6 January 17 • 2019
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1942 - 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unreliable, unsustainable and out
of date.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