london (jta) | Jewish participants in the huge rallies that preceded the G-8 summit hope their presence will highlight the Jewish community’s involvement in wider social issues.
“This is such an important statement for the Jewish community to make as a whole, liberal and Orthodox,” said marcher Anne Clark, from London’s Wimbledon Reform Synagogue. “Jewish values reach outside to the wider community, and we don’t just look after our own — as Jews we care what goes on in the wider world.”
When some 220,000 people created a human circle around Edinburgh over the weekend to support what they considered a fairer deal for the developing world, 100 or so members of the Make Poverty History Jewish coalition formed a link in the vast chain.
It was an especially satisfying achievement since Jewish delegates — who came from 21 Jewish religious, student and social welfare organizations — had been forced to seek creative solutions just to be able to attend the event.
With both the march and rally held on Shabbat, the coalition, which took as its slogan the phrase from Deuteronomy, “Justice, justice shall you pursue,” needed to find ways to allow all its delegates to participate, whatever their level of religious observance.
“Make Poverty History” kippot — manufactured by families in Argentina affected by the country’s economic downturn — enabled observant marchers to make a statement without having to carry anything on Shabbat.
“It is superb that both liberal and Orthodox are here,” said Jackie Richards, coordinator of the North London Progressive Jewish Community. “I hope it’s the beginning of greater things for the whole of the Jewish community in the U.K. to focus on something so important, and I hope we can learn from that in the future.”
The Jewish coalition had been active for months to raise community awareness of the Make Poverty History issue and to mobilize Jewish involvement in a campaign they felt reflected Jewish values of charity and social justice.
In March, representatives delivered a giant postcard to 10 Downing Street calling on British Prime Minister Tony Blair to increase aid to the world’s poorest countries, cancel their debts and improve trade terms.