Religious leaders see struggle in quest for help for poor, hungry

Published: 2005-06-07

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- During a symposium held as part of the June 4-7 conference "One Table, Many Voices: A Mobilization to Overcome Poverty & Hunger" in Washington, representatives of Christian, Jewish, Muslim and American Indian faith traditions pointed to the common threads found in their teachings about caring for the poor and hungry in their midst. "If all our faith traditions hold such united values, how come we're doing such a poor job?" asked Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. It was a question that neither he nor his fellow panelists could readily answer. While the search for an answer continues, Rabbi Saperstein pointed to "ideological forces" in the United States aimed at "unraveling the concept of the social safety net." What government does, he added, "complements the private-sector effort" of alleviating poverty and hunger. But with federal budget proposals to cut domestic food aid, "we are walking away from that commitment," Rabbi Saperstein said.

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