Temple Jeremiah has earned a reputation as a community of people committed to healing the world through our award-winning Social Justice Platforms. These platforms guide our work in our Social Action Programs and Social Justice Education and Advocacy. Please read about each of our seven Board-approved Social Justice Platforms below.

Temple Jeremiah Advocacy: Equity and Justice  

The Torah teaches us: Tzedek Tzedek Tirdof. Justice, Justice shall you pursue. As Jews, we are told to pursue justice even if it is not to our benefit. Identifying inequity and injustice in all forms, within ourselves, within our community, and within society is our charge. God commands us to go beyond the letter of the law.  

We believe and support:  

  • All people deserve respect and dignity.  
  • Disparities exist in both access to and opportunities in societal institutions by characteristics such as gender, race, religion, ethnicity, sexuality, age, immigration status, and ability status  
  • We support changes that promote equity and justice in societal institutions such as education, criminal justice, healthcare, housing, and the labor market  
We are excited to provide advocacy opportunities with action alerts via text messages. You might expect to receive an Advocacy Alert about once per week on one of our seven Board-approved issue platforms. If you are interested in receiving Advocacy Alerts via text messages, please sign up here: https://eztxt.net/TIKpOp 

TEMPLE JEREMIAH SOCIAL JUSTICE PLATFORMS

Jewish Value:   

The Torah teaches us: Tzedek Tzedek Tirdof. Justice, Justice shall you pursue. As Jews, we are told to pursue justice even if it is not to our benefit. Identifying racism in all forms, within ourselves, within our community, and within society is our charge. God commands us to go beyond the letter of the law.  

The Temple Jeremiah Advocacy Platform holds that we believe and support:  

  • All people deserve respect, dignity, and justice.  
  • Racial inequities exist in both access to and opportunities in societal institutions, including education, criminal justice, healthcare, housing, and the labor market.  
  • Racism exists at individual, interactional, and institutional levels.  
  • We support changes that undo the effects of racism and resulting inequities.  

Affiliations that we receive information from  

Religious Action Center  

YWCA Evanston/Northshore   

My Block, My Hood, My City  

Shorefront Legacy Center  

Jewish Value:   

–Mussar teaches that every soul is a holy soul. The Mussar soul trait or spiritual attribute of
Savlanut (Patience & Forbearance) guides us in our work to combat antisemitism.
Pirkei Avot 2:6
“In a place where people are behaving inhumanely, strive to behave as a human.”
When encountering injustice or hatred, we are called to act with moral courage, even if
others remain silent.
Talmud, Gittin 56a (Story of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai)
“Give me Yavneh and its sages.”
In the face of destruction, the rabbi’s patience and wisdom preserved Judaism. This
teaches that endurance and strategy are key in times of adversity.
Mishlei (Proverbs) 16:32
“Better is one who is slow to anger than a mighty warrior, and one who rules their spirit
than one who captures a city.”
Strength is not just in fighting but in mastering one’s response to hatred and injustice.
Talmud, Shabbat 88b
“The Jewish people are like an olive: only when pressed do they yield their best.”
Even when facing hardship, our resilience produces light and wisdom for the world.

The Temple Jeremiah Advocacy Platform holds that we believe and support:  

  • Jews should be treated with dignity and respect. 
  • It is wrong to stereotype, discriminate against, or hate Jews. 
  • Government officials should not establish a national religion or favor one religion
    over another. 
  • Educating and making all people aware of the positive effects of Jews as individuals
    and collectively on society will reduce antisemitism. 

Affiliations that provide information on issues:

Anti-Defamation League

American Jewish Committee

StandwithUS

Foundation to Combat Antisemitism

Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC)

Jewish value  

Leviticus Chapter 19/Holiness Code: You should not render an unfair decision: do not favor the poor or show deference to the rich, judge people fairly.    

The Temple Jeremiah Advocacy Platform holds that we believe and support:

  • The criminal justice system should be fair and just for all.  
  • Punishment should be fair and just for all.  
  • We support changes that mitigate disparities at every stage of the criminal justice process by characteristics such as race, ethnicity, gender, income, and ability status.  

Affiliations that we receive information from:  

The Equal Justice Initiative  

The Southern Poverty Law Center  

The Illinois Justice Project  

The Chicago Bar Association  

The Illinois state Bar Association  

Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism  

Jewish Value  

Jewish tradition requires all communities and societies to protect the welfare of their members and to develop the conditions necessary for the maintenance of health and safety.  Judaism teaches that everyone is created in Tselem Elohim—the Image of God.  When the rabbis in the Talmud come across a case in society that is not specifically covered by a Mitzvah in the Torah, but must be addressed, they base their rulings on a simple verse in the Torah: “And you shall do that which is Yashar and Tov—righteous and good” (Deuteronomy 6:18).  

The Temple Jeremiah Advocacy Platform holds that we believe and support:  

  • Common-sense solutions can help mitigate the escalating epidemic of gun violence.  
  • Educating and mobilizing the community to take action will result in stronger laws ad policies to save lives.  

Affiliations that we receive information from:  

Moms Demand Action (local and national)  

Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism 

Jewish  Value  

The prophet Isaiah admonished our ancestors with the words of God in Chapter 58,  

      “No, this is the fast I desire:  

      To unlock fetters of wickedness    

      And untie the cords of the yoke  

     To let the oppressed go free;  

     To break off every yoke.It is to share your bread with the hungry.”  

The Temple Jeremiah platform holds that we believe and support:  

  • No one should go hungry.  
  • Access to healthy, fresh, nutritional food is for everyone. 
  • Food assistance programs must be protected.  
  • Barriers to food access must be eliminated for everyone.  

Affiliations that we receive information from:  

Feeding America  

Greater Chicago Food Depository  

Northern Illinois Food Bank  

FRAC Food Research and Action Center  

Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism 

Jewish value  

God admonishes us in the book of Exodus, “You shall not wrong or oppose a stranger, for you were a stranger in the land of Egypt.”  We know what it is to be oppressed and to long for freedom.  We have a responsibility to care for those who are fleeing their country of origin due to the threat of violence, soul crushing poverty or persecution.   

The Temple Jeremiah Advocacy Platform holds that we believe and support:   

  •  Immigration enriches and strengthens our nation.  
  •  Our nation will be stronger with clear paths toward citizenship for immigrants.  
  •  All people within our nation should be treated with dignity and respect.    

Affiliations that we receive information from:  

Illinois Coalition of Immigrants and Refugees  

Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism 

HIAS  

Jewish Council on Urban Affairs  

Jewish Value:      

In the Holiness Code, Leviticus 19, we read, “Do not curse the deaf or place a stumbling block before the blind.” We are admonished to take care of one another as we are all responsible for one another (Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Shavuot). This applies especially to those who are differently abled.  

The Temple Jeremiah Advocacy Platform holds that we believe and support:  

  • People of all abilities are entitled to be treated with dignity and respect through language, laws, and actions.  
  • Individuals with disabilities are entitled to have equal opportunity to participate in all aspects of society, including, but not limited to, food, housing, jobs, religion, and community activities. 
  • Our congregation, community, and nation benefit from embracing individuals with disabilities and all they have to offer our society. 

Affiliations that provide information on issues: 

Jewish Child and Family Services  

Together for Choice  

Equip for Equality  

Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism    

Jewish values:  

The Babylonian Talmud comments on a verse in Proverbs: “If there is anxiety in a person’s heart, let them quash it (yashena) and turn it into joy with a good word.” (Proverbs 12:25).  Rabbi Ami and Rabbi Asi dispute the verse’s meaning. One said: They should forcefully push it (yashena) out of their mind.  And one said: It means they should tell (yeshena) others their concerns, which will lower their anxiety. We are commanded to be aware of our own mental health and the mental health of those around us; to listen and to provide a good word that will guide them to the help they need.    

The Temple Jeremiah Advocacy Platform holds that we believe and support:  

  • Everyone should have equal access to quality mental health providers regardless of their socioeconomic background.  
  • Education to all age groups about mental health should be provided to promote understanding and reduce the stigma associated with mental health conditions.  
  • Individuals with mental health conditions should have equal opportunity to fully participate in society.    

Affiliations that we receive information from:  

National Alliance on Mental Health 

Mental Health America  

Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism