Jewish Organizing Initiative

Alumni Organize Interfaith Efforts in Foreclosure Crisis

JOI — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:11:01 +0000

As this article shows, members of interfaith organizing efforts in Boston are having a national impact as they fight not just to save their own houses but to make sure that policies are put in place to prevent foreclosure on a much wider basis.

JOI alumni Lauren Jacobson and Dan Lesser, both JOI ’09, are working with the organizations highlighted in this article (the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization and United Interfaith Action which is part of the Massachusetts Communities Action Network respectively) to make sure that people are able to advocate for themselves against unfair policies. Read more in the Boston Globe!

Community Garden at Clarendon Hill Public Housing Development.

JOI — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:01:28 +0000

Thanks to the organizing Rachel Bedick JOI ‘09 has done, there’s going to be a new community garden at the Clarendon Hill Public Housing Development. In December, the Housing Authority granted the committee Rachel has been working with 1,575 square feet of land for a garden and access to water and annual help maintaining it. Read more at Wicked Local!

JOI Session | Dec. 18, 2009

Catherine Bell — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:13:44 +0000

In this session, we continued exploring the meaning and evolution of justice in the Jewish tradition. Rabbi Stephanie Kolin led us in a stimulating discussion, beginning by asking us to reflect on lessons derived from our last session together: What is the meaning of justice in the Hebrew Bible? Our answers: one that returns the world to its natural order, that mandates action, that looks out for the vulnerable, that points toward equity, that goes beyond the letter of the law. From then, we staked a comparison, moving onto the early rabbinic period (roughly 0-600 C.E.), examining texts from the Babylonian Talmud and a range of commentaries thereupon. Here our focus was the notion that true justice (or, theologically, true service of Gd) requires going beyond the letter of the law.

JOI Session | Dec. 10-13, 2009

Catherine Bell — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 20:20:39 +0000

The theme of this retreat was power: how do we think about power as organizers, how do we approach building power, and what does it mean to use power responsibly? Meir Lakein led the fellows in an exercise based on the Melian Dialogue by Thucydides, in which the superpower Athens offers the tiny island of Melos a choice: they come under the flag of Athens on a tribute paying basis, or war will ensue. The role plays of this dialogue reveal participants’ views about power, Lakein suggests, and help them understand the “scripts” about power that many of us play out in public life without realizing it. Lakein went on to lead the group in a exploration of power over vs. power with, the tension between the world as it is and the world as it should be, and the issue of compromise. He also facilitated the fellows’ exploration of the following questions about their work: Who am I helping to build power? To what end? How? What stands in my way?

The fellows created multi-faceted Shabbat experience to share with one another, with individual fellows planning and leading two services and two group activities. The themes of the Shabbat were joyfulness, peace, sustainability, and community.

Later in the retreat, Rabbi Alissa Wise facilitated a training on anti-oppression work and how it connects to the fellows’ practice of mussar. Starting with a timeline recounting the history of White Supremacy in the US, and a look at how US Jewish history relates to that, Rabbi Wise led the fellows in exploring principles and practices of anti-oppression work, the traps that commonly befall anti-oppression activists, and the ways that mussar practice can support the work we do to disrupt sexism, racism, homophobia, anti-Semitism, and many other forms of oppressive behaviors and systems.

Finally, JOI staff member Rebecca Herst led a discussion of the article “The Tyranny of Structurelessness” by Jo Freeman, guiding the fellows though an exploration of the myth of “structurelessness,” and how informal and formal structures within groups impact the groups’ ability to meet their goals.

JOI Session | Dec. 4, 2009

Catherine Bell — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:19:19 +0000

We are digging into the Jewish legacy of social justice through biblical text study. To set the historical context, Rabbi Stephanie Kolin started our session with the first appearances of the concept of justice in ancient civilizations. We then worked through text from the Torah, the Prophets, and Writings. What does it mean that we are reminded over and over that we were once slaves in Egypt? To treat others as we would want to be treated? Why is the text, which is read by the ruling class, include a warning that the corrupted rulers are too far removed from the widow and orphan to even have the chance of experiencing empathy? And what are the texts trying to tell us when they lump the priests’ helpers, a highly respected population, in with the widows and orphans? And again, what is with all the repetition? We looked at different instances when “true justice” was evoked, when the human element is taken into consideration over strict constructs of written law. It is in this type of justice, the bringing together of righteousness and justice that we find an established equity. This word, mishrim, is closely rooted to the Mesopotamian misarum- a cosmic state of balance and what is closest to the order of creation.

JOI Session | Nov. 20, 2009

Catherine Bell — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:16:26 +0000

This session we discussed the first chapter of the book There Shall be No Needy: Pursuing Social Justice Through Jewish Law and Tradition by Rabbi Jill Jacobs. In pairs, we reflected on little known laws like the Sabbatical Year, every seventh year when all debts are forgiven, and Jubilee Year, every 50th year when all land is returned to its original owner. Inspired by these ancient concepts of justice we used a Theater of the Oppressed exercise to imagine a world without inequality or oppression.

GBIO hosts Dem Candidates for Senate

JOI — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:22:12 +0000

Over 800 people came together on Sunday night November 14th to ask the candidates for Senate to work together on issues like bringing more jobs to Massachusetts, ensuring the strength of the Massachusetts health reform, lowering high credit card interest rates and making higher education more accessible. All 4 Democratic candidates came and made commitments to the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization to work together. GBIO has hosted 2 JOI Fellows, Lisa Vinikoor, JOI ’07 and Lauren Jacobson, JOI ’09. Read more at the Boston Globe!

JOI Session | Nov. 6, 2009

Catherine Bell — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:40:38 +0000

At Friday’s JOI session, fellows revisited the art of the 1:1, paying special attention to the role agitation plays in these intentional meetings. Together with Rabbi Stephanie Kolin, the group discussed what makes a good agitation, including respectful pushing, trust and the ability to tie action to a developing leader’s self-interest. We also read from the Book of Esther, in which Mordecai agitates his cousin Esther to act in her own self-interest and that of her family to defend the Jews from potential annihilation. Agitation can be the tool that turns on the light bulb for people who have accepted powerlessness in their lives or with regard to a particular issue. By changing the way others think about circumstances they have accepted as unchangeable, organizers can begin to build power and develop new leaders.

JOI Session | Oct. 30, 2009

Catherine Bell — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:39:03 +0000

At this session, Fellows workshopped “stories of self” that they had a week to prepare. Prior to the session, Fellows were asked to reflect on a story that would help its listener to understand why the Fellow was organizing now. At the session, each fellow was given 5 minutes to tell her story to the group, and then the group had a short period of time to respond each story with positive feedback, constructive criticism, and suggestions for improving the story. Through this process, individual Fellows were able to hone their own specific stories, and also work on the more broadly applicable skill of crafting and helping others to craft powerful organizing stories.

JOI Session | Oct. 23, 2009

Catherine Bell — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:37:32 +0000

This week we started our discussion on how to use stories to articulate values and build relationships. Telling our stories lets us explain why we’re doing this work. Stories can be especially important when coming into a community as an outsider. We shouldn’t be ashamed of our privilege, but we should be able to answer honestly why we’re there. We’re not selfless people, so what’s in it for us? It can also be helpful to bring our own problems to the table at times. Just because we have privilege doesn’t mean we’re flawless.

Learning how to elicit stories from others is also important. It lets us focus future interactions based on the information we gained about the person. By starting with your own story you can set the stage for what kind of conversation you’ll be having and what you expect others to share. Constituents usually haven’t been through the story telling workshops we have, so developing their story can take a whole conversation (or longer) and many thoughtful questions.

Although stories are valuable, they’re more than just commodities. When sharing stories, and especially when listening to others, it’s not just about what we learn from the story and how we can use that information to move people. Sharing stories is a way to connect with another person and reflect on your own life, and we should respect that process in and of itself.