After a pilot year that engaged dozens of congregations and camps, reached hundreds of clergy and lay leaders, and helped secure new federal protections for synagogue security funding, the Rabbinical Assembly’s (RA) public policy center is moving forward under a new name: Tzedek Center, taken from the Hebrew word for justice.
The Center represents the values, concerns, and lived experience of Conservative/Masorti Jews in the U.S. and globally, pursuing a moderate approach to public policy that reflects the Movement’s diverse perspectives while building relationships with policymakers and coalition partners on both sides of the aisle.
The approach draws on a core rabbinic tradition that, in genuine disagreement, both sides hold a piece of the truth.
“This past year taught us that when we show up together and find areas of consensus within our diverse Movement, we can move real policy,” said Director Emily Jaeger. “Tzedek Center is our answer to a polarized moment: a place where justice and compassion aren’t partisan values, they’re Jewish ones.”
Tzedek Center organizes its policy work around three current priorities:
- Jewish safety, which encompasses combating antisemitism and strengthening democracy. This includes working to expand the Nonprofit Security Grant Program and support the bipartisan Jewish American Security Act now before Congress.
- Food security, through advocacy to strengthen SNAP and other federal nutrition programs.
- Energy security and abundance, promoting non-carbon energy technologies and affordability through bipartisan work.
Launched in 2025, the Center, in its pilot year, engaged more than 80 congregations and camps in community programming. It ran webinars for more than 500 clergy and lay leaders, brought together more than 100 Jewish teens for in-person advocacy and leadership, and developed resources reaching more than 4,000 clergy and synagogue board members. Partnering with other Jewish organizations, the Center also secured a federal clarification enabling congregations to apply for up to $200,000 in Nonprofit Security Grant Program funding.
A cross-denominational video and open letter the Center co-created in response to immigration enforcement actions that breached due-process norms reached more than 150,000 people, and was signed by 1,100 clergy across 45 states.
The Rabbinical Assembly is the international association of Conservative/Masorti rabbis, representing more than 1,600 rabbis around the world. Since 1901, the RA has shaped and strengthened Jewish life through scholarship, leadership, and service.
“In a moment when so much of American life pulls us toward the poles, Tzedek Center is leaning into our shared values, identifying issues with strong consensus, and embracing a pragmatic approach that can get things done,” said Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal, Chief Executive Officer of the Rabbinical Assembly. “We built this Center to last beyond any single Congress or administration, because b’tzelem Elohim — the belief that every person carries the Divine image — doesn’t belong to one party. It belongs to all of us.”
With its pilot year complete, Tzedek Center’s next phase means scaling that work nationally — deepening relationships with policymakers on both sides of the aisle, expanding leadership training across Conservative/Masorti communities, and building an organizing network that can mobilize quickly when it matters most.