GBIO

Since 2003, Dorshei Tzedek has been an active member of the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO). GBIO is a coalition of area churches, synagogues, mosques, labor unions and community groups that work toward social change by organizing people, building power, and developing local leadership.  Built on the basis of shared values and a strong commitment to social justice, GBIO brings people together across racial, ethnic and religious lines to work toward common goals, identified through a process of grassroots participation. 

Watch the 2023 GBIO Housing Teach-In presented by the CDT Core Team:

Dorshei Tzedek’s institutional commitment to GBIO includes a significant annual financial commitment (1% of our annual operating budget) and an agreement to send significant membership representation to GBIO actions at which key elected officials and/or other leaders are introduced to and held accountable for addressing identified, actionable issues. Over the years, CDT members have participated in a variety of “campaigns” that helped bring about important change. Some of these include, among others, the following:

• Affordable housing
• Nursing home workers rights
• Financial education around debt reduction and asset building
• Access to affordable health care
• Support of the Community Preservations Act
• The rebuilding of the Dearborn Middle School in Roxbury
• The improvement of the Jeep Jones Park in Roxbury
• Substantive criminal justice and reentry reform

GBIO is currently (2023) organizing a statewide comprehensive Housing Justice campaign that addresses housing affordability, availability, livability and access. Opportunities to participate on Action Teams exist, and calls to action involving larger involvement by CDT members will occur later this year. To learn more about 
joining this effort, please fill out our Housing Justice Commitment/Interest card. 

GBIO’s previous agenda (2019-2020) focused on “Refounding,” an effort to expand its membership to include more faith communities and other organizations representing a broader spectrum of diversity – religious, racial, ethnic, and economic. This resulting in a significant increase in the number of member congregations to a current level of 61.

GBIO’s Health Care Reform campaign prioritized three issues: reducing the cost of prescription drugs, insuring parity for mental health care and substance abuse treatment, and limiting the cost of out of pocket, surprise billing.  A meeting with Senate leadership drew about 850 participants from GBIO membership congregations.

In addition, GBIO's Criminal Justice Reform campaign resulted in the passage of the 2018 Criminal Justice law and 2020 Police Accountability law.

CDT has a strong commitment to GBIO. The GBIO "core team" at CDT includes:

• Louise Enoch (liaison)
• Alan Epstein (strategy team)
• Miriam Bronstein
• Muriel Heiberger
• Elaine Landis
• Tony Broh
• Paul Hattis

Our clergy participate on a clergy team with other faith community members, and Rabbi Toba sits on the GBIO strategy team. Our team also includes many interested CDT members who have participated in both our CDT GBIO meetings, as well as attended other large and small GBIO actions and meetings in the Greater Boston area.

With questions about any or all of this, please contact Louise (lpenoch@rcn.com).