Even though Arthur’s path evolved over the years, as he rooted down into Judaism and shifted from being a “Jewish radical” to a “radical Jew,” he never left behind or abandoned his passion for history and his belief in the power of transformative government. To the contrary, his political prowess and civic pursuits became infused by his deep devotion to Judaism and his grounding in Jewish wisdom, these two central aspects of his life transformed by the other.
It is no surprise, then, that in his final years of life – as the US was traversing rising authoritarianism and the tenuous degradation of Democracy – Arthur would return to his first life-path, this time with the consciousness of a seasoned spiritual seeker.
At 90, Arthur drafted a new US constitution.
“Power has drastically changed. To meet the needs of a multiracial, multigender, multireligious society in a democratic way requires a New Constitution. To meet the needs of a society deeply intertwined with others in a planet on the dangerous verge of self-destruction by Humankind also demands a New Constitution. What follows is an attempt to imagine one. In it are some obvious and some startlingly inventive ideas. I offer it chiefly as a device to spur exploration."
For those of us who were close to him at that time, it was clear that amongst Arthur’s various projects and writings, this enterprise took on special significance. So as we approach July 4th, 2026 – the 250th anniversary of America’s founding – we are honored to share Arthur’s New Constitution.
In this digital reader, you will find the full text of Arthur’s new constitution, an article written by Arthur introducing the project, and action steps to support Democracy today.
You will also find a special new preface and dedication written by Shir Hashirim Rabbi Pesach-Lev / Dr. Paul Zeitz, a longtime friend, colleague, and co-conspirator to Arthur and someone who is himself a leader in the multireligious pro-Democracy movement, thinking boldly and creatively about the need for a new constitution.
You can read an excerpt from Pesach-Lev’s preface and dedication here:
In July of 2024, at the Kallah in West Chester, Pennsylvania, we sat together at breakfast. I was overflowing with the work of #unifyUSA — our call to Hit Refresh on the U.S. Constitution, to renew American democracy as we approach our nation’s 250th year. As I spoke, something shifted at the table.
A zeitgeist of energy moved through us both. Arthur leaned in and whispered in his soft elder voice and told me that he, too, had been laboring on a new Constitution — a fully democratic charter for a multiracial, multireligious, multigender people living on an imperiled and beloved Earth, with new articles he had dared to imagine for the Earth, the Powers of the People, and the Economy.
That very document — “The New Constitution” — is published below, and I urge you to read it as the living testament to Rabbi Arthur that it is.
As Pesach-Lev concludes his preface and dedication:
“Reb Arthur — my teacher, my elder, my fellow swimmer in the holy waters — thank you. Thank you for the lineage. The floods could not drown your love, and they will not drown it now. Those of us who remain will keep refreshing the sacred work — for democracy, for the Earth, for the breath we all share.”