Why is it that Jews are so involved in causes dedicated to justice, equality, human rights and peace? Are these trends influenced by religion, history, sociology or something else?

Judaism and Justice: The Jewish Passion to Repair the World (Jewish Lights, December 2006) explores the relationship between Judaism, social justice and the Jewish identity of American Jews. The book traces how the idea of “justice,” as developed in the sacred texts of Judaism, conditions Jewish attitudes and behavior. In a fascinating portrayal of some of the major issues facing the Jewish community in the last fifty years, Schwarz explores a community torn between its instincts for self-preservation and its desire to serve as an ethical “light to the nations.”

Judaism and Justice blends history and sociology, offering a new vision for a Jewish community built around a commitment to social justice. Inspiring and informative, it speaks to the tens of thousands of Jews dedicated to justice, peace and equality, connecting that behavior and consciousness to the history, values and wisdom of the Jewish heritage. Including an overview of new and emerging Jewish social justice organizations, it yields a bold thesis that helps to explain much of the contemporary Jewish condition.

Dr. Jonathan Woocher, CEO of the Jewish Education Service on North America and a scholar of American Judaism himself, was effusive in his praise of the new book: “As he did in his masterful first book, Finding a Spiritual Home, Rabbi Schwarz opens a window into some of the most creative activity taking place in American Jewish life today and shows how the Jewish community can again be a source of moral inspiration, fellowship, and profound meaning for contemporary Jews.”

Schwarz underscored the connection between his new book and the work PANIM does training the next generation of Jewish leaders: “Working with Jewish youth week in and week out, I don’t need surveys to tell me how central social justice is to the Jewish identity of young Jews. What is missing is the ability for most Jews to link their belief in principles like equality, justice, tolerance, and peace with their Jewish heritage. When it is done effectively, however, the synthesis both deepens the commitment of Jews to social justice and strengthens their pride in their Jewish identity.”