Synagogues Reaching Out
By Kristin Erekson
The Jewish Advocate
Boston's Jewish community is one of the first to engage in a national initiative that puts social justice at the forefront of synagogue outreach.
Congregational-based community organizing (CBCO), a model of activism that relies on lay leaders to help identify and solve societal problems, is of high importance to many area rabbis, as they see it as a tool to strengthen relationships among congregants.
On Feb. 11, more than 25 Jewish leaders from across the Bay State attended the second national gathering of the growing synagogue-organizing movement in Santa Clara, Calif., to discuss their involvement in the initiative.
"The congregation's role is to not only support and console the congregants about the challenges in their lives, but also to help them collectively improve their circumstances and meet those challenges head-on," said Elana Kogan, director of synagogue social justice programs at the Jewish Community Relations Council or Greater Boston. "Boston is taking a leading role on this model."
In partnership with the JCRC's Greater Boston Synagogue Organizing Project and the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization, a group that aims to develop leaders to fight social justice, local religious heads and congregants are learning to engage with other faith institutions in one-on-one conversations tackling social challenges. The original CBCO model was created in the 1920s by the Industrial Areas Foundation, an organization dedicated to making social changes.
Congregants at Temple Israel of Boston, who became involved in the program five years ago, have been instrumental in collecting signatures and meeting with policymakers about improvements to the state's health care legislation.
"This initiative allows us to really enact the heart of our identity as social justice doers," said Temple Israel's Rabbi Stephanie Kolin, noting that the Reform synagogue is now engaged in confronting the ongoing genocide in Darfur. "We're excited that Jews in America are moving in this direction to take responsibility for what's broken," Kolin added.
In December, Newton's Temple Emanuel held a kickoff event for "Hillel's Call to Action," where more than 300 people pledged their commitment to elder care and the environment.
Sarah Lamstein, a member of the Conservative temple's core group that orchestrated the community-organizing initiative, previously had told the Advocate: "The effort came about because people who were the social action chairs had been doing all kinds of surfacey things-a coat drive, soup kitchens-the kinds of feel-good things that don't get at the root cause of poverty and poor health."
In collaboration with more than six area congregations, Rabbi Eric Gurvis of Temple Shalom of Newton has also been holding CBCO training sessions for interested members. By the end of this month, individuals will begin engaging in one-on-one conversations about issues of concern.
"Frankly, I believe this is going to change the dynamics in [our Reform] congregation," Gurvis added. "I think it's going to enable us-in our own small way-to change the world."
Jewish Funds for Justice (JFSJ), a public foundation that aims to build a powerful Jewish justice movement, launched a national initiative in 2002 to encourage synagogues to take on the CBCO model. Since then, JFSJ-who organized the Santa Clara gathering-has been able to boost the number of synagogues participating in the program from 30 to 80, according to Benjamin Ross, director of organizing for JFSJ.
Union for Reform Judaism's Rabbi Jonah Pesner, who is trained in CBCO and implemented the system at Temple Israel of Boston, delivered the keynote address with Rabbi Toba Spitzer of West Newton's Congregation Dorshei Tzedek at the second national gathering this past weekend. He spoke to more than 250 synagogue leaders, clergy, organizers and faith leaders around the country about how "power comes through organized people."
