Slaves to Soldiers of Justice: Judaism and Racial Justice

Cassandra Rohm

SLA-150-45

Dr. Fran Leap

02 February 2022
 Racial injustice is something that has plagued our country since its inception. From the
slavery of the early days to the “Black Lives Matter” movement of today, people of a skin color
other than white have had to fight for their right to be treated as an equal citizen. Today, the
fight for racial justice is shared with people from all walks of life. People from various
ethnicities, creeds, and cultures are coming together to pursue equal rights for all people. This is
a similar fight to that which the Jewish community has faced for its entire history.

One of the biggest and most horrific events ever seen by humankind, the Holocaust led to
the deaths of 6 million Jews and countless others. Oppression is something that people of Jewish
faith are sorely familiar with. Even looking to the roots of the religion, one can see the struggle
and strife that those who followed Judaism met. In the book of Exodus, the story is told of how
the Israelites were freed from the slavery of the Egyptians and how they came together with God
and were able to become free of their restraints. That early tale set the stage for the Jewish
people to understand and realize that anything can be conquered as long as there is togetherness
and faith in God above. This belief is what has fueled the Jewish engagement in the fight for
racial justice.

Many Jews believe that they have a duty to justice and equality (Cook). In the teachings
of the Torah, a concept known as tzedakah, or justice, is mentioned with the significance that
shalom, or peace, cannot be achieved without it (Hill, 237). It also teaches that “no religion has a
monopoly of truth” (Core Ethical Teachings of Judaism) meaning that there is not a singularly
correct religion and no faith should claim to be such. Also within the Torah are specific verses
that convey the idea that everyone should be treated equally. “You shall love your neighbour as
yourself.” Leviticus 19:17 is one such example of this thinking.

The Jewish tradition focuses on the idea that every human has value and should receive
the same amount of dignity and respect as the person next to them. Jews are taught all
throughout the teachings of their scriptures that the most important thing a person can do is help
those in need. There is a point in the Torah where God tells his people to stop giving so much to
him and instead give to their neighbors in need. This core value is what drives the Jewish
community to help those facing racial injustice and not turn their backs on those who are only
trying to fight for themselves.
 There are various avenues that the Jewish community has found to help increase the
impact that is being made in regard to racial justice. The Religious Action Center of Reform
Judaism (RAC) has various resources that offer guidance to those that want to contribute and
different ways to increase racial justice within the United States. In fact, they have been
campaigning for support to stop legislation that would impact the access to voting for many
people of color. They are also making moves to urge Congress to enact police reform and help
put an end to police brutality. It also has not been just current campaigns that the RAC has
offered a helping hand in. The RAC helped with the formation of the NAACP and the
Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights among others. The Jewish community has
stood steadfast in support of the movements that were led by people such as Rosa Parks and
Martin Luther King Jr..

In my research I was surprised to discover on the website for the RAC that the Jewish
community supports various other current issues in ways that I was not expecting. Such
examples are that they have advocated for the LGBTQ+ community and have also supported
access to abortions. These came as a surprise to me knowing some of the verses that are found in
the early books of the Bible and the Torah and how it seems that those views would be opposed
by Judaism. I suppose as well that my own misconceptions about religion in general also led to
my surprised about the support that is offered to these issues. It would appear that I have not had
the best exposure to religion.

Regardless, Judaism pushes everyday to bring equal rights to those people of color. The
Jewish community supported the early movements that made great strides in our country’s
earlier history and helped to shape many of the organizations advocating for people today. From
a history of slavery and oppression and death, the Jewish people have maintained the strength to
fight for not just themselves, but people across the world.
 Bibliography

Cook, Cheryl. Expressing Our Judaism Through Social Justice in 2019. 2019.
<http://www.jtsa.edu/hidden-page/expressing-our-judaism-through-social-justice/>.
Core Ethical Teachings of Judaism. n.d. 12 February 2022. <https://www.ijs.org.au/core-ethical-
teachings-of-judaism/>.
Hill, Brennan, Paul Knitter and William Madges. Faith, Religion and Theology. Mystic: Twenty-Third
Publications, 1998.