From today, Rabbis for Human Rights-North America (RHR-NA) will be known as T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. In addition to changing its name, the organization is ending financial and formal ties with Rabbis for Human Rights in Israel. Rabbi Jill Jacobs continues as Executive Director of the newly named North American group.

T’ruah will build on the successes of Rabbis for Human Rights-North America in mobilizing its cross-denominational network of 1800 rabbis and cantors and more than 10,000 American and Canadian Jews to protect human rights in North America, Israel and the occupied territories.

RHR-NA was established a decade ago, with the dual purpose of mobilizing U.S. and Canadian rabbis and community members around human rights issues in Israel and in North America, and raising money and support for RHR-Israel’s work. Since then RHR-NA (now known as T’ruah), has galvanized its network of nearly two-thousand rabbis to be take the lead on issues ranging from ending U.S. state-sponsored torture to ending slavery in the Florida agricultural fields to opposing settlement construction in Israel to advocating for Israel to implement a fair asylum system to raising millions of dollars to support the work of RHR in Israel.

Established in 1988, RHR in Israel has been out-front on advocating for protections for Palestinians, Bedouin-Israelis, low-income Israeli citizens and other vulnerable populations.

While the two organizations have always maintained separate boards, staffs and legal status, the formal and fiscal relationship between the two has long led to confusion among supporters. This transition seeks to resolve this confusion, as well as to allow each organization to focus on its own strategies and priorities.

The organizations specified that donations received before January 15th will support the work of both groups, as in the past.