‘It is likely that every one of us has unwittingly encountered and perhaps even benefited from modern-day slavery.’ – Chief Rabbi Mirvis
On the 10th December 1948, 69 years ago, our namesake Monsieur René Cassin helped write the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Every year we mark the closest Shabbat to that day with Human Rights Shabbat. This year nearly 40 communities celebrated Human Rights Shabbat 5778. Learning about and discussing the issue of modern slavery and human trafficking in the UK.
If you have not had time to look at the resources you can find them through this link here.
You can think about how to approach the issue for the next 12 months through our 2018 anti-slavery supporter calendar.
In the lead up to Human Rights Shabbat Chief Rabbi Mirvis wrote a moving piece in the Jewish Chronicle arguing that ‘the time to speak out and act is now.’ Read his full piece here.
Rabbi Elli Tikvah Sarah wrote this prayer for those enslaved for her community to use on the day.
If you are thinking about how your community can get involved in 2018 on this issue then do not hesistate to get in touch with us at info@renecassin.org and we will work with you and your community.
Today, 10th December, is International Human Rights Day – the 76th anniversary of the signing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.
The Declaration was a reaction to the horrors of the Holocaust. So, for Jews, today has a particuar significance.
Although rooted in response to atrocity, the Declaration was forward-looking and optimistic. It spoke for the majority of people who knew a better world was possible. The fact that it’s co-author , the French-Jewish lawyer Monsieur Rene Cassin, could draft such a hopeful document so soon after 26 members of his family were murdered by the Nazis is a testament to his humanity and the power of human rights in general.
Today, as the organisation that works in Cassin’s name, we are determined to ensure his Declaration’s vision of human rights for all is fully realised. Central to that work is a focus on so called ‘socio-economic rights’ – rights to everyday essentials like food, housing and health. This vision was best articulated in Article 25 of the Declaration:
‘Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control’.
Bolstering these rights would ensure everybody has access to the foundations on which to build a dignified, prosperous and meaningful life. They have been neglected for too long.
