Not Just: Judaism and Reparations

Discussions about reparations for American slavery have rippled across the country for decades if not centuries. The question addressed here is how Judaism can contribute to these civilization-building debates. Unlike other treatments of the subject, this project uses an ethical analytical framework that distinguishes imperatives from rationales to critically engage Judaic sources from the Bible to contemporary rabbinic sermons that directly speak about and to reparations. This approach uncovers a consistent and long-standing Judaic endorsement for supplying reparations. Curiously, the nature of such reparations should be expansive and not just monetary.