Nu? This Week in Jews and Social Justice

AJWS and supporters of LGBTI rights around the world were shocked and saddened this week by the murder of Ugandan activist David Kato. Among Kato’s many activities toward the advancement of human rights, he worked with several AJWS grantees in the struggle against the Ugandan government’s notorious Anti-Homosexuality Bill. Amid many public statements expressing anguish at his killing, including this statement from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, AJWS issued its own statement and has established a pledge for Jewish solidarity with LGBTI Ugandans in the spirit of b’tzelem elohim, respect for the dignity of all human beings.

One week ago, reproductive rights activists commemorated the 38th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade. Despite this federal landmark, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism noted that anti-choice measures by individual states are gaining momentum and called for respectful dialogue toward the ultimate goal of ensuring women’s rights to make decisions about their own bodies: “We will continue to sound a strong, moral, Jewish voice for the full range of reproductive rights.”

Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz of Uri L’Tzedek traveled this week to participate in the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he penned an inspiring blog post about his encounter with Nick Vujicic, the founder of Life Without Limbs. He compared the optimism of Nick, a quadriplegic Evangelical preacher, to the Torah’s imperative to help one another to overcome any limits to reaching our potential: “We are all limbless in one way or another, yet we are all also invited through teshuva to be partners in a constant process of spiritual renewal and re-creation of self, community, and world.”

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack wrote an opinion piece for the Jewish press this week in support of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, enumerating the host of challenges the country faces in keeping its children fit and well-nourished. Vilsack praised several Jewish organizations for being leaders in “advocating for a stronger child nutrition safety net,” namely, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger in their efforts to raise awareness about child nutrition, poverty, hunger, and food access.

In the JTA this week, Jacob Berkman pondered the survival of Jewish philanthropy as the current donor generation closes up shop and transfers its wealth to its children’s foundations. Among the major Jewish foundations that are expected to spend down their dollars in the next several years are the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund, the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies, and the Avi Chai Foundation. Here at Pursue we’re also asking, how do the beneficiary projects of these donor funds expect to weather this transition?