Rabbis campaign on housing crisis

A RABBI has bemoaned the “many Jewish families” in poor or overcrowded housing, as he and rabbinical colleagues launch a campaign to raise awareness.

Eleven Orthodox, Masorti, Liberal and Reform rabbis from social action group Tzelem are trying to highlight discrimination in the housing market and to work towards alleviating child poverty caused by a lack of social housing.

Orthodox Rabbi Alexander Goldberg, the Jewish Chaplain to the University of Surrey, said: “I have seen with my own eyes the predicament of families in sub-standard and overcrowded housing across London and that includes many Jewish families.

“It’s heart-breaking to see and so unfair on the kids. We don’t speak out on this sort of issue enough, but decent housing is a universal right that is steeped in our prophetic tradition.

“By working together and with other faith communities I hope we can make a real change.”

Tzelem said it would launch the campaign at Passover and run until Succot, with a series of events in communal Sukkahs across London, Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham and across the UK.

The rabbis were briefed by Shelter’s Bryn Phillips and Chris Thorne on housing discrimination, especially against those receiving benefits.

Mr Thorne cited a YouGov survey that found nearly a third of people on housing benefits could not rent a home because landlords would not let to people on benefits.

He said: “Open discrimination against people on benefits is freely taking place...

“This means hundreds of thousands of people may have come up against this type of discrimination in recent years.”

Tzelem Coordinator and student rabbi, Sarah Rosenbaum, said: “Each person present shared stories about their community’s interaction with homelessness. For some, the interaction is distant and for others, the issue is all too personal.”

Rabbis working with the homeless charity include Reform Rabbi Jackie Tabick along with Rabbi Oliver Joseph of Elstree and Borehamwood Masorti Synagogue.

Liberal Judaism’s Rabbi Sandra Kviat and Reform Judaism’s Naomi Goldman are part of the group along with Rabbis Margaret Jacobi, Sylvia Rothschild and Sarah Rosenbaum.

It’s heart breaking and so unfair on the kids