To start off their Community Organizing Fellowship year, the new Fellows participate in a 5 day long orientation retreat. This year, they took action together and were part of a a voter registration drive with the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. On August 26th, there was a big naturalization ceremony at Faneuil Hall and the Fellows were there to greet the new citizens and help them register to vote. In total we registered . . . → Read More: Orientation Retreat Voter Registration Drive
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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 . . . → Read More: JOI Session | Dec. 18, 2009 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. . . . → Read More: JOI Session | Dec. 10-13, 2009 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 . . . → Read More: JOI Session | Dec. 4, 2009 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 . . . → Read More: JOI Session | Nov. 20, 2009 |
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