K'vod Habriot: Background, Goals, and Statement of Principles
A national network of rabbis, laypeople, and communities making universal human rights a core concern of the Jewish community. The name "K'vod Habriot" comes from the rabbinic concept of the dignity of all people.
On December 10, 2007, in honor of International Human Rights Day, Rabbis for Human Rights North America launched K'vod Habriot: A Jewish Human Rights Network, a groundbreaking community of activists interested in the promoting the intersection of Judaism and human rights. Communities and individuals that join K'vod Habriot have committed to a statement of principles that includes a commitment to education, advocacy, and ritual, as well as partnership with other synagogues and interfaith groups on the relevant campaigns.
It is through K'vod Habriot that RHR-NA plans to continue the holy work of the Jewish Campaign Aginst Torture and mobilize communities and activists around key human rights concerns, bringing a strong Jewish voice to the movement to end U.S.-sponsored torture. In the long term, we aim to expand our focus to other critical human rights issues and to organize a vibrant national network of Jewish communities acting together to protect the human rights of all.
What are the goals of K'vod Habriot?
1. Build the first-ever, national network to mobilize Jewish commitment to human rights.
2. Strengthen Honor the Image of God: Stop Torture Now, A Jewish Campaign to End U.S.-Sponsored Torture.
3. Mobilize the Jewish community to address other human rights issues.
We hope that communities and individuals who join K'vod Habriot will integrate the core values of Judaism and human rights into their daily lives. We ask them to mark as International Human Rights Day on December 10th, as well as Torture Awareness Month in June, through study, prayer, and activism.
K'vod Habriot Statement of Principles
Members of K'vod Habriot pledge to uphold the Statement of Principles, which is based on biblical and rabbinic values affirming the Jewis obligation to care for others and to advocate on behalf of the oppressed. It reads:
- "Every human being is created in the image of God" Bidmut Elohim asah oto: It is incumbent on each of us to act in a way that affirms the fundamental dignity of every human being. Respect for each human being is the foundation of Jewish ethics.
- "[We must] do what is just and right." La'asot Tzedek U'Mishpat: For a nation to have legitimacy, it must enforce a system of law that is fair, equitable, and just.
- "Do not oppress the stranger, orphan or widow." Ger, Yatom, V'Almananah Al Tonu: We have a duty to promote a society that cares for the economic well-being of all of its members, especially those who are most vulnerable.
- We believe that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights flows from these Jewish values, as well as from our own historical experience, especially that of the treatment of Jews during the Holocaust. Therefore, it is incumbent on us, as Jews, to defend the human rights of all who are oppressed.
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