Violence

February 10, 2022 Dear Ambassador Herzog, In recent months, we have seen an alarming increase in frequent and violent attacks on Palestinians by settlers. A recent study shows that the majority of incidents take place in areas near outposts that are considered illegal even by Israeli law. As Jewish clergy and members of T’ruah, a...
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Chaverim

Who are T’ruah’s Chaverim? Chaverim are rabbis and cantors who stand up to be counted as partners in T’ruah’s work to protect human rights in North America, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories. Being one of T’ruah’s chaverim does not imply endorsement of every organizational statement or position. When you become a member of our chaverim...
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Apply to Join a Working Group

T’ruah’s working groups help to guide and implement campaign strategy and programs. These working groups are a means for rabbis, cantors, and Jewish lay leaders to expand and strengthen T’ruah’s moral voice for human rights. If you would like to contribute your time and talents to a working group, please fill out the form below...
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