Reform Jews call for slavery reparations
Attendees of the Union for Reform Judaism biennial meeting gather in Chicago, Thursday, December 12, 2019. (Photo courtesy of Union for Reform Judaism)
Delegates to the Union for Reform Judaism’s biennial meeting in Chicago on December 13 voted overwhelmingly to advocate for the creation of a federal commission to study and develop proposals for reparations to African Americans for slavery.
The resolution is the first such effort on the part of an American Jewish organization but has precedent among some Protestant groups.
The text of the resolution not only urges the federal government to act; it also commits the movement’s 850 congregations in the US and Canada to redress the effects of historic and ongoing racism and evaluate institutional efforts to promote racial equity.
