The Rabbi and the Archbishop

Rabbi Dr. Jonathan Romain of Maidenhead Synagogue has appeared on the BBC and in the Times responding to the recent remarks of the Archbishop of Canterbury regarding the policies of the Coalition Government. “The Archbishop was fully justified in his right to make such comments”, he says.

“The biblical command to ‘let justice roll down like water and righteousness like an everlasting stream’ (Amos 5.24) is a direct prescription for social and political action.

“Religious values cannot be limited to church services and flower arranging; the themes of combating poverty, exposing exploitation and protecting the vulnerable need to be shouted loud and clear by those who do not take their mandate from poll ratings but from ethical imperatives.

The prophetic cry for social justice may annoy those in power, but it is uttered on behalf of those who do not have a strong enough voice of their own but whose plight needs hearing.”