I wish to respond to Republican activist Mark Laufman’s comments in the June issue of The Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle (“Activists dispute Jewish stake in recall election”). Traditional Jewish values brought me, and hundreds of Jews statewide, to protest the budget cuts enacted by Governor Scott Walker and the State Legislature.
The Jewish value of tikkun olam, of doing justly for all people in our society, inspired the participation of the Jewish community in the demonstrations last year against the actions of our state government. It inspired me, working with my Christian and Unitarian colleagues, to form Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice.
Our mission is to advocate for the preservation of the social safety net; for access to health care, especially for impoverished women and children; and for adequate funding for the future educational needs of all our students, from kindergarten through college.
This work is inspired by the social justice teachings of our prophets, who enjoined us to feed the hungry, house the homeless, honor the rights of the workers, and build a society based on the principle that we are all made in the image of God and deserve to be treated with dignity and compassion.
The American Jewish community has always stood in support for organized labor. As The Chronicle reported, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs — joined by the Union for Reform Judaism, the National Council of Jewish Women, and others — in May stated its unequivocal support for public sector labor unions in the face of the attacks they currently are enduring.
As a rabbi and seventh-generation Reform Jew, I am proud of the stand my movement has taken on this important issue, and as president of Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice, am happy to say I have the strong support of my community.
Rabbi Bonnie Margulis is president of Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice in Madison.
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