Reconstructionists become second Jewish movement to support reparations for slavery
‘Jewish teachings on accountability and repair and are heeding the voices of people of African descent,’ said its president

Reconstructing Judaism’s board of governors approved a policy plank calling on the United States government to make reparations to the descendants of slaves. The Union for Reform Judaism adopted a similar policy in 2019. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images
The Reconstructionist movement has adopted a resolution calling for reparations from the U.S. to descendants of victims of the slave trade.
The endorsement follows a similar one by the largest stream of Judaism, the Reform movement, which in 2019 endorsed the creation of a federal commission to develop proposals for reparations.
The Reconstructionist movement, which includes about 100 congregations across the U.S. and Canada, approved its resolution following a Jan. 22 vote by its board of governors. The motion also calls for national repentance, and for those affiliated with the movement to “to engage in deep reflection on the ways we have participated in or benefited from racial injustice.” It throws its support behind H.R. 40, a bill introduced in the U.S. House by late congressman John Conyers in 1989 which, if passed, would form a commission to examine reparations proposals.
The Reconstructionist resolution drew on “Jewish teachings on accountability and repair and are heeding the voices of people of African descent,” said Reconstructing Judaism president and CEO Deborah Waxman in a press release. Reconstructing Judaism is the name of the central body of the Reconstructionist movement.
In 2021, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association approved its own reparations resolution. In December, the congregational arm of Reconstructing Judaism approved the motion just voted on by the board of governors.
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Most Popular
- 1
Culture Trump wants to honor Hannah Arendt in a ‘Garden of American Heroes.’ Is this a joke?
- 2
Opinion The dangerous Nazi legend behind Trump’s ruthless grab for power
- 3
Fast Forward The invitation said, ‘No Jews.’ The response from campus officials, at least, was real.
- 4
Opinion A Holocaust perpetrator was just celebrated on US soil. I think I know why no one objected.
In Case You Missed It
-
Opinion I wrote the book on Hitler’s first 100 days. Here’s how Trump’s compare
-
Fast Forward Ohio Applebee’s defaced with antisemitic graffiti reading ‘Jews work here’
-
Fast Forward J.B. Pritzker accuses Trump of ‘disparaging the very foundation of Judaism’
-
Fast Forward Trump on Iran: ‘If we don’t make a deal, I’ll be leading the pack’ into war
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.