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2 books match the query 'Judaism and social problems'

cover of Recharging Judaism: How Civic Engagement Is Good for Synagogues, Jews, and America

Recharging Judaism

How Civic Engagement Is Good for Synagogues, Jews, and America

Rabbi Judith Schindler and Judy Seldin-Cohen

Central Conference of American Rabbis, 2018

Finalist of the 2018 National Jewish Book Award in Contemporary Jewish Life and Practice, Recharging Judaism offers a practical framework for implementing social action into our everyday lives. Using language that speaks to both those outside and inside synagogue life, the book inspires and guides Jews and Jewish institutions to address the challenges facing this country today.

Recharging Judaism is the essential and timely guide for every synagogue and community seeking to strengthen the bonds of Jewish communal life through advocating for social justice. This volume delves into the enriching civic engagement and acts of righteousness already undertaken by Jews and Jewish communities across the country, and further explores the positive differences we can all affect upon the future of America. There are a myriad of ways in which advocating for social justice and participating in civic engagement can create lasting change. Those inspired to affect such change will find new meaning in the texts and history of our tradition. Using real examples from both small and large congregations across the country, Recharging Judaism offers a framework to guide us through our journey of civic responsibility and social duty and into a brighter future for our country.
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cover of The Quiet Voices: Southern Rabbis and Black Civil Rights, 1880s to 1990s

The Quiet Voices

Southern Rabbis and Black Civil Rights, 1880s to 1990s

Mark K. Bauman

University of Alabama Press, 1997

These wide-ranging essays reveal the various roles played by southern rabbis in the struggle for black civil rights since Reconstruction

The study of black-Jewish relations has become a hotbed of controversy, especially with regard to the role played by Jewish leaders during the Civil Rights movement. Did these leaders play a pivotal role, or did many of them, especially in the South, succumb to societal pressure and strive to be accepted rather than risk being persecuted? If some of these leaders did choose a quieter path, were their reasons valid? And were their methods successful?

The contributors in this volume explore the motivations and subsequent behavior of rabbis in a variety of southern environments both before and during the civil rights struggle. Their research demonstrates that most southern rabbis indeed faced pressures not experienced in the North and felt the need to balance these countervailing forces to achieve their moral imperative.

Individually, each essay offers a glimpse into both the private and public difficulties these rabbis faced in their struggle to achieve good. Collectively, the essays provide an unparalleled picture of Jewish leadership during the civil rights era.
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