It's Not fair and What Can We Do About It? The Jewish Tradition of Social Action

Going back to biblical times, the Jewish people have a long tradition of social action. This course will tell the students stories of great heroes of social action, starting with the biblical prophets and continuing to modern heroes for social justice such as Emma Goldman, Saul Alinsky, and Morris Winchevsky. The traditions continue to the present with food and support for the homeless in Toronto.

Module Leaders

This module was co-taught by Richard Lee and Harriet Rosenberg .

Richard Lee is a world-famous cultural anthropologist. He is a Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the University of Toronto. Lee is also currently researching issues concerning the indigenous people of Botswana and Namibia, particularly their ecology and history. Known best for his work on the Ju'/hoansi, Lee won the 1980 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for his book The !Kung San: Men, Women, and Work in a Foraging Society. Richard is also a member of the School Advisory Committee and the father of a Morris Winchevsky School graduate.

Harriet Rosenberg teaches at York University and she also works with community-based health activists. Her interests include women's health, pharmaceuticals,  environmental health and justice and aging and caregiving. Yiddish was her first language and she credits her parents for a lifelong love of Jewish culture and social justice values.