Citizenship represents the set of rights and duties of citizens. It can be defined as the condition of the person who lives according to a set of statutes belonging to a politically and socially articulated society. The full exercise of citizenship promotes people’s participation in the various sectors of society, leading to the construction of an inclusive society. With the Universal Declaration of Human Rights certain topics on citizenship have now been considered universal for almost all human beings, although the Hebrew Bible had already done the same millennia ago.

Human Rights are a human being’s basic rights, whether civil or political. These include: the right to life, freedom of thought, private property, maternal language, freedom of expression, belief, equality of all before the law, nationality rights, as well as economic, social and cultural rights, in addition to many others entailing diffuse and collective rights such as the right to peace, the right to progress, the right to the self-determination of peoples and the right to a healthy environment. These rights are listed in the Torah in the form of human duties.

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and in rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act toward one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Human values are the characteristics that distinguish us from other living beings. These values are basically linked to dignity and ethics. We can consider the following examples: honesty, responsibility, tolerance, respect and humility.

To live in harmony in a peaceful and positive manner, it is very important to bear in mind these values. Society must be aware that despite the existence of cultural differences, the values of justice, peace, solidarity and compassion are universal.

Source: Human Rights - written by young jews from 40 countries with support of B'nai B'rith International Portugal and International Observatory of Human Rights