America's Table | Page 10

The Community of Conscience includes a declaration of nine principles aimed at rejecting bigotry and amplifying values that unite all Americans. Please join in reading the nine principles: 1. Join us, in the spirit of the American motto E Pluribus Unum, as we unite across difference, celebrate our diversity, contribute to a shared society, and resolve to advance the welfare of all. 2. Join us, in the spirit of patriotism, as we strive proudly and boldly to uphold American ideals of equality, of dignity, of opportunity for all. 3. Join us, in the spirit of civility, as we reject antisemitism and all forms of bigotry, incendiary partisanship whatever its sources, dehumanizing and demonizing rhetoric, and threats of violence. 4. Join us, in the spirit of democracy, as we reaffirm and reinforce our constitutional system, seek equal justice for all, and safeguard our fundamental freedoms. 5. Join us, in the spirit of pluralism, as we promote mutual respect—not mere tolerance—as the standard for enlightened coexistence. 6. Join us, in the spirit of inclusiveness, as we reach out to and uplift the poorest among us, as we welcome the stranger in our midst, and as we fully enfranchise the differently abled. 7. Join us, in the spirit of love, as we counter those who purvey hate, intolerance and incivility, especially those who legitimize their inappropriate practices based on “holy writ.” 8. Join us in seeking to fulfill the biblical teaching that we are all “b’Tzelem Elokim,”all created in the divine image, the very foundation of human equality. 9. And join us in pursuing the Prophet Isaiah’s age-old vision that one day “nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore”—that peace, love, and unity will reign. 10