Economic Justice

Civilized societies have confronted poverty for millennia. Jews, comprising one of the olderst societies in the world, have developed an ideology and a code of law and ethics affirming that it is an obligation of both the individual and the community to care for the poor and ultimately to bring them out of poverty.

-Rabbi Elliot Dorff, from his pamphlet You Shall Strengthen Them

The Rabbinical Assembly places a high priority on issues of economic justice, passing numerous resolutions over the years relating to various issues such as the social safety net, wages and labor, and global poverty. These position papers provide a summary of the resolutions we've passed on these topics. In 1999, the Social Action Committee of the Rabbinical Assembly and the Joint Social Action Commission of the RA and United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism collaborated in publishing the pamphlet entitled You Shall Strengthen Them: A Rabbinic Letter on the Poor. Use this resource to gain a heightened awareness and concern for the poor in our midst.