Who We Are.

We are a progressive Jewish voice within the broader Nashville Jewish community committed to exploring and supporting solutions that will advance the principles of democratic pluralism, religious freedom, and social and economic justice. Our Jewish faith guides our commitment to maintain just, fair, and compassionate public policies on the national, state, and local levels. It is our intent to support an interfaith, inter-ethnic, and interracial community in which all can live with civility and dignity.

Foundational Beliefs

Our collective work reflects the profound commitment of the Jewish community to help develop and sustain a world better than the one we were brought into.                                                               

• We believe it is the responsibility of members of the Jewish community to help protect, preserve and promote a just American society.
• We believe members of the Jewish community have an ethical imperative to assure that our government and institutions function as a public trust and remain wedded to our inalienable Constitutional rights, the rule of law, and principles of justice and fairness for all. 
• We believe there is a need to continually educate the Jewish community about issues related to social and economic justice.
• We believe that when appropriate we should stand strong in support of social and economic justice issues through our words and our deeds.
• We believe, as Jews, that it is important to interact and stand strong with the entire Nashville community to stand with them to advance social and economic equity in our country, state, and city.​ 

Core Values

The goals of the Nashville Jewish Social Justice Roundtable are informed by Jewish values - the ideas and beliefs that capture what truly matters to us as citizens - stand on the four pillars of Judaic morality: mishpat (justice for all), tzedakah (righteous acts), gemilut hesed (acts of loving kindness), and rahamim (compassion for those in need).  In addition, we are guided by age-old Jewish principles related to justice including, but not limited, to the following:
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• Tikkun Olam … the commitment to steadfastly work to improve the world and create a more just society for all;
• Yad B’Yad …  the deep and authentic relationships between the diverse peoples living in our community and world;
• Klal Yisrael – the commitment to a more just and equal society that respects, accepts, and promotes the differences among us and promotes inclusion; and
• B’Tzelem Elohim … the inherent right of all people to live freely, with dignity and security, with access to opportunities for our families, our neighbors, and ourselves.

Steering Committee

Avi Poster*
Co-Chair

Irwin Venick
Co-Chair

​Kitty Calhoon
Teena Cohen
Charlie Friedman
Cindee Schreiber-Gold
​Debby Gould

Pat Halper
Jacob Kleinrock
Rabbi Joshua Kullock
Sally Levine
Deborah Oleshansky

Susan Pankowsky
Judy Saks
Mary Shelton
Arik Shur
Bernard Werthan*
   *alav ha-shalom / Of Blessed Memory