There Shall Be No Needy: Pursuing Social Justice through Jewish Law and Tradition - Softcover

Jacobs, Rabbi Jill

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1580234259 ISBN 13: 9781580234252

Publisher: Jewish Lights, 2010

Synopsis

How can a Jewish approach to social justice offer positive change for America?

"Ancient texts offer significant wisdom about human nature, economic cycles, the causes of inequality, and our obligations to each other. These insights can inform our own approaches to current issues, challenge our assumptions, and force us to consider alternative approaches. The conversation between our texts and our lives can enrich our experience of both."
―from the Introduction

Confront the most pressing issues of twenty-first-century America in this fascinating book, which brings together classical Jewish sources, contemporary policy debate and real-life stories.
Rabbi Jill Jacobs, a leading young voice in the social justice arena, makes a powerful argument for participation in the American public square from a deeply Jewish perspective, while deepening our understanding of the relationship between Judaism and such current social issues as:

Poverty and the Poor
Collection and Allocation of Tzedakah
Workers, Employers and Unions
Housing the Homeless
The Provision of Health Care
Environmental Sustainability
Crime, Punishment and Rehabilitation

By creating a dialogue between traditional texts and current realities, Jacobs presents a template for engagement in public life from a Jewish perspective and challenges us to renew our obligations to each other.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

An invigorating look at Judaism and public policy. Through compelling interpretation and analysis, Rabbi Jill Jacobs shatters the traditional distinction in Jewish thought between law and narrative, showing how everyday life experience challenges, confirms, and informs the reading of traditional Jewish texts as they relate to social justice and repairing our broken world.

By examining the general principles of the Torah, Jewish legal literature, and medieval and modern commentaries on the topics of healthcare, criminal justice, labor, and the environment, Jacobs shows you how to connect your work and ideals with your Jewish heritage.

"Groundbreaking and urgently needed ... skillfully demonstrates the role that religion can play in American public discourse.... A timely and profoundly insightful contribution to a growing literature on Jewish social justice."
--Rabbi Sharon Brous, IKAR

About the Author:

Rabbi Jill Jacobs is executive director of T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. . Widely acknowledged as one of the leading voices in Jewish social justice, Rabbi Jacobs is also the author of There Shall Be No Needy: Pursuing Social Justice through Jewish Law and Tradition and Where Justice Dwells: A Hands-On Guide to Doing Social Justice in Your Jewish Community (both Jewish Lights). She has been voted to the Forward newspaper's list of fifty influential Jews, to Newsweek's list of the fifty most influential rabbis in America and to the Jewish Week's list of "thirty-six under thirty-six."

Rabbi Jill Jacobs is available to speak on the following topics:

• Social Justice in Judaism: Historical, Textual and Political Roots, and Their Meaning for Jews Today
• Synagogue Social Justice That Works
• In the Image: A Jewish Take on Human Rights
• Torah in the Workplace: Ethical Business Practices for the Synagogue, School, Home and Business
• A Jewish Approach to Combating Human Trafficking

Click here to contact the author.

Rabbi Elliott N. Dorff, PhD, is the author of many important books, including The Way Into Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World), a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award, and The Jewish Approach to Repairing the World (Tikkun Olam): A Brief Introduction for Christians. An active voice in contemporary interfaith dialogue, he is Rector and Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the American Jewish University (formerly the University of Judaism), and chair of the Academy of Judaic, Christian and Muslim Studies.

Rabbi Elliot N. Dorff, PhD, is available to speak on the following topics:

• Jewish Medical Ethics
• Conservative Judaism
• Jewish and American Law
• Finding God in Prayer
• A Jewish Approach to Poverty

Click here to contact the author.

Simon Greer is president and CEO of Jewish Funds for Justice.

About this edition

• Publisher: Jewish Lights
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1580234259
• ISBN 13: 9781580234252
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288