Fighting Poverty with Faith: Religious Leaders Hold Statehouse Vigil

Providence, RI — On Wednesday, January 4, 2017 the RI Interfaith Coalition to Reduce Poverty brought together leaders from faith communities across the state for the Fighting Poverty with Faith Vigil at the Statehouse Rotunda.

Hundreds of people, including more than 60 clergy joined the vigil. Rabbi Jeff Goldwasser (Temple Sinai, Cranston) delivered the keynote, which called on Rhode Islanders to be strong standard bearers for justice.

“If we believe ourselves to be in a time of an approaching storm of fear-mongering and lies, we should not think that storms can only bring injustice and grief," he said. "We who uphold the classical values of Biblical righteousness – shelter for the homeless, food for the hungry, care for the sick, freedom for the captive, dignity for the orphan and widow, comfort for the oppressed, love for the despised – we can be the storm and not just hapless victims to be blown about by somebody else’s ill winds.”

He went on to say, “We can take action to set justice as the true plumb line by which we measure our public policies. We can speak up, and speak out, to make righteousness the standard measure by which we weigh our laws and our direction as a state and as a nation.”

Courtesy Photo Juan Espinoza, Communications and Outreach Associate, Economic Progress Institute