Global Poverty
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Fight extreme global poverty and economic inequality
Join us as we mobilize Jewish communities, human rights advocates, and people of faith in the fight to eliminate global poverty and economic inequality.
What’s the injustice?
We live in a deeply unequal world, and the disparities are much greater than they seem.
Sixty-seven percent of the world lives on less than $10 dollars per day, and 10 percent is subjected to extreme poverty (making less than $1.90 per day). Poverty also condemns the most vulnerable people in the world to early deaths. Malaria, a preventable disease, kills more than 400,000 people every year. Yet, their lives could have been saved if they had access to inexpensive, lifesaving healthcare, such as $7 preventative medicine to protect against Malaria.
William MacAskill writes that an American making at least $28,000 a year is in the top 5 percent of global income. Givewell, the leading evaluator of charities, estimates that one child can be saved for as little as $4,500. Considering our distinct global wealth and the low cost to make an impact, we have a moral obligation to help the millions of people who live in extreme poverty and face the realities of global economic inequality.
What we believe
We recognize that the greatest catastrophes sometimes happen far away from us. But that doesn’t make them any less important.
The Jewish law and value of Pikuach Nefesh teaches us that saving a human life is our greatest obligation. Effective Altruism teaches us that there are millions of people who need our help right now to survive. As Jews, we have historically relied on our communities when societies looked down on us, excluded us, and denied us basic access to economic resources. Today, there are other communities that need more support than our own.
JCJ has launched an initiative to raise awareness and channel donations to the highest impact charities that do the most good for each dollar donated. Utilizing GiveWell’s Maximum Impact Fund, JCJ has launched the Summer Fellowship Fundraiser to save a child’s life. As Jews, we understand that we are in a position of global privilege and responsibility, and that each and every one of us has the capacity to make the world a better place.
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Connections: Jewish Sources
For there will never cease to be needy ones from the midst of the land, which is why I command you: open your hand to your fellows, your poor and your needy in your land. — Deuteronomy 15:11
You are commanded to provide the needy with whatever they lack. If they lack clothing, you must clothe them. If they lack household goods, you must provide them… — Rambam Mishneh Torah, Laws of Gifts for the Poor 7:3