Economic Justice

Adopted by the CCAR at the 98th Annual Convention of
the Central Conference of American Rabbis
1987

WHEREAS we are keenly aware of the dislocation of families because of the loss of industry in depressed areas and the economic upheaval of farmers, and

WHEREAS the Central Conference of American Rabbis has a longstanding record of concern for adherence to the principles of economic justice in the United States and has spoken forthrightly on legislative matters concerning organized labor, and

WHEREAS the CCAR has supported legislation to assist and to provide decent low-cost housing for the unemployed and low-income families and individuals, and

WHEREAS the CCAR supported local legislation to alleviate the hardships and suffering that resulted from the collapse of our economic system in the 1930s,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the CCAR

1. Condemns the deliberate weakening of our nation's traditional "safety net" by reversing earlier child welfare legislation and virtually eliminating the school lunch program, by sharply reducing Medicaid and food stamp programs, and by eliminating the financing of legal aid for the poor;

2. Urges the President and the Congress of the United States to continue to seek passage of legislation that will undertake major tax reform, so that the tax burden may be equally distributed among those who can carry their fair share of the responsibilities of a democratic society with the least hardship;

3. Supports funding on the national and local levels for shelters for the homeless and day care centers for their children;

4. In areas of urban renewal, where low-cost rooming houses and hotels are being razed to make way for commercial enterprises, those profiting from the renewal areas be taxed to provide adequate housing for those being dislocated in this process of renewal;

5. Demands that the Federal Government renew a program of low-interest loans and other necessary support to enable farmers to retain their land and to plant crops that will yield an adequate income.

   At the same time, we applaud the efforts of many synagogues and churches that provide emergency shelters and feeding programs where needed. We encourage our colleagues and their congregations to open their facilities for those purposes and to cooperate in interfaith efforts to meet the basic needs of the single-parent families, the physically and mentally handicapped, and the unskilled unemployed who make up the vast majority of the homeless in the urban areas.