Photo by Gili Getz
On Monday, Rabbi Arthur Waskow, co-founder of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, passed away at the age of 92. T’ruah mourned Rabbi Waskow’s passing and celebrated his incredible legacy and contributions to Jewish life and social justice.
Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of T’ruah, said:
“Baruch Dayan HaEmet. T’ruah sends our heartfelt condolences to Rabbi Waskow’s wife Rabbi Phyllis Berman and family. We also send care and love to our colleagues at the Shalom Center.
“Through his legacy of non-violent protest, his prophetic writing, and his courageous leadership, Rabbi Arthur Waskow made an immeasurable impact on American Jewish life. He consistently held that Judaism is not meant to stand above and apart from ordinary life, but rather to guide our actions in this life, and his tireless work for justice, human rights, and the planet reflected this core value. His legacy includes helping to build the Jewish Renewal movement, forging partnerships and coalitions across difference, mentoring younger rabbis and activists, and fearlessly engaging in civil disobedience for the causes he believed in. For so many of T’ruah’s rabbi and cantor members — myself included — Rabbi Waskow has been a mentor and an inspiration.
“Among his many achievements, Rabbi Waskow helped found Rabbis for Human Rights-North America (RHR-NA), now T’ruah. With T’ruah, Rabbi Waskow helped lead campaigns opposing settlements in the West Bank and for Palestinian rights, as well our first North America-based campaigns against torture in Guantanamo Bay. In 2014, T’ruah honored Rabbi Waskow with our Lifetime Achievement Award. And in the 11 years since, despite health problems, Rabbi Waskow never stopped working and writing, determined to leave the planet better off than he found it.
“I first encountered Rabbi Waskow through his writing, as a college student, and was blown away by his wildly creative readings of Jewish tradition that helped me see our ideas and ritual practices in entirely new ways. Later, I had the privilege of getting to work with Rabbi Waskow, and often to receive his urgent phone calls with plans for responding to global emergencies. His passion and commitment was unmatched.
“At a recent T’ruah gala, I had the pleasure of introducing Rabbi Waskow to several young Jewish activists. When I told them that he had created the Freedom Seder, they looked at me confused. This seder is now so much a part of Jewish life that they didn’t realize that someone had to create it. Rabbi Waskow has truly transformed Judaism and the Jewish community.
“Zecher tzadik livracha. May the memory of the righteous be a blessing.”
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About T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights brings the Torah’s ideals of human dignity, equality, and justice to life by empowering our network of over 2,300 rabbis and cantors to be moral voices and to lead Jewish communities in advancing democracy and human rights for all people in the United States, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories.