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#WhatRabbisDo: Human Rights Day & Modern-day Slavery in the USA

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December 10th is International Human Rights Day, the 65th anniversary of the passage of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The UDHR enshrines the idea of the inherent dignity of human life, realized through such protects as freedoms from slavery, unlawful imprisonment, and torture, and the rights to basic needs such as employment, a fair standard of living, and medical care. At T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, we’ve celebrated the Shabbat prior to Human Rights Day as Human Rights Shabbat since 2007. This year, more than 170 congregations participated. Each congregation lifts a human rights issue that resonates with their members—sometimes local, sometimes global — as a reminder that the values of the UDHR are not messianic goals but tangible rights due to every person as an embodiment of the divine image.

This year, in conjunction with Human Rights Shabbat, rabbis in 14 cities are visiting Wendy’s restaurants to ask that the corporation sign onto one of the most successful domestic human rights campaigns, the Fair Food Program of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. The Fair Food Program, which insists that corporations buy tomatoes only from growers who have instituted human rights protections in their fields and pay a higher wage, is wiping out human trafficking across an entire agricultural sector. With such success, and with the other 4 of the top 5 fast-food companies already on board, one might think that Wendy’s would agree that human rights of those who pick their produce should be protected. But so far, they have resisted joining the tangible change happening for Florida’s tomato workers. Last month, 36 #tomatorabbis who have traveled with T’ruah to meet the CIW, sent the following letter to the largest shareholder of Wendy’s. To date, there has been no response.

This International Human Rights Day, I hope you’ll join us and spread the word.

Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster is Director of North American Programs for T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. On December 15th, watch her discuss modern-day slavery and the CIW’s campaign in the CBS Religion and Culture documentary: “Living In The Shadows: Religions Response To Human Trafficking”.

Mr. Nelson Peltz

Chief Executive Officer

Trian Fund Management

Dear Mr. Peltz,

We, the thirty-six rabbis named below, are writing to invite you to meet with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) to learn how Wendy’s can join other leaders of the fast food industry in creating safe and fair conditions for workers in the Florida tomato industry by joining the Fair Food Program (FFP).

All of us have traveled to Immokalee, FL, where we have seen firsthand the tangible difference the Fair Food Program makes in the lives of the people who pick the food each of us eat every day. We’ve witnessed the powerful partnerships between workers, growers and corporations, whose collaboration is transforming an industry once mired in slavery to one now founded on dignity and respect. Back in our own communities, we have heard from our congregants and students how important it is to them that the tomatoes they eat are picked by people who are not at danger for slavery, sexual assault, wage theft, violence, or other forms of exploitation.

Wendy’s is a large buyer of Florida tomatoes. Given its market power, Wendy’s participation in the Fair Food Program is not an option but a moral obligation. Of the five largest fast food corporations in the country — McDonald’s, Subway, Burger King, Taco Bell (Yum! Brands), and Wendy’s — Wendy’s is the only one not participating in the Fair Food Program.

The Fair Food Program is a widely acclaimed corporate social accountability initiative forged in collaboration between workers, growers, and retail buyers to ensure human rights for farmworkers within the supply chain. The program consists of a wage increase supported by a price premium paid by corporate purchasers of Florida tomatoes and a human-rights-based code of conduct applicable throughout the Florida tomato industry. Both aspects of the program are overseen by a third-party monitoring and investigative body, the Fair Foods Standards Council. This unique mechanism provides an opportunity for corporations to bring their own market influence to bear in order to help establish a structural solution to a human rights crisis that has persisted on U.S. soil for far too long. A White House report issued this year cited the Fair Food Program as one of the most successful programs for ending the root causes of human trafficking.

As Jews and religious leaders, we believe that our faith calls on us to work for justice. The Torah insists that every human being is a creation in the image of God, who therefore deserves to be treated with dignity and honor. The Jewish laws governing relationships between employers and workers mandate paying a fair wage and protecting workers from danger. And our collective narrative of slavery and liberation obligates us to end slavery in our own time.

We ask you to sit down with the CIW to learn more about the Fair Food Program. If Wendy’s hopes to continue modernizing its image, it must first leave behind the old fashioned way of doing business that allows for slavery and other forms of exploitation.

We know that Wendy’s prides itself on its leadership in the fast food industry. By joining the Fair Food Program, Wendy’s can continue this tradition of leadership. Since CIW routinely applauds and showcases the corporations who are part of the Fair Food Program, this partnership will benefit both Wendy’s and the workers who pick your tomatoes.

We would like to request a meeting between you, T’ruah, and the CIW where we can further explain the Fair Food Program and respond to any potential concerns. On December 6-7th, thousands of Jews around the country will celebrate Human Rights Shabbat in advance of International Human Rights Day, at which time many of them will commit to joining the effort to bring Wendy’s into the Fair Food Program. Can we schedule a meeting in New York the week of December 2nd? We would be happy to come to your offices. Please contact us at 212-845-5201 or office@truah.org to set up a meeting.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Anna Boswell-Levy, Tzedek V’Shalom, Newtown, PA

Rabbi Ayelet S. Cohen, The JCC in Manhattan, New York, NY

Rabbi Robert Dobrusin, Beth Israel Congregation, Ann Arbor, MI

Rabbi Hector Epelbaumm, Beth David Congregation, Miami, FL

Rabbi Charles Feinberg, Adas Israel Congregation, Washington, DC

Rabbi John Franken, Bolton Street Synagogue, Baltimore, MD

Rabbi Rachel Goldenberg,Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek, Chester, CT

Rabbi Jeffrey Goldwasse, Temple Beit HaYam, Stuart, FL

Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann,Kol Tzedek Synagogue Philadelphia, PA

Rabbi Debra Hachen, Temple Beth-El, Jersey City, NJ

Rabbi Sharyn Henry, Rodef Shalom Congregation, Pittsburgh, PA

Rabbi Linda Holtzman,Philadelphia, PA

Rabbi Jill Jacobs, T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights

Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster, T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights

Rabbi David Kaiman,Congregation Bnai Israel, Gainesville, FL

Rabbi Jonathan R. Katz, Temple Beth Israel, Longboat Key, FL

Rabbi Jonathan Klein,Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice, Los Angeles, CA (CLUE-LA)

Rabbi Claudia Kreiman, Temple Beth Zion, Brookline, MA

Rabbi Michael Adam Latz,Shir Tikvah Congregation, Minneapolis, MN

Rabbi Joshua Lesser,Congregation Bet Haverim, Atlanta, Ga, Tikkun Olam Chair for Jewish Reconstructionist Communities

Rabbi Lev Meirowitz Nelson, T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights

Rabbi Jesse M. Olitzky,Jacksonville Jewish Center, Jacksonville, Florida

Rabbi Barbara Penzner, Temple Hillel B’nai Torah, Boston, MA

Rabbi Louis Rieser, Boca Raton, FL

Student Rabbi Arielle Rosenberg, Congregation Ahavat Shalom, Traverse City, Michigan

Rabbi Gila Ruskin, Temple Adas Shalom, Havre de Grace, MD

Rabbi Brian Schuldenfrei,Congregation Ner Tamid, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

Student Rabbi Amanda Schwartz, Park Slope Jewish Center, Brooklyn, NY

Rabbi Sid Schwarz, Clal: The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, New York, NY

Student Rabbi Jessica Shimberg,Hillel Director, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, OH

Rabbi Moshe Silver,Highland Park, NJ

Rabbi Suzanne Singer,Temple Beth El, Riverside, CA

Rabbi Eric Solomon,Temple Beth Meyer, Raleigh, NC

Rabbi Marc Soloway, Congregation Bonai Shalom, Boulder, CO

Rabbi David Spinrad,The Temple, Atlanta, GA

Rabbi Toba Spitzer, Congregation Dorshei Tzedek, West Roxbury, MA

Congregations and organizations listed for identification purposes only.