Tell us about your nominee. Why should he or she be recognized as a Jewish Community Hero?
Two years ago when the largest kosher slaughterhouse in the country was raided by the government after horrible tales surfaced about the abuse and exploitation of its mostly immigrant workforce, Shmuly Yanklowitz refused to stand idly by. As the Founder and Co-Director of Uri L'Tzedek, Shmuly immediately rallied the American Jewish community to stand up for greater transparency in the kosher food industry, organizing a nation-wide campaign to which over 2,000 Jewish leaders signed on. After meeting with workers in Postville and winning this campaign, Shmuly and Uri L'Tzedek launched the Tav HaYosher, an Ethical Seal affirming justice in the workplace and worker rights for all the employees of Kosher restaurants. Since this local, grassroots initiative was launched in May, over fifteen kosher eating establishments have been awarded the Tav HaYosher. When he is not saving the world one Kosher restaurant at a time, Shmuly Yanklowitz spends his time studying, teaching, fighting for justice, and running Uri L'Tzedek, the organization he founded dedicated to combating suffering and oppression and empowering the Jewish community toward creating a more just world. Shmuly is a Rabbinical Student at YCT Rabbinical School in New York City where he is a Wexner Graduate Fellow - and a Doctoral Candidate in Developmental Psychology at Columbia University. He also has a master's degree from Harvard in moral development and leadership and a master's degree from Yeshiva University in Jewish philosophy. A film crew followed Shmuly for over a year to produce a PBS documentary, "The Calling," about the training of religious leadership which will be released in 2010. Shmuly's activism has been both universal and particular to the Jewish community. Shmuly has volunteered, taught, and staffed missions in many countries including Israel, Ghana, India, France, Thailand, El Salvador, Senegal, Germany, and Ukraine. He has also served in Europe as a chaplain for the US Army for soldiers returning from war. In just one month in 2006, Shmuly raised over $80,000 for Israelis in response to a crisis. In 2007, he led a team to San Diego to respond to forest fires working with non-profits, schools, synagogues, and retirement homes. Shmuly founded the Jerusalem Pluralism Project in 2006 to bring diverse groups of Jews together in Israel for discourse and service. Currently, he spends most early mornings at in inner-city school in Harlem and serves on the New York Department of Health's Office of Minority Health Clergy Steering Committee. Shmuly's commitment to the Jewish community and to justice in the greater world community makes him a true Jewish Community Hero.
