The House Majority Leader said the policy priorities of congressional Democrats is in the spirit of the Jewish tradition of tzedakah.
In a speech to the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism’s Consultation on Conscience, Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) noted that tzedakah means "justice," and that in Jewish tradition it is "not an option," but "obligatory."
"I always find it important to have people encouraging me to live up to that standard" and to constructively criticize him when he doesn’t, he said.
Thus, in that spirit, he spoke of "economic justice, environmental justice" and "health care justice."
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