Image by courtesy of uri l’tzedek

Rabbi Ari Weiss, executive director of Uri L’Tzedek, the Orthodox social justice organization that has created a certification system based on treatment of workers at kosher restaurants, will step down from his position in the coming months.

According to an email that was sent to friends and supporters on Tuesday morning, Weiss specifically did not say what his next step would be, but that he would be pursuing “new and diverse opportunities.”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Uri L’Tzedek ensures that companies under their program meet three standards for their employees: The right to fair pay; the right to overtime payment; and the right to a safe work environment. More than 80 establishments carry the Uri L’Tzedek ethical seal or Tav HaYosher. Uri L’Tzedek began around the same time as Magen Tedek, an ethical kosher certification seal for food products, which has had difficulty launching their initiative.

“I am deeply grateful to you, the greater Uri L’Tzedek community, for your collective commitment to the vision of Orthodox social justice,” Weiss wrote in his email. “Together, we have built a robust organization — and a movement — featuring impactful campaigns, educational initiatives, and fellowships.”

Uri L’Tzedek has begun the search for a new executive director, according to Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz, the organization’s founder and president.

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.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount