Tikkun Olam translates as ‘repair the world’. It was once associated with a mystical approach to all mitzvot (commandments), but now is most often used to refer to a specific category of work in the area of social justice. An image often associated with this concept is that of a ceramic vase that has been cracked or broken into multiple pieces. If the world is this vase, it is the mitzvot of tikkun olam to put the vase back together through meticulous, thoughtful, and discerning acts that enable the vessel to, once again, hold water and be a source of nourishment. The concept of tikkun olam is visible in the work of many Jewish individuals, organizations and institutions that have emerged in Wisconsin since the first settlers arrived here in the 1840s. Moreover, this concept has been adopted and given new shape by non-Jewish communities that have shared in this endeavor through partnership, friendship, and a shared sense of justice.
