By now, you should have received our joint email announcing the important news that Rabbis for Human Rights-North America and Rabbis for Human Rights in Israel are ending our fiscal relationship and formal affiliation as of today.
Rabbis for Human Rights-North America will now be known as T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. T’ruah will continue the work of RHR-NA in mobilizing our multi-denominational network of 1800 rabbis and more than 10,000 American Jews to protect human rights in North America, Israel, and the occupied territories.
Please take a moment to watch this compelling video about our work:
I know you may have questions about this transition. I’ll try to answer some of the more common ones below. I’d also like to personally invite you, as an important supporter of our work, to a webinar tomorrow, January 16 at noon EST. The webinar will be an opportunity to learn more about the change, as well as T’ruah’s inspiring road ahead. To register for the webinar, click here and you will receive instructions by e-mail.
T’ruah will maintain a commitment to human rights both here in North America, and in Israel and the occupied territories. We look forward to continuing programmatic partnerships with RHR, as well as with a range of human rights groups in Israel and North America.
In North America, we are eliminating modern-day slavery from the agricultural system, standing with American Muslim communities in the face of discrimination, and ending torture and indefinite detention. In Israel and the occupied territories, we are protecting a path to peaceby opposing the growth of settlements, supporting the creation of a fair asylum system so that refugees from Africa and elsewhere can have their day in court, and partnering with Bedouin communities to ensure that plans to develop the Negev do not expel these communities from their ancestral homes.
I am especially proud of our work to train the next generation of rabbis and cantors to be human rights leaders. This year, more than sixty students will take part in our two programs—one in Israel and one in the United States—and will learn to lead their own communities in human rights.
Will you join us? Click here to support T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights as we build a powerful Jewish movement to protect the human rights of all people in the United States, Canada, Israel, and the occupied territories.
Please scroll down to see answers to frequently asked questions about this transition. Please also feel free to reach out directly by phone or e-mail if you’d like to talk more.
I look forward to working with you to build our movement.
Thank you,
Rabbi Jill Jacobs
Executive Director, T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are RHR and RHR-NA ending your formal affiliation?
RHR-NA was established with two purposes: To raise money and support for RHR in Israel, and to mobilize U.S. and Canadian rabbis and community members around human rights issues in Israel and North America. Over the past decade, we have raised millions of dollars to support the sacred work of RHR. We have also galvanized rabbis to be moral leaders on issues ranging from ending torture to eliminating slavery in the agricultural fields to protecting the human rights of Israelis and Palestinians.
In some cases, the agendas of the two organizations have overlapped, such as with our Israel advocacy work. In other cases, each group has maintained different priorities and strategies. This is only natural for two organizations operating with separate boards and staffs, and on opposite sides of the ocean. We also realize that the financial relationship between RHR-NA and RHR has sometimes been confusing for donors, who deserve clarity about how your donations are being used.
Will T’ruah continue to work on Israel issues, or will you only work on issues in the U.S. and Canada?
T’ruah remains equally committed to protecting human rights in Israel and the occupied territories, and in the U.S. and Canada. Over the past several years, RHR-NA has built a robust advocacy program that has engaged rabbis and American Jews in advocating for an end to settlement activity, and fair treatment of refugees, women, low-income Israelis, Bedouins, and other vulnerable populations both within Israel and in the occupied territories. As T’ruah, we will continue to bring the powerful voices of American Jews to creating an Israel that reflects the best of our Jewish and democratic values.
What will be the relationship between T’ruah and RHR?
We look forward to continuing to work with RHR on programmatic activities, as appropriate. We will also continue our longstanding partnerships with other peer organizations, both in North America and in Israel.
What happened to the donations I gave to RHR-NA at the end of 2012?
All donations received before January 15 were distributed according to previous agreements, and supported both the work of RHR-NA and RHR.