About Our Name

Our Name

T’ruah is the name of one of the blasts of the shofar (ram’s horn). In the Torah, the sound of the shofar heralds the beginning of the Jubilee Year, when debts are forgiven and indentured servants go free. Shofar blasts also announce the beginning of the revelation at Mount Sinai. The shofar, then, symbolizes liberation, as well as the presence of the divine.

Today, we associate the shofar primarily with Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, when we blow it during synagogue services. On these holidays, the shofar wakes us up, demands that we examine our past behavior, and calls us to action.

The name T’ruah calls us to take action to create a more just world. This name also indicates our belief that liberation is possible, and that we can make the divine presence manifest in our world.

The t’ruah blast consists of nine staccato notes. This halting sound reminds us of the brokenness of the world, while also calling us to be partners with God in healing this brokenness.

Our tag line, “The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights” speaks to our commitment to placing rabbis and cantors at the vanguard of the Jewish human rights movement. But our call—and our movement—are not for rabbis and cantors alone. Rather, we know that a powerful Jewish human rights movement must mobilize rabbis, cantors, rabbinical and cantorial students, educators, laypeople, and representatives of all parts of the Jewish community.

The word “rabbinic” also indicates that we ground our work deeply in Jewish text and tradition, including the writings of centuries of rabbis, our history, and our communal practices.

Our Logo

The shofar in our logo reflects our name, and calls us to action. The shofar sits on a background of sketch marks. The unfinished look of this background symbolizes the unfinished state of the world, and demands that we each do our part to complete it.

The purple of our logo combines the blue and white of the Israeli flag; the red, white, and blue of the American flag; and the red and white of the Canadian flag. We are Americans and Canadians with deep connections to Israel, and a commitment to making all three of the countries we love the most just, peaceful, and righteous places possible.

Ash-rei ha-am yod-eia "T'ruah" (x4)

Tzed-dek u'mish-pat m'khon kis'eskha. Tze-dek u'mish-pat, u'mish-pat.

Tzed-dek u'mish-pat m'khon kis'eskha,

Che-sed ve emet yi-kad-mu pa-ne-kha.

Happy is the people that know the sound of "T'ruah"!

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;

Mercy and truth go before You.