6 January 17 • 2019
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views

statement
Access to Water is a Human Right

A

ccess to water is a matter of 
human dignity and a moral 
concern for all. While gov-
ernment officials have implemented 
programs to help residents with 
overdue water bills, more than 17,000 
households were at risk of shut-off 
in 2018 — a recurring problem each 
year. We have adopted the following 
statement and will seek meetings with 
city of Detroit and state of Michigan 
officials to encourage lasting solu-
tions to ensure water for all and 
transparency about water shut-offs. In 
addition, we have designated the Dr. 
Martin Luther King Jr. holiday week-
end as Water Justice Weekend. We are 
asking religious leaders individually 
and through their judicatories to 
preach about water rights and help 
their congregations understand why 
this is a major moral concern for our 
communities. 

STATEMENT OF FAITH LEADERS
Water plays a pivotal role in our 
various religious communities and 
congregations. We mention water in 
our prayers. We use water in our rit-
uals. We find water in our Scriptures, 
where water is more than a meta-
phor for God’
s loving kindness, but 
a promise made to people living in 

places where water was scarce and 
precious. Water makes life possible.
Water is essential to human flour-
ishing and human dignity. In 2010, 
the General Assembly of the United 
Nations rightfully declared that “the 
right to safe and clean drinking 
water and sanitation” is “a right that 
is essential for the full enjoyment of 
life and all human rights” (UN Res. 
64/292, art. 1). This fundamental 
human right resonates with all our 
sacred teachings.
As religious leaders, we live under a 
Divine obligation to speak on behalf 
of those who do not have access to 
water. We bear responsibility to lead 
by word and action in calling for 
policies that are just and equitable. 
We are called to work with those of 
good will for water practices that are 
environmentally sustainable. We are 

called to give water to those who are 
thirsty. 
In Metropolitan Detroit, thou-
sands face the threat of losing access 
to water due to financial hardships 
stemming from a lack of meaning-
ful employment. Many are forced 
to pay rates they cannot afford, 
and many bear the burden of liv-
ing with a sanitation system that is 
unreliable, unsustainable and out 
of date. Finally, many cannot take 
advantage of the assistance pro-
grams the Detroit Water and Sewage 
Department has established to miti-
gate their plight.
Our elected officials must there-
fore address the essential role water 
and its affordability play in the 
flourishing of Michigan residents 
and communities. We are writing 
to encourage equitable and creative 

solutions to help low-income and 
vulnerable persons have access to 
clean and safe water.
We, the religious leaders of con-
gregations throughout Metro Detroit, 
write with one voice to urge all citi-
zens to support our civil officials as 
they search for ways to reduce the 
barriers to clean and safe water for 
all. We also pledge to continue to 
listen to the needs of the poor and to 
work for meaningful change in the 
provision of, and access to, clean and 
safe water for all. Finally, we pledge to 
work collaboratively whenever we can 
to promote the common good and 
build the beloved community. ■

Jewish members of the Religious Leaders 
Forum of Metropolitan Detroit include Rabbi 
Joshua Bennett, Temple Israel; Rabbi Aaron 
Bergman, president, Michigan Board of 
Rabbis, senior rabbi, Adat Shalom Synagogue; 
Rabbi Marla Hornsten, Temple Israel; Rabbi 
Harold Loss, Temple Israel; Rabbi Jason Miller, 
director, Kosher Michigan; Rabbi Mark Miller, 
senior rabbi, Temple Beth El; Rabbi Michael 
Moskowitz, Temple Shir Shalom; and Rabbi 
Steven Rubenstein, Congregation Beth Ahm. 
Additional local Jewish clergy who support 
the statement about water rights include 
Rabbi Edut Dorit, president, Detroit Interfaith 
Outreach Network, and Rabbis Arianna 
Gordon, Jennifer Kaluzny, Jennifer Lader and 
Paul Yedwab, all of Temple Israel. 

Th
 e voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders, the Lord,
over mighty waters.

— PSALM 29:3

Religious Leaders Forum of Metropolitan Detroit 

