A current debate in the Jewish philanthropy world centers on the extent to which Jews should emphasize engagement with and support for non-Jews. In an opinion piece in the Forward this week, Jewish Funds for Justice's Rabbi-in-Residence Jill Jacobs makes her feelings clear.

Instead of pushing us only inward or outward, the current economic crisis should force us to recognize that the fortunes of American Jews are intimately tied to the fortunes of all Americans, and even to the world as a whole. It is true...that too many Jews who are elderly, immigrants or minimum-wage workers barely scrape by. Their pain should prompt us to ask broader questions: Why do so many elderly people live in poverty? Why do immigrants struggle so hard to survive? Why can’t minimum-wage workers support their families on their earnings?

Her argument, in essence: those suffering because of systemic challenges will continue to suffer, Jew or non-Jew, unless the systems causing the challenges are dismantled.

Do you have thoughts on this debate?