I would like to see us reclaim what women’s rights can mean – and note that our tradition supports our demand to be seen as fully human, however we identify.
“The memory of Ahmaud Arbery calls us to account...” Dear Friend, I am writing to share with you a story. My story. On February 23, 2020, Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, was killed by three white men because they suspected him of trouble. My small Southern town became the center of a racial equity...
Every year, T’ruah honors several leaders for their commitment to and activism in advancing human rights. Our 2022 honorees will be presented with their awards at our annual gala on May 25, 2022. Heather Booth Raphael Lemkin Human Rights Award Inspired by her first trip to Yad Vashem in 1964, Heather Booth has committed her...
In 2013, nearly 800 rabbis, cantors, and rabbinical and cantorial students signed this letter, which was delivered to the Israeli government. As spiritual and Jewish community leaders who care deeply about the State of Israel, we write to you in solidarity with concerned Jewish and Arab Israelis to urge you to withdraw the Bill on...
Inspired by Yehudah Amichai z”l and Rabbi Rachel Barenblat In memory of Mike Brown z”l, Eric Garner z”l, and many, many others Recited as part of a Pilgrimage of Lament Berkeley, CA 12/14/14 Dearest God, We stand before you because we must. We stand before You because truths that should...
This week's Torah reading of Parshat Kedoshim questions us about our human relationships, how we treat our siblings, and how we relate to our neighbors to make this world a better place to live. So here I go back to the beginning. When I read in Kedoshim, "Do not stand before the blood of your neighbor" (Leviticus 19:16), I feel the moral obligation to shout that it is not nationality that makes a life something sacred and that we have the responsibility to watch over our neighbors.
As a concerned young adult living in Bangkok, I tried to make sense of the brokenness around me by doing volunteer work with like-minded meditation practitioners. Following the social action trail, we found ourselves in one of the many refugee villages along the Laotian/Thai border that continued to exist in the decade after the fall...