GENEROUS JUSTICE circles seek out the dialogue between generations that is essential to learning the lessons of history. Also offering accessibility beyond Jewish groups that limit themselves to particular affluence levels, age groups, and/or pooled funds, GENEROUS JUSTICE circles provide support for each participant to expand her or his personal giving capacities—without dictating the specific terms or proportions of that expansion.

Percentage giving first entered our modern civilization as the Jewish imperative of tithing—which, in turn, grew out of the rhythms of the sabbatical year. Recent decades have given rise to a number of diverse initiatives that focus on giving as a percentage of income and/or assets. Now coming full circle, GENEROUS JUSTICE is the first organized Jewish presence among these contemporary initiatives.

GENEROUS JUSTICE is a project of Ways of Peace Community Resources, developed in partnership with the National Havurah [Fellowship] Committee (NHC). Ways of Peace is now identifying additional collaboration partners for GENEROUS JUSTICE outreach, funding and recruitment. Programs offering "A Taste of GENEROUS JUSTICE" are currently being scheduled across North America.

The first GENEROUS JUSTICE leadership training will be held at the August 2015 NHC Summer Institute. Outside of training hours, participants will be able to take advantage of additional Institute course and workshop offerings, prayer services, spirited conversation, late-night jam sessions, singing, dancing, swimming, meditation, and hiking—all in the company of more than 300 people from a wide range of backgrounds. Each year participants leave the Institute reinvigorated and excited to return to their home communities to share new ideas and experiences.

Responses to the pilot sessions that have formed the basis for GENEROUS JUSTICE have been overwhelmingly positive, and many participants have been excited and inspired to connect for follow-up conversations. A young financial services professional has spoken of struggling with the culture of Wall Street as the grandchild of a Holocaust survivor, while an octogenarian has shared experiences of his father's efforts to practice just giving as a small business owner during the Great Depression. Parents of small children (arguably the most challenged demographic on these issues) have been among the most enthusiastic participants.

These are testimonials from three generations of participants who have joined forces to launch the Nedivut Tzedek / GENEROUS JUSTICE project:

"We do not talk about personal finances rationally. It is hard for us to perceive that tithing is an aspect of the moral life, to acknowledge that it has power to achieve tikkun olam [repair of the world]....We can greatly increase our effect in the world if we commit to regular financial giving, based on income and assets... to overcome fears about money and to demonstrate the social justice power of our own spending."

"I have been having some very interesting conversations with my eight-year-old son about wealth recently....He has been asking if we are rich or poor....These are the sorts of conversations I want to continue with my family....The idea of creating a group who will spread Nedivut Tzedek circles in many communities is innovative and exciting. I look forward to bringing this type of learning back to my family and to my communities."

"From my perspective as a professional who works in nonprofit fundraising...and as a person striving to live with integrity and devotion to the truths of our tradition, I believe the values and practical education that GENEROUS JUSTICE offers are exciting, necessary, and unparalleled....This program is a wise investment in our Jewish community's ethical development and impact for justice in the world."