fbpx Tikkun Olam | Reconstructing Judaism
Tikkun Olam

Related Resources

In this workshop, Rabbi Lawson addresses the question, "What do our Jewish texts and values say about welcoming others into our communities?"

On January 24, 2021, Reconstructionists gathered for a virtual day of learning entitled "God?: A Reconstructionist Conversation". Videos of the learning sessions are available below.

Nominations are open for the Reconstructionist movement's Tikkun Olam Commission and Joint Israel Commission.

Reconstructing Judaism and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association were among 12 faith organizations endorsing a letter to Congress urging action to ensure universal access to clean water.

Environment Tikkun Olam

The Tikkun Olam Commission is a structure of the Reconstructionist movement comprised of rabbis and lay people who work on social justice issues on behalf of the movement. It is the primary body vested with responsibility for formulating and vetting positions for the Reconstructionist movement, for consideration by the board of governors and the plenum, and for coordination of tikkun olam work with the RRA and other bodies.

Mandate establishing Jews of Color and Allies Advisory Group

Reconstructing Judaism and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association are encouraging congregations and individuals to support this life-saving fund-raising effort organized by Project Rozana, a well-respected international non-profit organization that is leading a project supported by both Israel and the Palestinian Authority to purchase badly needed ventilators for West Bank and Gaza hospitals in light of the current COVID-19 spike in the region, which threatens to overwhelm Palestinian hospital ICUs.

Tikkun Olam

The Reconstructionist movement has helped define the vanguard of social justice in the Jewish community, advancing causes from equality for women and the LGBT community, to interfaith dialogue. Given our limited resources, our strategy is to concentrate on a single area of social justice for a few years at a time.

People across Philadelphia gathered together for Fair Trade Shabbat Dinner, a night of Jewish learning, locally-sourced food, and provoking conversation about Jewish values.

Rabbi David Teutsch urges support for foreign aid in the upcoming federal budget.

Tikkun Olam

Letter from American Jewish groups in response to the announced withdrawal from the Paris climate accord

Environment, Tikkun Olam

This article is adapted from a talk at the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation Tikkun Olam Kallah, March 2003.

In the wake of the Syrian refugee crisis, Congregation Dorshei Emet in Montreal campaigned to sponsor four refugee families. We were happy to hear that the first of the four families arrived in Canada last month.

These materials explore Jewish models of resistance to oppression. 

Reconstructionist Judaism takes seriously our obligation to act together to address injustice and suffering. To do so, Rabbi Elliot Tepperman argues, our congregations need to be places where we can safely engage in political and ethical agitation and disagreement, while avoiding mere irritation.

This Reconstructionist curriculum on wealth inequality was written for the movement's Tikkun Olam commission in the winter of 5777 (2016-2017).

"Love of the Creator, and love of that which G!d has created, are finally one and the same," wrote Martin Buber.  Defending this divine creation in an era of climate change is a Jewish (and social, political, and moral) imperative.

A child of Holocaust survivors, Rani Jaegar composed a yizkor prayer for Righteous Gentiles that is unique and breaks new ground. It tells the story of those who saw suffering and knew how to find their humanity. It remembers that “righteousness is an everlasting foundation” that breaks boundaries.

Tepperman encourages sustained congregational dialogue and action around social, environmental and political justice.

RRC President Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D., was among the 18,000 people in the audience for Donald Trump's March 21 speech to the AIPAC Policy Conference. Her response was published in The Philadelphia Inquirer  under the title "Voters Must Act Against Demagoguery." 

The TEL (Teens: Experience and Learning) post-b’nai mitzvah program focuses on the values of spiritual peoplehood that form the cornerstones of Reconstructionist Jewish education. Each curriculum focuses on a different value. Tikkun Olam is a Hebrew expression broadly meaning "reparing the world." 

The current unequal concentration of wealth in the United States creates political, social and economic consequences throughout North America. Our Tikkun Olam commission's current focus is on this issue. 

Our Tikkun Olam Commission developed a set of criteria to guide its social justice recommendations for the movement. Every couple of years, the Commission will advise that the Reconstructionist movement concentrate on a new issue which, on balance, best meets these criteria. Here’s how the wealth gap meets the criteria we’ve set for a movement-wide focus.

Rather than seeing religion and political activism as two distinct phenomena, we can experience activism as a powerful form of prayer.

Tikkun Olam

A statement from Reconstructionist movement leaders regarding Trump's invitation to speak at AIPAC.

In an op-ed piece in Philadelphia's Jewish Exponent, Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D., compellingly argues in favor of a robust and compassionate refugee program. 

Tikkun Olam

Reacting to time spent with civil rights leader John Lewis, Rabbi Mordechai Liebling reflects on faith, progress, and justice.

Tikkun Olam
Subscribe to RSS - Tikkun Olam