Rabbis for Human Rights

Description

Rabbis for Human Rights is an Israeli organization that gives voice to Jewish tradition on human rights. It was founded in 1988 and now counts more than one hundred seventy ordained rabbis, rabbinical students and rabbinic leaders as members, across every Jewish denomination in Israel. It is non-partisan and describes itself as a unique rabbinic activist body.

The organization spreads information about human rights in Israel and the occupied territories, and cooperates with other human rights groups in Israel and abroad. It works to advance the rights of society’s weaker groups, to protect the rights of minorities in Israel and of Palestinians in the territories, and to prevent violations of the basic rights of migrant workers. It presses Israeli policymakers to secure rights such as medical care, housing, education and a minimum standard of living.

Its activities are organized into four departments: territories, social justice, education and interfaith relations. Volunteers provide a protective presence for Palestinian farmers, document human rights violations and assist with access to land. Other departments run educational programs on human rights and tolerance, and promote interfaith dialogue and joint initiatives.

The organization draws its authority from Jewish humanist culture and from international human rights conventions. It has received several awards, including the Speaker of the Knesset prize, the Niwano Peace Prize, the Yeshayahu Leibowitz Award and the Gandhi Peace Award.