Rabbi Jill Jacobs

In the past ten years, more than 140 U.S. cities and municipalities have adopted "living wage" legislation, which mandates that employers pay wages that are linked to the cost of living. Rabbi Jill Jacobs, director of education for the Jewish Fund for Justice, will provide a Jewish perspective on this movement in her talk on "Does Judaism Need a Living Wage?" at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 27, at UNC Asheville’s Reuter Center. Sponsored by UNC Asheville’s Center for Jewish Studies, the talk is free and open to the public.

Recently named to The Jewish Daily Forward’s list of 50 most influential Jews, Jacobs is a noted scholar and proponent of worker’s rights. She received rabbinic ordination and a master’s degree in Talmud and Rabbinics from the Jewish Theological Seminary, where she was a Wexner Fellow. Jacobs also received a master’s degree in urban affairs from Hunter College in New York. Her writings have appeared in a number of publications, including Conservative Judaism, Lilith, Tikkun and The Reconstructionist magazines.

Founded in 1984, the Jewish Fund for Justice finds ways to combat poverty by acting on the principles of tzedakah (righteous giving) and tikkun olam (repair of the world). Based in New York City, the Jewish Fund for Justice provides technical assistance to grassroots organizations that help low-income people and educates the Jewish community about poverty issues and social justice nationwide.

For more information, call UNC Asheville’s Center for Jewish Studies at 828/251-6576.