From Judais­m’s rich his­to­ry of prophet­ic jus­tice comes an inspir­ing call to action. Why is it that Jews are so involved in caus­es ded­i­cat­ed to jus­tice, equal­i­ty, human rights and peace? Are these trends influ­enced by reli­gion, his­to­ry, soci­ol­o­gy or some­thing else? In this provoca­tive explo­ration, Rab­bi Sid­ney Schwarz, founder and pres­i­dent of PAN­IM: The Insti­tute for Jew­ish Lead­er­ship and Val­ues, sheds light on the rela­tion­ship between Judaism, social jus­tice and the Jew­ish iden­ti­ty of Amer­i­can Jews. He traces how the idea of jus­tice, as devel­oped in the sacred texts of Judaism, con­di­tions Jew­ish atti­tudes and behav­ior. In a fas­ci­nat­ing por­tray­al of some of the major issues fac­ing the Jew­ish com­mu­ni­ty in the last fifty years, Schwarz explores a com­mu­ni­ty torn between its instincts for self-preser­va­tion and its desire to serve as an eth­i­cal ​“light to the nations.” This pow­er­ful and empow­er­ing book will pro­vide you with a start­ing point for mean­ing­ful engage­ment – and a new way to under­stand Jew­ish identity.