Our prophet Micah said “Do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.”
Since the founding of our country, justice and mercy have been in very short supply for people of color within our criminal justice system, our schools, our electoral system and our government bodies. This is what we call institutional racism. It has been woven into the fabric of so many aspects of American life because when our nation’s founders spoke of all men being created equal, endowed by their creator with the inalienable rights to “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” they literally meant men, and not just men, but white men.
This is not justice. It is not mercy. And it is an affront to our God who created all people b’tzelem Elohim, in God’s own image.
Our tradition teaches us to work tirelessly for Tikkun Olam, the repair of the world. Our world is very broken right now, and as Jews, we must pray with our feet, as Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel taught us, and work for equality and justice.
