This course will explore Jewish sources and role models that relate to current social issues.  Students will  analyze current social issues through the lens of Jewish historical experience and teachings about social justice.   Students will explore concepts like Tzedakah and Tikkun Olam as they relate to everyday life and social change.
Course Objectives:
    •    Understanding Judaism’s link to social justice
    •    Providing a historical and current context for the work of Jewish figures
    •    Framing current issues and personal involvement within a Jewish social justice framework
We will focus on readings that connect Judaism to current events, both local and global, such as tornado relief in Springfield, MA and HIV & domestic violence in Uganda. Topics will also cover Jewish historical figures, such as Emma Goldman and Rabbi Abraham Heschel, and the role of Jewish values in shaping their approach to social justice.  
Readings will draw upon:
    •    Judaism and Justice: The Jewish Passion to Repair the World; Sidney Schwarz (Author), Ruth Messinger (Foreword)
    •    Righteous Indignation: A Jewish Call for Justice; Margie Klein
    •    Giants of Justice: Great American Jews of this Century and their Contribution to Social Justice; Edited by Albert Vorspan
    •    Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity, Essays by Abraham Joshua Heschel, edited by Susannah Heschel
Students will be expected to do weekly assigned readings, an in-class presentation, and a final paper.
Instructor:  Kate Rafey has a Masters from Clark University in Public Administration and is a current student in the University of Massachusetts Amherst Social Justice Education Masters program through the School of Education. She spent two years as an AmeriCorps*VISTA working with college students at Stonehill College, a faith-based institution, to help them find meaningful service opportunities in their communities and link their service work to their academic studies.