A central part of our work at JCRC, in good times and bad, is to ensure that government and civic leaders are listening to, understanding, and addressing the interests and values of our Jewish community. I emphasize the plural “s” on each of those because rarely are we uniform in defining those priorities and concerns. This week, I want to lift up one specific area … Continue reading The Jewish community is committed to social distancing
Most people don’t remember that 9/11/2001 was a major primary day in New York City. I cast my vote for a nominee for mayor just minutes before the first tower was struck. After the second tower was hit, the governor rightly suspended the voting for two weeks. The notion of postponing the general election briefly became an issue, when the term-limited incumbent floated the idea … Continue reading Defending democracy during a pandemic
In the early weeks of this sheltering experience, I’d find myself getting a little bit annoyed by some of the posts I was seeing online. There was, and is, a certain amount of “competitive suffering” going on; a sense that the particular circumstances in which I was under lockdown (or not) were worse than yours. As I sat with these, and in some moments felt … Continue reading Meeting the Challenge of this Moment
I hope that this finds you managing as best as one can in this challenging time. It is difficult to absorb and process all that is happening in our world, and all that has ceased to happen – at least for now. We at JCRC, as always, are rooting our response in our understanding of our core purpose. We are advocating to uphold the social … Continue reading Our community is taking action
Each week, I use this message to convey a sense of the challenges that face us as a community and share the many ways that we at JCRC address them. This week, as we prepare for Passover, I am delighted to share our 2019 Impact Report with you. Here you can view in one place, the many ways in which your support has enabled us to raise our voices and deepen … Continue reading Sharing our 2019 Impact Report
This week, a message from Executive Director Jeremy Burton and Director of Synagogue Organizing Rachie Lewis: In this unprecedented time, many of us are figuring out what work and community look like from our homes and from safe distances. At JCRC, as we stay connected to our colleagues and partners over zoom—often distracted by a coworker’s bookshelf, or child, or snack—we are constantly discerning: What … Continue reading Staying Proximate from a Distance
1. Take our Pathways to Peace Learning Series: Now more than ever, we need to find ways to connect with our neighbors. We live in a global community where stories from around the world can unite and inspire us. Join us for Pathways to Peace: a six-part series featuring Israelis and Palestinians telling their stories of identity, friendship, and cohesion even during a time of … Continue reading Ways to Volunteer and Take Action During Coronavirus
My, how rapidly the world has changed this week. Yet I am hopeful. We’ll get through this. And I believe we’ll be stronger for it. As Garrett Graff wrote this week, what we are doing now to #FlattenTheCurve is a “collective act of almost unprecedented community spirit, a fundamental statement of how we stand together as a species.” I was watching a comedy on Netflix … Continue reading Taking Action, Staying Connected
With the World Health Organization declaring a coronavirus “pandemic” this week, we are all entering a new and difficult phase of this challenge to normal life. Earlier this week, in response to Governor Baker declaring a public health emergency here in Massachusetts, JCRC began taking significant steps to limit in-person social interactions through our staff and programs. Today, Friday, we have moved to a remote … Continue reading Building connections while we’re separated
This essay was originally published in The Times of Israel. “Our challenge is less to calm the forces that are pelting our society than to reinforce the structures that hold it together. That calls for a spirit of building and rebuilding, more than of tearing down. It calls for approaching… institutions with a disposition to repair so as to make them better versions of themselves.” – … Continue reading AIPAC and How Bipartisanship Matters