Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue

The late Ruth Bader Ginsburg brought the biblical phrase back into modern parlance, but the pursuit of justice has always been fundamental to what it means to be Jewish. Justice is a work in progress that we should never assume is complete. 

The United States Constitution, for example, has been amended 27 times. The 13th Amendment abolished slavery, for example, and the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote. 

The world becomes more just where courageous individuals demand it. Beate Sirota Gordon, the Austrian-born Jew, is famous for championing women's rights in Japan. Read her likely story in No Steps Behind. 

Martin Luther King Jr. and Anne Frank, whose stories you can read about in Martin & Anne, each lived through times of intolerance and cruelty, yet we remember them for justice, love, and humanity. 

Ordinary people are champions of human rights every day, simply by insisting on equality for everyone. The Woodcarver's Daughter tells the tale of Russian-born Batya. America is the land of opportunity, but Batya quickly realizes those opportunities in the days gone by for boys and girls and she must stand up for herself. 

December 10 is International Human Rights Day.