Reflections on the Jewish commitment to social justice

Submitted by Dr Edie Friedman

Since my retirement from JCORE, the organisation I started in 1976, l have had time to take frequent walks on Hampstead Heath, giving me the opportunity to reflect on those 49 years: thinking through why I started JCORE, what it has achieved and what is the state of Jewish social justice today. I can take some satisfaction from the success of the organisation in bringing issues such as racism and asylum onto the Jewish agenda, though there is still much that can and should be done. My relief that the political party which I believe is best placed to deliver a social justice agenda is now in government has been tempered by disappointment that some measures needed to decrease child poverty, including reversing the two-child benefit cap are not being enacted.  I am also deeply disappointed that the current government follows too much of the previous government’s anti-migrant rhetoric and concentrates on deterrence rather than creating an environment which can offer safety, security and opportunity to asylum seekers. This is best done through the use of safe and legal routes, which, according to refugee organisations, would be the most ethical and practical way to decrease the number of people taking perilous small boat journeys.

My retirement has also coincided with the relentless war in Gaza which has shaken my understanding of ethical Judaism and of Jewishness itself, as it has for many Jews. At times I wonder how, or even if, our sense of morality is ever going to recover.

So, what of the future of social justice activity in our community?  Alas there are so many issues which demand our response it is difficult to know which to prioritise.  I really hope moving forward that our community will step up in defining itself by the precepts of prophetic Judaism which we need to redefine for our age. Some of the principles which I tried to bring to JCORE and which I feel are consistent with the prophetic voice within Judaism can too easily be lost. Allow me to mention five of these. 

1. Antisemitism is a form of racism. Of course, not all racisms are the same but accepting the differences is not inconsistent with the importance of marginalised communities working together to combat ALL forms of racism. This was an issue frequently and at times divisively brought up during my time in JCORE.
2. It is vital that a Jewish voice is always part and parcel of the national conversation on the many social issues which confront us. In other words, we need a seat at the table alongside other groups. It is so important to work together with other organisations so that views within the Jewish community can be heard, after all, our community has a long history of being the refugee, the migrant, the “other”.
3. Things which appear to be the opposite can both be true at the same time.  It is so important that we accept that issues are complicated. One recent example of this during my time at JCORE was to encourage people to accept that antisemitism was an issue not only for the Labour Party, but for all political parties and it was too often being weaponised for political gain and point scoring.
4. We have a proud tradition of social activism, not only in the UK but elsewhere in the world, be it fighting apartheid, fighting for civil rights in the United States, joining the struggle for justice in countries such as Argentina, working with others to activate workers’ rights in the UK. We have many Jewish social justice heroes whom we need to learn about. This tradition and history should be more overtly acknowledged and taught to Jewish children, as it is the story of their community and is something of which we should be proud.
5. It is vital to regain our commitment to social justice as central to our understanding of Jewishness. Two early experiences galvanised me to create JCORE. The first was frequently hearing Christian clerics quoting from the Jewish prophets as part of their motivation for involvement in social justice. Of course, I was pleased to hear this but wanted to hear similar statements coming from within the Jewish community. The second occurred when I was somewhat taken aback to hear a Jewish woman say to me, she was pleased I was doing the Christian thing and doing something about “loving your neighbour”. This remark characterised a view I heard all too often that social justice was now more identified with Christianity than Judaism, let alone other traditions. It became important in our understanding of being Jewish that we had to recapture that sense of centrality of social justice and apply it to some of the many pressing issues which confront us today, be they climate change, decreasing poverty and homelessness, strengthening alliances between black and Jewish communities and combatting anti Palestinian racism and recognising that when we ask “is this good for the Jews?” The essential question should be “is this good for humanity?”