TC Jewfolk is proud to partner with MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger – a national organization inspired by Jewish values – to fight to end hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds in the United States and Israel.
Mazon means food in Hebrew. Although the birkat hamazon is known as the Grace After Meals, its direct translation is “blessing of the food.”
A leading voice in the anti-hunger field, MAZON teaches that food is a universal civil right. This belief is rooted in the concept of b’tzelem Elohim – that all people are created in the image of God.
“MAZON is, first and foremost, an advocacy organization,” said Naama Haviv, Vice President of Community Engagement. “We are committed to challenging the systems that allow hunger to persist by advancing better policies at the federal, state, and local levels.”
Calling all Jewfolk
Jewish texts are replete with our commitment to caring for the poor and hungry. “Defend the poor and the orphan; do justice to the afflicted and needy.” -Midrash Tehillim 82:3
Minnesota Jewfolk have earned a reputation for doing their part.
“The Twin Cities Jewish community has such a strong history and legacy of engaged and effective activism, and there couldn’t be a better community to work with to help us reach our goal of ending hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds,” said Haviv.
How can you help?
“We need committed advocates who do the work to move legislation aimed at ending hunger forward, as well as to fight harmful policies that would erode the safety net that enables so many people to put food on the table,” Haviv explained. “That work must happen at every level, and we are committed to a strong effort in statehouses nationwide.”
MAZON’s website offers concrete ways to take action, such as:
- Easy-to-submit message forms to elected officials.
- Tour the virtual Hunger Museum to learn about what has been, what is, and what should be.
- Raise awareness using their educational materials.
- Enrich Jewish holidays by incorporating these teachings about our values and fighting hunger.
- Give and fundraise to support their mission.
Abby J. Leibman, MAZON’s CEO and President, believes that action and partnership are needed now. “At a moment when we’re expecting to see enormous retrenchment by the federal government in its programs that support those who are struggling, states become the defenders and champions of people who are vulnerable in their communities. Providing those facing hunger with the resources they need is critical, and our work with partners such as TC Jewfolk is so important to making that support possible in Minnesota and around the country.”
Community Engagement VP Naama Haviv agreed. “We don’t have to look far to find proof of that; it was in Minnesota that we worked with the local Jewish community to end ‘lunch shaming’ – when struggling families fall into debt and their children are stigmatized, sometimes by having their lunches publicly thrown out or getting their hands stamped. Together, we exposed this shameful practice and advanced key policies to address the core issue, hunger, in Minnesota classrooms.”
“Our work with local leaders in Minnesota led directly to the passage of universal school meals in 2023, making Minnesota one of only 8 states nationwide that offers free school meals to ensure that all children can eat, learn, and thrive,” she added. “This is such a strong and powerful community, and we’re thrilled to be partners in this effort.”
A world of need
Twelve percent of Americans – 44 million people – face food insecurity, and certain populations are disproportionately affected. You may be surprised by who.
Persistent food insecurity affects military servicemembers and their families. Tens of thousands are shut out of accessing food assistance programs, leaving them reliant on food pantries. Twenty-seven percent of veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan struggle to put food on the table — more than double the national rate.
Forty percent of single mothers struggle with hunger, along with one in three college students.
One in seven older adults live in poverty, leaving over 10 million facing hunger. The problem is especially prevalent and devastating among LGBTQ older adults.
Since its founding, MAZON’s passion for justice included addressing severe poverty in Israel, where 26% of the population experienced food insecurity before the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7.
“We hear from our colleagues and partners in Israel every day about the impacts of the war,” Haviv said. “We have stepped up our grantmaking efforts over the past year to organizations working to address this deeply critical issue. With so many competing challenges facing the Israeli economy, hunger there has skyrocketed in the wake of the attacks to 31% of the Israeli population.”
American Jewish communities have shown increased interest in MAZON’s work in Israel, helping Jews and non-Jews alike. Haviv explained: “We were deeply gratified by how generously our community responded to our calls for urgent support to particularly vulnerable populations like asylum seekers and Bedouins in unrecognized villages, some of whom were experiencing food insecurity at 90-95% in the months following the attacks.”
By joining with MAZON to combat hunger, we can continue our tradition of committing ourselves to caring for others and in so doing, nourishing our own souls and aiming for a better world.
“And the work of tzedakah shall bring peace.” -Isaiah 32:17
This article is sponsored content from MAZON: A Jewish Response To Hunger. For more information, check out our media kit.
