Dear Social Justice Friends,
With the coming of November our thoughts turn to Thanksgiving and an “early” Chanukah. I personally am thankful for a renewed sense of hopefulness and for all the exciting announcements in this Newsletter. So many wonderful leaders of our Congregations are working towards equal rights and justice for all, in so many different ways.
I know there will be several opportunities to help our neighbors throughout the holiday season so I am hoping to “publish” a special edition of our newsletter to keep you informed. There is one announcement at the end of the Newsletter on how we can all help our neighbors have a Thanksgiving meal.
With best wishes for a safe and enjoyable November,
Marion Pollock
Tzedek Newsletter Editor
Immigration News
TSARP Update (Temple Shalom Afghan Resettlement Project)TSARP (Temple Shalom Afghan Resettlement Project) is making good progress towards the assignment and arrival of a Temple Shalom sponsored Afghan family. Thanks to generous support from TS members and community partners from several churches, the funds raised so far have allowed us to move forward on the housing front and we are close to identifying an apartment. Once an apartment is identified a family will soon be assigned. Meanwhile, work on assembling household items and furniture is ongoing; clothing and food efforts will begin soon, and we’ll start to mobilize those who’ve signed up for direct work with the family. Please reach out to
tsarp4849@gmail.com if you want to volunteer and haven’t signed up yet; donations are still needed at
https://www.templeshalom.org/donate (choose Afghan Resettlement from the dropdown.)
Hias (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) ActionsHIAS has been helping refugees and other immigrants for well over 100 years.
You may be interested in this action encouraging the administration to permanently end the Remain in Mexico program. Click
here to sign their petition.
Freedge UpdateThanks to Jane Hirschhorn for her continued role as administrative Co-Chair of the Freedge initiate. She has been joined by David Ryter as a co-team captain. Our thanks go out to these two leaders who keep Temple Slalom’s involvement in this community project organized and efficient. We are looking for a new Co-Chiar, this role can be done from home and expert training is provided. Please contact Rabbi Abrasley if you are interested
labrasley@templeshalom.org
Voting RightsWe have been working with JALSA (Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action) on a postcarding campaign to reach out to new voters in Florida. Our Temple Shalom team sent almost 700 postcards to Florida in October. There will be an upcoming campaign in Pennsylvania this month and we'd love to have more people participate. Please contact Arlene Pressman
ar.pressman@gmail.com if you are interested.
Reproductive FreedomOn October 21, the Sisterhood and Tzedek Team co-sponsored a wonderful program about Jewish Tradition and Reproductive Rights. We learned that there is MUCH to be done to protect reproductive freedom. If you missed this outstanding discussion (or if you'd just like to hear it again) here is the link to the recording.
On October 27, the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) formally launched a campaign, 73Forward , to increase on the ground access to abortion care for anyone who needs it. Check out the website to see what actions YOU can take now to advocate for policies which increase abortion access.
Racial JusticeOn November 2, join us for the Rothman Scholar Zoom discussion with Professor Cheryl Greenberg: African Americans/Jewish Americans.
Explore the history of the collaboration between African American and Jewish Americans in relation to the Civil Rights Movement and the tensions that arose. This talk will help to better understand the challenges of contemporary political action.
Registration is on the Temple website. Follow up to this event is being planned, with workshops, discussion groups and additional speakers, so stay tuned.
Exciting NewsRAC-MA (Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism) will most likely "launch" in the months ahead. A steering committee of rabbis and lay leadership (of several Reform congregations in MA) have been working diligently to secure the funds to support this effort. A job description for a community organizer is being drafted and the national RAC office anticipates posting the job soon. Temple Shalom has been supporting this effort andwe are proud that Rabbi Abrasley is a member of the steering committee.
Last one of the year!
