JALSA in CommonWealth Beacon Magazine on YIGBY Housing Legislation

Full article at this link.

Excerpt from A push to build housing in ‘God’s backyard’

Proponents of the YIGBY legislation include religiously centered advocacy groups like the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action (JALSA), housing groups like Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association, real estate developers, chambers of commerce, and faith leaders across denominations.

In written testimony, JALSA president Cindy Rowe grounded support in Jewish teachings: “On Yom Kippur, our most sacred holiday, we read in Isaiah, ‘take the poor into your homes,'” she said. She noted that Massachusetts has the third-highest median home price and highest median rent nationally, with prices increasing $300,000 on average from 2014 to 2024.

“We must take every step that we can to make housing available to all,” she wrote. “Upholding human dignity, the fundamental Jewish value of Kavod HaBriyot, demands that we ensure housing for all.”