TOP FIVE LIST: WHY JEWS SHOULD BE ENGAGED IN CIVIC ISSUES

If you have been reading my ramblings for any length of time, you would surmise that I am involved in many – some would say too many – community issues beyond indigenously Jewish causes like Israel, domestic and international anti-Semitism, the plight of poor and oppressed Jews.

Being a Jew who, by design or default, has been in the vanguard of social issues like homelessness, literacy, political advocacy, interfaith and interracial relations, has proved to be a mixed blessing. I receive largely undeserved accolades, to be sure, but also plenty of lumps meted out by local bigots and even some Jews who, in their own words, “would rather that the gentiles not know where we live.” And of course, there are some Jews who believe that Jews, particularly highly visible ones, should devote their energies exclusively to Jewish causes.

I disagree, and the time has come to tell you the top five reasons why:

1. The Jewish mandate to do chesed (lovingkindness, compassion, altruistic self-giving) extends to all of Creation. It does not know particularistic bounds. Let us not deny that Jews have a unique familial tie to each other. Let us nevertheless affirm that God intended that chesed be selflessly bestowed on Jew and gentile alike. To deny the Divine imperative for Jews to be universally compassionate is to deny basic Biblical instruction, particularly for Jews who maintain that the commandments are not “suggestions,” but God’s revealed will.

2. Jews should be particularly receptive to engaging in the oft-thankless tasks of (re)building a community. We do not predicate our efforts toward tikkun olam (repairing the [broken] world) on the expectation of gratitude. We certainly delight when someone out there says “thank you,” but often the homeless, hungry, and poor do not, at least until they learn better. And that has never deterred us. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Micah, Joel, all boldly preached the mandate of social justice, and no one threw them testimonial dinners. Moreover, if we do not interpret Isaiah 53 as a prediction of Jesus’ redemptive death, as most Christians do, Isaiah’s words can only mean, in a much broader sense, that those who preach and do righteousness will almost invariably suffer for their decency, not be exalted for it.

3. Jews have a Divine mandate to be “a light unto the nations.” We eschew the idea of converting gentiles to Judaism. Yet, we are profoundly aware that “they” are watching us, that “they” have higher expectations of us. Why should this anger us as a double standard? Should we not consider it an honor, a challenge, and a responsibility? At absolute least, Jews are called to set a good example of personal decency and civic responsibility. On a higher level, the Jewish “mission” implies the optimistic assurance that the world is indeed fixable, that it will be set right by the mounting force of our honorable deeds, that we are not doomed to helplessness, that the world is redeemed through the righteous work of our hands, not by grace through faith alone.

4. Jews bring a special perspective to the arena of civic responsibility and social justice, for we have tasted bitterly of enslavement, oppression, exile, and genocide. We must use this awareness prudently, lest we be lured into counterproductive one-upmanship with other minorities over “who has had it worse.” Nonetheless, we have never taken the commandment to “remember that you were once slaves in Egypt” as license to be bitter, vindictive, or smugly self-righteous when we behold the suffering of others. To the contrary, we have consistently interpreted that commandment as a Jewish calling to special sensitivity to the plight of the downtrodden, to identify with the oppressed, not the oppressor, especially when we are enjoying relative freedom and affluence. And, that sensitivity is to be extended primarily to “the stranger,” not merely to fellow Jew.

5. Finally, and with some reluctance, let us admit that Jews are vulnerable to stereotyping, as being insular, self-protective, materialistic, indifferent to the larger community’s needs, self-indulged. Enlightened people already know that stereotyping is ipso facto wrong. Bigots will never be convinced otherwise. But, every community has its passively ambivalent cadre of gentiles who still might be swayed.

Ironically, this is how I got my “break” into writing a newspaper column. Back in 1987, I fired off a scathing response to a local newspaper piece on “Israeli atrocities in the occupied territories.” The editor, whom I knew as a fairly understanding, liberal guy, called me and said the following: “You are a good writer, and I will print this piece. But, explain to me why the local Jewish knee jerks whenever someone says something nasty about Israel, but the Jews seem to have nothing to say about other issues that equally affect the community. If you use your talents to write about those, too, I will publish your column regularly”. And so it was.

Many honorable gentiles will likewise genuinely lament a lack of Jewish involvement in the community mainstream and tell us that they sincerely miss our participation, because they know we have so much to add. And they hear, as we should, the hollowness when we try to absolve ourselves by pointing to one or two individual Jews who are engaged in civic causes. They know, as we should, that occasional individual involvement is no substitute for the involvement of the Jewish community in issues of charity, service, and social justice.


I hope that I have made my case, not so much to justify my own civic engagement as to encourage others to be likewise involved. I hardly consider myself a social activist, especially when I think of those bold men and women who gave their energies so self-sacrificially to their communities, often at great personal peril. Yet, who can deny that the calling is there? And who can deny that the need is urgent? And who can deny that all our Jewish endeavors must ultimately add up to the impetus to repair this world, so that it becomes a truly worthy place for God’s Kingdom to reign?