Name
How a Major Branch of Judaism (Reconstructionism) Passed a National Reparations Resolution with Help From a Minneapolis Congregation
Date
Friday, November 10, 2023
Joan Hyman Sandy Gerber Virginia Rovainen Robin King Cooper
Description

In January 2023, the governing board of the national Jewish Reconstructionist Movement (called Reconstructing Judaism or RJ) passed a substantive resolution approving reparations for the descendants of those who were harmed by the practice of slavery in the United States, and by subsequent discrimination over the centuries. The reparations resolution also extends to the Indigenous people in the United States whose lands were stolen and who experienced genocide and discrimination over several centuries. Passage of the reparations resolution at the national level was the culmination of a three-year effort that included the drafting of a 3-1/2 page document, led by a multiracial leadership team. Prior to approval by the RJ Board of Governors, a task force comprised solely of people of color representing rabbis, rabbinical students, and Jewish lay leaders reviewed, edited, and approved the resolution. Passage by the Board was contingent on a democratic process that required approval by a majority of the 100-plus Reconstructionist congregations across the United States. Our workshop intends to foster understanding of the actual reparations resolution that was passed by having participants take turns reading the sections of it aloud; discussing the meaning and implications of the resolution; touching on relevant Jewish liturgy; noting significant scholarship on how to calculate monetary reparations; discussing German Holocaust reparations to some congregant families; and viewing a humorous skit. This is the same educational process that congregants in our synagogue participated in during three “teach-ins” that the Mayim Rabim Antiracism Group led.