Lema'an #2: For The Sake of Justice with Rabbi Jonah Pesner

This is a podcast of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas. To support our work, consider donating at https://minndakjcrc.org/ We dedicate this podcast in memory of all those slain on October 7 and in Hamas captivity. We pray that as we use our own voices, we give life to theirs. Follow our social media to engage in the conversation at https://minndakjcrc.org/social/ Lema’an is a podcast exploring the biggest moral and civic questions confronting the Jewish people, Israel, and America today: purpose, pluralism and peoplehood. Through the lens of Jewish wisdom, story, and experience we will invite our guests and listeners to wrestle with these ideas and the relationship between them. Episode #2 Guest: Rabbi Jonah Pesner Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC) since 2015 and Senior Vice President of the Union for Reform Judaism since 2011. Named one of the most influential rabbis in America by Newsweek magazine, he is an inspirational leader and tireless advocate for social justice. Hosts: Rabbi Jill Avrin, JCRC Senior Educator and Director of Campus Affairs Sami Rahamim, former JCRC Director of Communications and Community Affairs Cover art: Grossman Design Associates Music: Fishman Choral Lema’an | למען is inspired by Deuteronomy 16:20, one of the most quoted biblical verses. צֶ֥דֶק צֶ֖דֶק תִּרְדֹּ֑ף לְמַ֤עַן תִּֽחְיֶה֙ וְיָרַשְׁתָּ֣ אֶת־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָֽךְ Often, only the first part of the verse is quoted, leaving out the critical context that God calls on us to pursue justice lema’an, so that we may thrive in the land of Israel. This podcast seeks to reclaim the full verse in all its context and center the question of purpose as we consider our role as Jews who feel compelled toward the needs of the Jewish people and the needs of all humanity.