Faith groups put focus on the poor

The Jewish Council for Public Affairs — an umbrella group that brings together the major synagogue movements, several national organizations and local Jewish communities across North America — has launched its second annual “Fighting Poverty With Faith” initiative.

Teaming up with Catholic Charities USA, the Jewish council is running a weeklong effort dubbed “Good Jobs, Green Jobs.” The goal of the event, which began Oct. 14 and runs through Wednesday, Oct. 21, is to encourage government officials to make sure the poor don’t get left behind in the push to create and develop jobs focused on energy efficiency or environmentally friendly practices in sectors including energy, construction and manufacturing.

“There has to be an avenue for poor people to fill these jobs, to be trained for these jobs,” said Rabbi Steve Gutow, president of JCPA. If government is providing tax credits or direct subsidies for such jobs, he added, “they need to look very carefully at the poor.” — jta