Jewish Reconstructionist Federation

On April 27th, Mia Farrow began fasting in solidarity with the people of Darfur, who face ever worsening suffering since Sudanese President Bashir expelled over a dozen aid organizations from the country.  read more »

2009 JRF OMER STUDY AND ACTION INITIATIVE (APRIL - JUNE 2009/5769)

"Justice, justice you shall pursue" (Deut. 16:20).

“A theology which is not a plan of social action is merely a way of preaching and praying. It is a menu without the dinner.” (Mordecai Kaplan, Not So Random Thoughts)

Dear Hevre,

Thanks to all of you who have been helping to promote the various JRF and other national/international initiatives happening this Pesach and beyond. Our Omer Initiative this year is focused on partnership activities, additional PEARL tikkun olam calls and program/ritual resources. Please keep drawing people's attention to these initiatives, and where you can let us know what they are up to so we can highlight local/regional activities on our webpages.

2008 Omer teachings on community building and sustained action
2007 Omer teachings on environmental sustainability
2006 Omer teachings on hunger and poverty
2005 Omer teachings on Pirke Avot

L'Shalom,

Rabbi Shawn Zevit
Director of Outreach and Tikkun Olam
Congregational Consultant
215.885.5601 x 24 / fax: 215.885.5603
Cleveland Office: 216-591-1886

For Tikkun Olam see http://www.jrf.org/to
JRF ~ Transformative Judaism for the 21st Century www.jrf.org

ANTI-HUNGER AND POVERTY INITIATIVES  read more »

For your information, here are the resolutions that came out of the recent JCPA plenum. In the two years since JRF became a member religious organization and fourth Jewish movement in the JCPA, we have participated in many coalitions and sign-on initiatives. This Plenum marked the first time we were a national religious organization co-sponsoring three of the resolutions below. Thanks to Carl Sheingold (JRF Executive Vice-President), Bob Barkin (JRF President) and Val Kaplan (JRF Chair of External Affiliations) for representing us and voting on our behalf at the Plenum,

Full list of 2009 JCPA Resolutions

Full listing of partner organizations and sign-ons,

L'Shalom,

Shawn

Rabbi Shawn Zevit
Director of Outreach and Tikkun Olam
Congregational Consultant
Jewish Reconstructionist Federation

JCPA
JCPA speaks to you each week, alerting you to what the community relations field is doing to safeguard the rights of Jews here, in Israel, and around the world and to protect, preserve and promote a just, democratic and pluralistic American society. For three generations, we have brought together diverse voices in the Jewish community to unite a strong Jewish public policy force.

Date: March 11, 2009
From: Max Mulcahy, Program Director, JCPA  read more »

There are many JRF initiatives or letters of support in which we are continually asked to participate. In all of these cases, JRF is invited to join other interfaith or Jewish denominational coalitions in national and international social justice areas or letters/programs about forthcoming legislation or policy in keeping with our already existing resolutions.

Sign-ons through 2009:  read more »

Visit the Tents of Hope Project: www.tentsofhope.org
The mission of the Tents of Hope project is to support a one-year process in which people respond as communities to the crisis in Darfur, Sudan by creating tents that are both unique works of art and ongoing focal points within communities for learning about, assisting and establishing relationships with the people of Sudan.
The tents are not answers in themselves. Rather, they are points of entry for more concrete forms of Darfur advocacy.

The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) on the ground in Chad providing trauma counseling and social services to Darfuri refugees

HIAS is the only Jewish organization with staff on the ground in Chad, where we provide services in five of that country’s camps for refugees from the Darfur region of Sudan. At the request of the United Nations, we are providing counseling and community services programs for some 90,000 refugees, including conflict resolution training, sexual and gender-based violence education and sensitization, and trauma counseling. One of the most successful activities has been HIAS-organized playgroups, which allow children to express the traumatic events of their young lives through art, music, and sports therapy.

In addition, HIAS has created a cadre of refugees in each camp to serve as community mobilizers. Participants are trained to identify and intervene appropriately so they can provide help to their fellow refugees. HIAS’ refugee peer groups empower community members and allow them to help others deal with sensitive issues in a culturally acceptable format.

To support HIAS’ activities on the ground in Chad with Darfuri refugees, please call HIAS at: (866) 871-9681 or online.

• Ritual: A Prayer for Darfur
  By Rabbi Jerry Seidler
  This prayer was written in advance of the April 30, 2006 day of rallies for the people for Darfur that took place across the U.S.
  
  
• Speech: Darfur: A Religious Imperative
  By Rabbi Steve Gutow
  A passionate plea for action in Darfur, Sudan in response to genocide. Speech was given on April 29, 2006 to a JRF gathering at the I Street Synagogue in Washington, D.C. in advance of the April 30th Save Darfur rallies held in Washington, D.C. and around the country.
  
  
• Ritual: Passover Reading on Darfur Genocide
  By Rabbi Michael Strassfeld
  Written for the April 30, 2006 rally to stop the genocide in Darfur, this prayer is a riff on the Passover song, "Who Knows One?" Each verse delineates another horror taking place in Sudan. Our knowledge of these facts cannot be denied. Action is the only alternative.
  
  
• Advocacy Help: Resource Kit for Darfur Activism
  By West End Synagogue Yad Mordecai Social Action Committee
  Packet that both makes the case for the importance of advocacy on stopping genocide in Darfur and also helps groups and individuals to get that work done. Beautiful and moving photos are included and literally put a face to the conflict. Many clickable web links are included in the pdf. The production of this packet serves as a model of what lay committees in congregations can do that serves others.
  
  
• Article: RRC Divests from Sudan
  By Jewish Telegraphic Agency
  In the wake of the Darfur demonstrations on April 30, 2006, The Reconstructionist Rabbinical College's Board of Governors divested its endowment holdings from Sudan. This is the JTA article that reported that event.
  
  
• Speech: The FAQs of Genocide: Four Questions Frequently Asked of a Jewish Darfur Activist
  By Rabbi Brant Rosen
  Speech delivered on April 29, 2006 at a JRF gathering the night before the Save Darfur rally in Washington, D.C. The speech answers common questions asked by Jews in assessing the importance of this issue. It is a forceful argument for full engagement by the Jewish community in efforts to stop the genocide in Darfur, Sudan.
  
  
• Ritual: The Spiritual Dimension of Justice
  By Rabbi Shawn Zevit
  Prayers, songs, and text study meant to be used to focus and inspire those set out to do social justice work.
  
  

There is exciting activity happening on the reauthorization of the PEPFAR AIDS legislation. (PEPFAR = President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief).

JRF is a partner with the American Jewish World Service (AJWS) in the Jewish Coalition Responding to HIV/AIDS in Africa.

The PEPFAR legislation will be "marked-up" in the House foreign affairs committee on Wednesday, February 27th at 9:30 am (and may be televised on C-SPAN).

There are two important action items:

1. A conference call with Ruth Messinger on Monday, February 25, 2-3pm
2. An email action alert

More details follow below:  read more »