“Tzedek Tzedek Tirdof”
“Justice, Justice You Shall Pursue”
- Deuteronomy 16:20

The ISJL Department of Community Engagement completes the Institute’s mission to support cooperative ventures among Southern Jewish communities and the general public. The Department of Community Engagement works in partnership with a broad network of service-based organizations and including local churches and mosques to address a range of social issues that affect all people in the Southern region. We engage and build relationships with individuals and institutions in our communities to understand their priorities and to most effectively work with them to advance their own visions for their communities. The Department of Community Engagement promotes and facilitates initiatives advancing literacy, education, the practice of responsible home economics and health education. Currently, we have been focusing our efforts on developing and piloting a menu of programs and resources in Jackson, MS the home of the ISJL staff. The ISJL Department of Community Engagement will eventually replicate these programs and resources throughout the region. The department will also grow to assist Jewish congregations from the ISJL service area in their efforts to pursue justice for everyone in their community. Through this department, the ISJL will strengthen and enhance a proud tradition of pursuing justice in our communities, a defining and vital element of many Southern Jewish experiences.