Essays on Social Justice

Exploring the History of Tikkun Olam

SocialAction.com is the online Jewish resource for repairing the world. But where exactly does the concept of Tikkun Olam, which connotes the pursuit of social justice, come from? Writing for Zeek, an independent journal that addresses Jewish culture, society, and spirit, Jill Jacobs offers fascinating midrashim (rabbinical elaborations on the biblical text) and her own research on the history and meaning, past and present, of Tikkun Olam. My Jewish Learning offers another overview of the celebrated "doing good" Hebrew expression.

Heschel and Kaplan on the Centrality of Peoplehood

By NEIL GILLMAN

While Abraham Joshua Heschel went far beyond his Jewish concerns to engage in a broadly humanitarian, universal social and political agenda, Kaplan devoted the last decades of his career to developing our only indigenous American Jewish religious movement.

A New Way to Connect

By DAVID ROSENN

Peoplehood, at its core, is about a connection to other Jews who share our history and our destiny — no matter who they are or where they are, simply because they are Jews. Of course, no one feels a sense of Jewish peoplehood if they don’t see themselves as a member of the Jewish people. So underlying peoplehood is an assumption of solid Jewish identity.

The Morning After: Sustaining Social Change

By LEONARD FINE

The world is made more gentle by the kindness of strangers, and congregations that create opportunities for their members to engage in acts of kindness deserve praise. Still, there's more than kindness to the mission of a congregational social action committee. There is, specifically, the work of justice.

Wednesday Wilderness Wisdom—Getting Untangled

Need a little wilderness wisdom on Wednesdays? Then sign up for this unique blend of environmentalism, Torah, and tikkun olam by contacting Rabbi Howard Cohen, BurningBushAdvenures@verizon.net, whose Burning Bush Adventures (BBA) uses awe-inspiring wild regions as classrooms to explore Jewish life, text and wisdom.

Building Identity, One Roof at a Time

By MICHELLE LACKIE

Tzedek, or social justice, work is not just an expression of Jewish identity; it also can be an entry point to Jewish identity. Michelle Lackie is director of the Weinberg Tzedek Program at Hillel.

Exodus and Sinai: New Thoughts on Jewish Identity

By SIDNEY SCHWARZ

As the Holocaust and the birth of the State of Israel grow remote in time, what can bind Jews are the pursuits of peace and justice, respect for all God’s creatures and creation, compassion, and other values rooted in the Torah.

Words Matter: Tikkun Olam

By RABBI ARTHUR GREEN

Many Jews attracted to Jewish spirituality have given up on the possibility of improving the human condition. In Judaism, such a bifurcation of spiritual and sociopolitical concerns is hardly possible."

Is it Jewish to Do Service? YES! YES! YES!

According to SPARK, The Center for Jewish Service Learning (a division of Jewish Funds For Justice), Jewish tradition calls upon each and every Jew to love not only his or her neighbor, but the stranger as well. "Having that responsibility means that we must find ways to respond to poverty, disease, illiteracy, and violence."