Social Justice

One of Dorshei Tzedek’s Core Values is that of Tikkun Olam, Repairing the World. Our congregation’s name means “seekers of justice,” and, as that name implies, we strive to create a just and kind world by pursuing a variety of social action initiatives and projects both within our congregation and in conjunction with the broader community. We view such actions to end injustice and oppression as core to our spiritual journey and as a cornerstone of our ethical and moral tradition.

At Dorshei Tzedek, pursuing justice takes place in many different forms including personal, social and political. We welcome all and encourage individuals to pursue existing efforts or bring new ones to explore. Join one of the events or meetings, or, for more information, contact us at tikkunolam@dorsheitzedek.org.

Current congregational focuses:

• Israel Palestine Peace (IPPeace) was organized in 2016 and focuses on topics related to Israel and Palestine.  The group is especially dedicated to furthering our learning about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its ramifications, and to considering actions that might contribute to ending the occupation and achieving a just and lasting peace. IPPeace seeks to foster respectful dialogue across different points of view. The group maintains a listserv open to all members of CDT and hosts programs providing information, perspectives, and possible pathways to action.
• Dayenu Climate Circle is a Jewish call for climate action among more than 50 congregations. As a national organization, Dayenu provides training and resources for CDT's local Circle. Together, we advocate climate solutions on state and national levels and explore relevant Jewish teachings. Undergirding all of our activities is the value of climate justice - a recognition that the current crisis rests disproportionately on historically marginalized people, thereby interconnecting climate activism with struggles of racxial and economic justice more broadly.
• CDT’s Criminal Justice Task Force (CJTF) participates in a statewide Campaign for Criminal Justice focusing on replacing the carceral state with programs that treat people as human beings no matter their transgressions. We work to change unfair and ineffective laws, such as mandatory minimums for drug offenses. The CJTF also affiliates with the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization and the Jobs Not Jails Coalition.
  As part of the CJTF, Dorshei Tzedek members volunteer at the Prison Book Program (PBP) in Quincy every two months, sending reading material in response to incarcerated citizens’ requests from across the country.
• CDT’s Understanding Racism (UR) group was formed to provide a supportive environment for CDT members to explore issues of racism and white privilege, to educate ourselves and our congregation, and to listen to each other as we unwrap our own misunderstandings in these areas.
• Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO): Since 2003, Dorshei Tzedek has been a member of the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO). GBIO is a broad-based coalition of area churches, synagogues, mosques, unions and community organizations that have built a loving and action-oriented community on the basis of shared values and a strong commitment to economic justice. GBIO is one of the only organizations in the area that brings people together across racial, ethnic and religious lines in relationships of equality to work together toward a common vision of justice.
• Ongoing supporting of the work of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute by participating in the annual Mother’s Day Walk for Peace.

In addition to these efforts, CDT continues to support the Food Matters initiative begun in 2009 through the following:

• Garden Project: CDT grows food for Local Food Pantries CDT maintains a community garden in conjunction to grow produce to donate to the Newton Food Pantry and Bristol Lodge Soup Kitchen in Waltham. There are opportunities for involvement by adults and kids, for any amount of time you wish.
• In partnership with Sindyanna of Galilee, CDT members have the opportunity to make regular purchases of Sindyanna’s certified organic, fair trade and kosher (for Passover) olive oil and za’atar which supports this non-profit organization led by a team of Arab and Jewish women working to create social change from the ground up. Sindyanna’s goals are to produce outstanding olive oil and other premium food products, while enhancing Arab-Jewish cooperation, promoting Fair Trade, creating economic opportunities for Arab women, and assisting local growers and producers.
• Participating in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Since 2010, Dorshei Tzedek, together with other area congregations, has partnered with Red Fire Farm to connect consumers with the source of their food, and promote local, sustainable, and organic agriculture. These memberships allow the farmer to pay for seeds, fertilizer, water, equipment and labor, and the consumer thus shares both the risk and the bounty of the growing season with the farmer. In return, the members get a weekly share of the farm’s harvest throughout the growing season.
• Supporting the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. CIW is a worker-based human rights organization internationally recognized for its achievements in the fields of social responsibility, human trafficking, and gender-based violence at work. Built on a foundation of farm worker community organizing starting in 1993, and reinforced with the creation of a national consumer network since 2000, CIW’s work has steadily grown over more than twenty years to encompass three broad and overlapping spheres: The Fair Food Program, The Anti-Slavery Campaign, The Campaign for Fair Food.

Past efforts include Climate Change and Behind the Labels.

See the CDT calendar for upcoming Tikkun Olam meetings and related events.

On Sunday, May 31, members of CDT's Nitzanim/Gan class, our 3-5 year-olds and their parents, participated in Wee The People's "Chalk the Walk Family Day of Action," in response to racial injustice. We hope you are inspired by our youngest activists!