Home » Reconstructionist Jews call for reparations, embark on racial justice pilgrimages

Reconstructionist Jews call for reparations, embark on racial justice pilgrimages

The following story originally appeared Jan. 31, 2013 on Religion News Service. 
Group in front of Legacy Museum
A racial justice pilgrimage to the American South brought together a group of Jews of color who traveled to key civil rights sites in Georgia and Alabama in October 2022. The group is pictured beside the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama, which displays the history of slavery and racism in America.

(RNS) — On the cusp of Black History Month, and as the nation continues to mourn for Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old Black man who died after a severe beating by five Black now-former police officers, one small Jewish movement is taking a stand.

Last week, Reconstructing Judaism’s board of governors approved a resolution calling for reparations to descendants of slaves and Indigenous peoples for harms caused by colonization, slavery and white supremacist policies.

The resolution, two years in the making, was already approved by the movement’s congregational and rabbinical associations.

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The Reconstructionist Network

Reconstructing Judaism logo
A blank white square, empty and featureless.
A plain white background with no visible objects or details.

Read & Rite

One-stop shop for progressive Jewish books and ritual objects

Placement Office

Placement resources for rabbis and congregations

Havaya Summer Programs

Overnight summer camp and teen Israel experience

Reconstructionist Educators of North America

Professional group for people leading schools in Reconstructionist congregations

Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association

Professional association of Reconstructionist rabbis