Pay Equity: Position of the Reform Movement

Jewish values and pay discrimination

Jewish tradition has long recognized the importance of paying fair wages. Leviticus 19:13 commands that, “You shall not defraud your neighbor, nor rob him; the wages of he who is hired shall not remain with you all night until the morning.” Judaism also teaches that all human beings should be treated equally because they are created b’tzelem Elohim, in the image of God. “And God created humans in God’s own image, in the image of God, God created them; male and female, God created them” (Genesis 1:27). Additionally, we follow that "One who withholds an employee's wages is as though he has deprived him of his life" (Baba Metzia 112a).

Resolutions

URJ
 
WRJ