Communities of Practice
What is a community of practice? A T’ruah community of practice will bring together 10-15 chaverim in good standing for shared learning and support as they work to advance human rights in a particular field. Each person is working on the issue independently, in their own rabbinate/cantorate — the group leaning is meant to enhance...
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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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Beha’alotecha: Keeping the Fire Lit: Book Bans and Human Rights
The lights of the menorah in the Mishkan, and in the Temple, led to the ner tamid (eternal light) in our sanctuaries, and to our understanding that each one of us is a light too.
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![Rabbi Karen Bender and HUC student Samantha Thal](https://truah.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Karen-Bender-and-Samantha-Thal.png)
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](https://truah.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Rabbi-Alanna-Skloverortrait-Sizer.jpg)
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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A Celebration of Human Rights: T’ruah Gala 2024
Get your tickets for our annual celebration of human rights.
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A personal note in the midst of COVID-19
March 13, 2020 I’m writing first to send love and good wishes to everyone in the T’ruah community. I know that all of us are feeling a heightened sense of anxiety as we hunker down at home, quarantine ourselves, cope with our own illnesses or those of friends and family, and mourn the chance to...
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Programs Assistant
T’ruah is seeking a full-time Programs Assistant to provide logistical support across the programming department and help advance our Jewish human rights work. The ideal candidate is a highly organized, self-motivated, detail-oriented communicator with a commitment both to racial equity and learning, and to data-driven advocacy. This is an exciting time to join T’ruah at...
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