Welcome to Uri L'tzedek's web page! You'll find news about our upcoming events and initiatives, inspiring Torah, resources for starting your own social justice initiatives, and links to information on Judaism and social justice.
A little about us:
Our mission is to serve and inspire the American Orthodox Jewish community towards enacting social justice in our communities. To do so, we aim to develop the new, growing discourse among traditional Jewish communities making the connection between God, Torah, and social issues in America, and to help translate that discourse into action. Through these efforts, we will develop a Jewish community of learners and leaders seeking to improve the world and our religious and ethical lives through the cultivation of positive character traits, leadership skills, and a realization of our moral responsibility.
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New Groups Join Bikkurim
June, 2008
Two new programs have been selected for Bikkurim: An Incubator for New Jewish Ideas, a non-profit incubator supporting innovative, New York City-based, Jewish, start-up organizations.
The programs were selected through a competitive application process. They are:
· Jewish Genetics Disease Consortium – A consortium of organizations sharing a common goal of combating Jewish genetic diseases. The goal of the JGDC is to increase awareness about all of these diseases as well as encouraging and facilitating genetic testing for carrier status which can ultimately prevent (or greatly reduce) the birth of affected children.
· Uri L'Tzedek – An American Orthodox social justice organization developing discourse and social action among traditional Jewish communities by connecting Torah with community organizing and activism. Uri L'Tzedek forges partnerships to create a Jewish community of learners and leaders seeking to improve the world and our religious and ethical lives.
These new groups join Bikkurim's other eight resident groups: BINA Cultural Foundation; Canfei Nesharim; Encounter; Footsteps; JDub Records; Limmud NY; Mechon Hadar, and Yad HaChazakah – The Jewish Disability Empowerment Center. JDub Records graduates from Bikkurim this month.
Alumni groups include Hazon; Kehilat Hadar; MATAN: The Gift of Jewish Learning for Every Child; Sharsheret; and Storahtelling.
Affiliate groups include Abraham's Vision, the Halachic Organ Donor Society, Heeb Magazine, the New Shul, and Toldot.org.
Bikkurim was established in 2000 to nurture innovative, early-stage, non-profit projects in the Jewish community. Modeled on business incubators, Bikkurim provides fledgling groups with rent-free office space, on-site capacity-building, a small stipend, and access to a vast array of professional networks and services. The in-kind support provided by Bikkurim is equivalent to approximately $60,000 per year per resident group.
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