ABOUT THIS WEBSITE
Our Purpose
Website
This website presents information and thought-provoking perspectives related to current human rights issues of particular concern to Israel and the Jewish community.
Printed Haggadah
The printed Haggadah for Passover highlights human rights issues in the story of the exodus. It provides information from secular and Jewish sources, as well as questions for discussion, for people who would like to find meaning in their seder by using it as an occasion to discuss human rights.
our values
Educational Only
Unlike most other human rights organizations, we are educational, not political. Our goal is to help visitors learn about the competing legal and moral values behind human rights questions. We recognize there are multiple legitimate perspectives on every issue.
Respectful of Israel
The Human Rights Haggadah will treat Israel respectfully. This means that while Israel’s actions should be scrutinized and criticized when warranted, any discussion of Israel will make sure to note the very difficult dilemmas Israel often faces when attempting to fulfill its human rights obligations and the significant measures Israel often takes to do so.
Respectful of Torah
Most human rights issues go back thousands of years, so they are addressed in Torah and Rabbinic teachings. Sometimes human rights principles seem to emanate directly from Torah sources, but in other cases human rights principles may be hard to reconcile with Torah, or even seem to be in direct conflict to it. On this website we will not shy away from these issues, but we will examine them respectfully, understanding the high esteem in which both Torah and human rights are held by many members of the Jewish community.