MBR PROCEDURES FOR INITIATING PUBLIC POLICY

1. The MBR president will appoint a Public Policy Committee of seven Rabbis in good standing of the MBR. These will be apportioned as follows: two from the CCAR, two from the RA, 2 from the RRA, 1 at large member who does not have National Rabbinic affiliation with any of the above mentioned organizations. From amongst this group of appointees a chairperson will be nominated. The chairpersonship will rotate every two years.

2. Proposals for statements of MBR public policy may be submitted to the committee by any member of the MBR in good standing. Proposals will be received by the chairperson of the Committee. The committee will take these statements for consideration. In addition the committee itself may promulgate a proposed statement based on its own research and consideration. Each proposal must refer to principles of Jewish tradition and reference Jewish sources. Statements that simply forward a personal political agenda will not be considered. We also suggest that the proposals be limited to issues that affect the communities in Massachusetts. Statements of particularly national concern are taken up by the Rabbinic organizations of the movements.

3. The Committee will review the proposed statements and vote on acceptance of a proposal after conferring with the author on proposed changes or additions. No proposal will leave the committee without at least five acceptances.

4. From the committee, proposed statements will pass on to the Executive Committee of the MBR. The proposed statements will be circulated via e-mail, with two days for suggestions and comments to be directed to the chair of the Public Policy Committee. If need be the changes will be made and the Public Policy Committee will reconvene by e-mail to consider the new proposal. The chair of the Public policy Committee will, in consultation with the president of the MBR, gauge the response of the Executive Committee and perhaps decide that a statement is not appropriate for distribution.

5. The approved statement will then be circulated amongst the membership at large before it is distributed in any form. This is a courtesy extended to our members to have advance notice of any statements to be made public. If strong opposition comes from the membership, the chair, in consultation with the MBR President, has the option to pull a statement before distribution. The possibility will also exist to call a general meeting of the membership to discuss the issue further.

6. These guidelines are designed to make the process as open as possible while allowing for a timely response to issues of serious concern.

The Massachusetts Board of Rabbis recognizes the central role of organized labor in protecting the rights and dignity of American workers, and supports legislation that safeguards and promotes their wellbeing.

The dignity of the worker in Jewish tradition is rooted in the dignity of the human being created in the image of God. Of equal standing before God, the employee and the employer are each servants of God, thereby equal in relation to each other, each with responsibilities toward the other. Jewish law affirms the personal autonomy of workers. “Rav said: A worker can withdraw from employment even in the middle of the day without loss.” (Bava Metzia 77a). Likewise, workers are required to be honest and responsible. In the Mishneh Torah, Maimonides offers a biblical paradigm for honest employees. Before leaving his father-in-law’s employ, Jacob turned to Rachel and Leah and said: “As you know, I have served your father with all my strength” (Genesis 31:6). Citing this source, Maimonides ruled that “just as an employer must not cheat an employee, so too the employee must not cheat the employer. In what way does an employee cheat an employer? By wasting a bit of time here and a bit of time there, until the entire day has been craftily passed, with little or no work done. An employee should be like the righteous Jacob who worked with all his might for his employer” (Hilchot S’chirut, 13:7).

Though each has responsibilities to the other, the relationship between a worker and an employer is ultimately a power relationship, in which workers are the vulnerable party. In regard to all aspects of social interaction the Torah sets forth the challenge, k’doshim tihiyu/”you shall be holy.” In the enumeration of commandments by which the ideal is to be met, the Torah anticipates the ease with which a worker can become dependent and thereby mistreated. Regarding the obligations of employers to employees, the Torah says “You shall not abuse a needy and destitute laborer, whether of your own people or a stranger…. You must pay the worker’s wage on the same day, before the sun sets…, lest in crying out to God against you, you will incur guilt.” (Deuteronomy 24:14-15). The Torah is clear in its demand that employers treat workers justly and Jewish law protects the worker from exploitation and neglect by employers.

From Samuel Gompers until today, Jews have played a central role in the American labor movement. The Yiddish verse of sweatshop poets such as Morris Rosenfeld gave voice to the anguished cry of oppressed workers: “…not a single window welcomes the sun…, toiling without letup…, blighted women, blighted men, with their spirits broken, and their bodies spent… (The Sweatshop, 1897).” Protection of workers in American law came through the courage and determination of workers to join together, and through unions to speak with one voice. Responsible for much that is taken for granted today, such as safety standards in the workplace, child labor laws, minimum wage, and the weekend, unions continue to be essential for ensuring the rights and dignity of workers. The Massachusetts Board of Rabbis has demonstrated its commitment to worker rights in the past. In a historic 1974 decision, published in English and Yiddish, the MBR called on Jews to boycott non-union lettuce and grapes as part of a campaign to support migrant farm workers.

Today, the MBR reaffirms our commitment to principles of fairness and justice in support of workers. The MBR offers the following tenets toward labor justice.

1. Aware that Jews are on both sides of contentious labor issues, the MBR calls for open discussion and for all sides to refrain from personal attacks. We call on both sides in a labor dispute to adhere to the highest ethical standards, and to work in good faith for the resolution of conflict.
2. Human dignity rests on self-determination. It follows that:
   • All workers be treated with respect and dignity.
   • All workers be paid a living wage that allows them to meet the basic needs of their families.
   • All workers be provided with affordable health care benefits for themselves and their families.
   • Employers support workers’ training programs.
3. Workers have the right to organize without intimidation.

Therefore, the Massachusetts Board of Rabbis urges rabbis and congregations to:

• Draw on such resources as the Jewish Labor Committee to help raise awareness of local labor issues.
• Employ union labor where possible
• Hold all events, both communal and personal, in union-friendly venues.
• Consider the rights of those who work in our buildings and institutions, including those on professional staff, administrative support, and those who care for our buildings, whether contracted or salaried workers. In addition, we ask rabbis and congregations to be concerned for the ethical treatment of all employees of the services we use.

PDF version of this Statement

You shall not mistreat or oppress a stranger who has come over to you, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. (Exodus 22:20)

The Massachusetts Board of Rabbis supports legislation, social policy initiatives, and education designed to create a just, humane, and effective immigration system in the United States and in Massachusetts.

The story of the Jewish people is one of migration, and therefore of immigration. From the beginnings of exile, impelled by persecution and drawn by hope, Jews have crossed myriad borders, both legally and illegally, in search of a better life. Had America's borders been open during the Holocaust, many more Jews might have been saved. The Statue of Liberty speaks with the Jewish voice of Emma Lazarus; "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." We know in our bones what it is like to be a stranger in a strange land. The Torah warns concerning treatment of the stranger thirty-six times, beginning immediately after the exodus from Egypt; And you shall not impose restrictions upon a stranger, for you know the soul of a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt (Exodus 23:9).

Jewish tradition recognizes the inherent dignity of every human being, each one created in the image of God. All people, therefore, are deserving of respect and humane treatment. We are commanded repeatedly in the Torah to remember the most vulnerable, the "orphan, the widow, the stranger." The Torah does not qualify the status of a stranger, saying only: You shall not grieve a stranger who has come over to you (Exodus 22:20). In commentary on this verse, God challenges us by example: Says the Holy One, 'Do not think that there is none to champion the cause of the stranger, for I champion the cause of the stranger (Rabbeinu Bachya al Hatorah).

Beyond politics, the immigration debate is about real human beings. Toward a just, humane, and effective immigration system, from law and policy to implementation and enforcement, the Massachusetts Board of Rabbis urges:

• Adequate funding to expedite naturalization for eligible immigrants;
• In-state college tuition for all students who have attended a Massachusetts high school for three years and graduated from a Massachusetts high school, regardless of immigration status;
• Humane immigration enforcement and adjudication, including respect for family unity, and consideration of individual circumstance with the possibility of attaining legal status;
• Protection of undocumented workers from mistreatment by employers;
• A commitment in the Jewish community to learn more about immigration issues and to help raise the level of discourse concerning immigrants, so that public policies reflect our highest values as Jews and Americans.

The Public Policy Committee of the Massachusetts Board of Rabbis resolves to support efforts that protect and preserve the environment through advocacy, action, and education. The connection between Jewish tradition and the natural world begins with the first words of the Torah, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth," (Gen. 1.1). Our ancestors learned to live in harmony with the land. Biblical tradition teaches the importance of leaving the fields to lie fallow in the sabbatical year. Through our rituals we are never far from an awareness of the world around us. We thank God for the foods we eat, both before and after eating. Our psalms ring with the praises of the Creator of heaven and earth. We say blessings for a variety of natural phenomena, from eating the first fruit of the season, to seeing the ocean, to coming upon a marvel of nature.

A midrash underscores our responsibility, as Jews and as human beings, to care for the planet: "When God created the first human beings, God led them around the Garden of Eden and said: 'Look at my works! See how beautiful they are-how excellent! For your sake I created them all. See to it that you do not spoil and destroy My world; for if you do, there will be no one repair it after you'" (Midrash Kohelet Rabbah 1).

The Torah expresses concern for the environment even in the extreme setting of war, "When in your war against a city you have to besiege it a long time in order to capture it, you must not destroy [lo tashchit] its trees, wielding the ax against them. You may eat of them, but you must not cut them down." (Deut. 20:19) The concept of bal tashchit, of not destroying and not wasting, was elaborated upon by Talmudic rulings that prohibit killing animals for convenience (Hullin 7b), wasting fuel (Shabbat 67b), and, in a minority opinion, eating extravagant foods when simpler ones are available (Shabbat 140b). Rambam, in his code of Jewish law, states, "Whoever breaks vessels, or tears garments, or destroys a building, or clogs a well, or does away with food in a destructive manner violates the negative mitzvah of bal tashchit." (Hilkhot Melakhim 6:10)

In our time, growing concern for bal tashchit and increased awareness of all that threatens the sacredness of the planet, have provided the impetus for a Jewish environmental movement. Recognizing our responsibility for the natural world, as Jews and as human beings, the Mass Board of Rabbis supports active concern for the environment through:

• Advocacy: supporting and promoting legislation to preserve and protect the environment, as well as to protect the health and safety of children, workers, and adults through such efforts as reducing the use of toxic materials;
• Education: fostering greater awareness among children and adults in Jewish sources as well as the scientific imperative for environmental concern; and
• Action: encouraging all Jews and Jewish communities and institutions to reduce their own negative impact on the environment and to working with others to help insure the continued renewal of Creation.