Organizing in the Jewish Community

Organizing in the Jewish Community By Lew Finfer

This guide is intended to help community organizers, clergy, and lay leaders better understand Judaism and Jewish congregations (synagogues) so that you can better develop relationships with congregations in the Jewish Community. It is my hope that as these relationships deepen, current synagogue work will become more effective and new synagogues will begin to get involved in faith-based community organizing. I write as a community organizer with 36 years experience, as a Jew who belongs to a synagogue, and as organizer with interfaith community organizations for the past 16 years.

First, you need to be clear on why you want to organize in synagogues. Synagogues can offer your organization many gifts for your organizing—a rich theology and set of traditions that add a tremendous amount to interfaith conversation, an energetic set of leaders who are often invested in discussion and learning, a community that takes its commitment to social justice seriously. However, as with other minority communities, it will take time to build trusting relationships with synagogues, and welcoming synagogues into your network will require a new sensitivity to cultural and religious differences (group prayer, food, meeting times, etc). These challenges and opportunities are not so different from the ones that organizers, leaders and organizations face with new congregations of any denomination; the process of developing relationships, understanding self interests and assessing power is critical to any congregation’s first steps with organizing. For our network to become truly interfaith and representative of the diversity that exists in our communities, we need to able to include the talents, traditions, practices, histories and experiences of as many institutions as possible—so let’s keep going down that road. Below are some things to understand about Judaism and the Jewish community as you begin or continue to develop relationships with the Jewish community.

A Little Bit About Jewish Identity and Jewish Tradition: Rabbi Mordechai Kaplan, the founder of the Jewish community’s Reconstructionist movement (explained later) defined Judaism as “the evolving religious civilization of the Jewish people.” This definition captures many of the complexities of Jewish identity. For many Jews, Jewish identity is about far more than a set of religious practices. Most Jews see themselves as part of the Jewish people whether they are “religious” or not. The word “civilization” captures this idea—being a part of the Jewish people is about feeling connected to a community, a culture, a set of values, a language, a history, a calendar, a land, a set of laws, etc. It’s not just about identifying with Judaism as a religion (although that’s part of it for some). The word “evolving” is also critical to Jewish identity. Jewish tradition values questioning, and modern Jewish communities constantly struggle with the tension between keeping with tradition and allowing room for a “living” tradition to evolve. The fact is that Jewish tradition has evolved with many influences over the last few thousand years, and many Jewish communities encourage creativity and innovation as part of religious life and tradition. Still, while particular minhag, or custom, may vary from community to community, many traditions will look very similar no matter which synagogue you go to. See the rest of this packet for more information about Jewish life and practice.

Organization of the Jewish Community and the Synagogue: I. The Movements About 40-50% of those who identify as Jews are affiliated with a Jewish religious institution. The Jewish religious world is divided into about 6 different “movements,” or denominations. Roughly 80 percent of American Jews who are involved in synagogues are affiliated with one of the four “liberal” movements: Reform (40%), Conservative (36%), Reconstructionist (3%) and Renewal (1%). About 15 percent belong to “traditional” or “orthodox” denominations, namely Modern Orthodoxy and Hassidism. Differences between the movements tend to be more around theology and practice and not necessarily around political differences. However, synagogues affiliated with the liberal movements tend to have more liberals, while traditional and orthodox movements have more conservative members.

II. Rabbi as Teacher and Spiritual Leader “Rabbi” literally means teacher in Hebrew, and while it’s true that the role of the Rabbi has become “professionalized,” the Rabbi is not usually the one running things at the synagogue. The traditional role of the Rabbi is one of teacher and spiritual counselor, not necessarily “leader” like the Pastor of a Church might be. Many congregations have professional staff directors who are in charge of administration and fundraising. Synagogues also usually have active boards that make many decisions without the Rabbi’s lead.

III. Urban or Suburban Jews were immigrants to the United States and have a city tradition. However, as most Jews became middle class they followed the post World War II dream of moving to the suburbs. While many Jews live and belong to synagogues in suburbs. Cities now attract younger Jews and some middle age professionals so some new temples are forming there and some of have joined city located temples that never moved even if more of their members were in the suburbs. Temples located in cities are prospective partners in organizing because of their presence in the city many organizations are choosing to be more metropolitan, city and suburb, because of where population has shifted and more and more congregations have members living in both the city and suburbs.

Some Things to Know When Organizing in Synagogues: Torah and the Exodus Story The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh includes three sections: Torah (the first 5 books of the Bible or the five books of Moses--Genesis to Deuteronomy), Neve’im (the Prophets) and Ketuvim (meaning writings—Psalms, Ecclesiastes, etc.).

The Exodus story is a central Jewish text and a central theological idea. The Passover Seder, the ritual “re- living” of the Exodus from Egypt, is celebrated by Jews annually and is an important gathering of family and friends. The Exodus story is rich source of learning and important to use in faith reflections amongst leaders and clergy. The book Exodus and Revolution, by Michael Waltzer is one helpful resource. Waltzer writes: “So pharonic oppression, deliverance, Sinai, and Canaan are still with us, powerful memories shaping our perceptions of the political world....We still believe, or many of us do, what the Exodus first taught, or what it has commonly been taken to teach, about the meaning and possibility of politics and about its proper form: first, that wherever you live, it is probably Egypt; second, that there is a better, place, a world more attractive, a promised land; and third, that ‘the way to the land is through the wilderness.’ there is no way to get from here to there except by joining together and marching.”

Using the Exodus story is a great way to build community between Jewish and Christian leaders. IN addition, there can be a special resonance between Jews and African-Americans in use of the Exodus story because the story of freedom from slavery has inspired both groups through histories of oppression.

A faith reflection using passages from the Exodus story and questions about where people identify their current “Egypt” or “wandering in the wilderness” or “promised land” can lead to powerful story sharing and connection.

Tikkun Olam Translated as “repair of the world,” Tikkun Olam is a key principle of Jewish learning and obligation. This particular phrase comes from the Mystical story of creation in which the vessel holding G-d’s power before the beginning of creation burst and shattered into pieces that became everything in our universe. Each piece holds a spark of divine essence that longs to be re-joined with other pieces. Doing the work of Tikkun Olam is literally repairing the world by brining those sparks of the Divine back together. The story has particular resonance for organizing work—we can talk about 1-1’s and relationship building as the work of connecting the sparks of the Divine that are housed in two different people. Connecting the sparks within many people is the literal Jewish translation of “power is organized people.”

Prayer How to offer inclusive prayer can be a challenging question for an interfaith community organization. While Jews for the most part see Jesus as a learned teacher and prophet, they do not believe in Jesus’ divinity. As a result, praying as a group in the name of Jesus can offend Jews and make them feel that they are being excluded from the organization. On the other side, if you have a policy of excluding Jesus from interfaith prayers, some Christians might feel that their faith is being watered down. An alternative policy is to ask all those who pray publicly in interfaith settings to clearly state that they are offering prayer in their personal faith tradition and invite others to participate as they are comfortable. Some Jews may still be offended despite this framing, but most of the time, if there is equal “air time” for different faiths to share their tradition, public prayer can become an important opportunity for learning and relationship-building.

Prayer also serves a slightly different purpose in Jewish tradition. Jews have liturgy for specific times of the day and year and also have blessings to recognize particular moments (a blessing when something new happens, a blessing when seeing a rainbow, before eating a specific food, etc). While it is Jewish custom to recite blessings for particular moments, it is a little out of Jewish tradition to offer a made-up prayer (or reflection) on the spot. Most rabbis and Jewish leaders however will adapt and recite an actual prayer or blessing and then explain it.

As a “reflection” many Jewish communities do have a tradition of doing shared text study or offering a d’var Torah (literally, words of Torah). The person offering the d’var might give a short teaching/sermon or he or she will pass out a text and discuss it with the whole group. Like the PICO notion of a reflection, a d’var Torah puts the meeting agenda in the context of Jewish faith values.

Shabbat and Other Issues of Time Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath, is observed from sunset on Friday night to sunset on Saturday night. Linked to the seventh day of rest that G-d observes after the creation of the world, Shabbat is a time for reflection, study, prayer and family time. Different communities have different customs, but broadly speaking, Friday night and Saturday are strictly non-work times. Observant Jews do not drive, write, carry or spend money, cook, clean, use the phone, etc. during Shabbat. Those who observe Shabbat will not usually attend trainings or meetings during Shabbat, so it’s always a good thing to check in about. Most synagogue-goers would prefer that events be scheduled on Sundays or weekdays, and your organization’s understanding of that and willingness to be creative about meeting times will help build trust with synagogue communities.

The issue of Shabbat brings up the issue of time in general. Much of Jewish tradition recognizes the holiness of time over the holiness of space. Whether related to the holiday cycle or lifecycle events, Jewish communities have a rich tradition of “lifting up” moments in time as holy by doing or not doing certain things. This can be an adjustment for non-Jewish folks working with the Jewish community, but can also be a rich opportunity to talk and learn about different ways of expressing faith.

Self-Interest Like some other middle-class people, some middle-class Jews struggle with voicing self-interest. When asked what they care deeply about, they may talk about issues that they feel like they “should” care about like homelessness, rich-poor divide, etc. They may be worried about time pressures, raising kids in a secular world, anti-Semitism, quality of education (even in suburbs), healthcare (particularly mental health services), but may not feel they “should” bring these up. THIS IS NOT IN ANY WAY TO SAY THAT ALL JEWS ARE WELL-OFF OR THAT THEY DO NOT STRUGGLE PERSONALLY WITH ISSUES OFTEN CONSIDERED “LOW INCOME” ISSUES. The Jewish community is incredibly diverse in terms of income and education, and many Jews may feel tentative to “come out” within their community about their experiences. As trust deepens, good 1-1 work in synagogues should probe for people’s daily struggles and help synagogues find their true institutional voice. Many members of the community may feel like they are not supposed to

The Continuity Self-Interest When working in synagogues, you may often hear the term “Jewish Continuity.” This term has become a buzz word in the Jewish organizational world and refers to the rate at which Americans who identify as Jews (particularly younger people) “affiliate” with the Jewish community (mostly measured by whether or not they are members of synagogues). Leaders in the Jewish community are VERY worried about the rate that American Jews are “assimilating,” or becoming more removed from Jewish institutions, tradition and community. Activities that help bring Jews (particularly young people) into synagogues and other Jewish institutions are highly valued. All Reform and Conservative synagogues have “Continuity” programs that focus on Jewish learning and outreach to non-members, and some do specific outreach to encourage interfaith families to join. In this way, the work of congregation-based community organizing with its focus on congregational leadership development, engaging and activating a large number of members and building a strong social justice message that may attract young and/or liberal unaffiliated Jews connects well to the self-interest of congregations. As in other congregations, listening campaigns (through 1-1’s, small group/house meetings, after-service meetings) can be used to challenge people to come forward and be part of congregational life around what is important to them both within congregational life and within the wider community. The JFSJ publication listed at the end entitled “Faith Based Community Organizing: A Unique Social Justice Approach to Revitalizing Synagogue Life” explains more about this connection.

Power Jews know that some Jews have power. But Jews are sensitive about non-Jews feeling that they are disproportionately powerful or well to do because it connects to fears about anti-Semitism (particularly in the form of statements about and accusations of Jews being much more powerful than they actually are). Compare this to how any racial or ethnic group can criticize some of its own members, but can get defensive about others outside their group criticizing some of them.

Some Potentially Sensitive Issues: Anti-Semitism Jews are fearful of and attuned to anti-Semitism as it happens in the United States and around the world. Jews in the United States more often than not have experienced anti-Semitism directly. Old anti-Jewish slurs still exist in our culture and are often used in day today conversation: ex. “Jewish lightning” is slang for arson and “Jew him down” is slang for bargaining for a lower price. Compare these to “paddy wagon” which is slang for a kind of police vehicle but this slang word comes from when predominantly Protestant police forces arrested lots of Irish Catholic immigrants in the 19th century. While anti-Jewish violence has diminished in the last decade, instances still occur widely, and some Jews worry that their acceptance in non-Jewish communities is fleeting and cannot be trusted. The relationship-building focus of congregation- based community organizing can help deepen synagogues’ connections with other faith communities and in turn, may help lessen these fears.

Jews and the New Testament The Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37 recounts how a Jewish priest/Pharisee/Rabbi and a Jewish Levite pass a seriously wounded and robbed man by on the road but a Samaritan (a people who were not Jewish) stops and aids him. The point of the parable is to contrast formal religious beliefs with true love and compassion. But imagine how a Jew could feel hearing this told by a Christian clergy person as a faith reflection at an interfaith meeting. The Pharisees, who are depicted as cold hearted, jealous bureaucrats in parts of the New Testament, were religious leaders who also helped save the Jewish faith over the centuries. Certainly some were cold-hearted bad men, but imagine how conflicted a Jew might feel about hearing these texts read aloud without framing. The much-quoted Rabbi Hillel was a Pharisee. He’s the one who said, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And if I’m only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?” As with diversity of any kind, it’s important for leaders to clarify the essence of teachings based on texts or writing that seem to single out a particular group. If leaders and organizers are thoughtful about pointing out places in text that might be problematic for some, listeners will be much more able to take in what’s being taught.

Israel Every congregation and almost every individual Jew pays attention to Israeli politics. With the continual safety and security concerns related to the Palestinians in the occupied territories, Jews have a wide variety of opinions about what the Israeli government should do about peace and security issues. The organized Jewish community is incredibly good at organizing around Israel issues. Israel is a very touchy subject even within most congregations—the existence of the Land of Israel has powerful ties to some people’s Jewish identity that connect to experiences with Diaspora and anti-Semitism, Holocaust memories and biblically- based religious beliefs. As a result, many, many liberal Jews feel deeply conflicted about the political situation in the Middle East. As organizers or leaders of a congregation-based community organization, what you offer is a chance for synagogue leaders to focus on local, state and national issues. Many synagogue-goers are looking for this opportunity.

Divestment Proposals by several Protestant denominations and by some other organizations to divest in companies doing business with Israel are very contentious issues in the Jewish community. Many Jews feel that stances that outside groups have taken on Israel at the least do not take into account how complicated the Israel issue is for Jews and at the most are anti-Semitic. Put yourself in the place of Jews who feel they have the only truly democratic government in the Middle East and greatly resent being equated with the Apartheid government of South Africa. That doesn’t mean that many Jews don’t also disagree with many policies the Israeli government and West Bank settlers have towards Palestinians, but they don’t see themselves as the South African Apartheid government either.

Muslims Because of the situation in Israel, many Jews—particularly American Jews—seek relationships with Muslims, and organizing efforts that involve both Muslims and Jews can bring these communities together. Some Jewish congregations have already formed relationships with mosques and Muslim groups on their own as well as through participation in a congregation-based community organization. Some historical tension exists between the Jewish community and the Nation of Islam, one smaller branch of the Muslim faith, because of anti-Semitic statements made by particular Nation of Islam leaders.

Immigrants Jews often have a strong identification with immigrants because of their own family experience as immigrants and as refugees from the Holocaust. The Torah also explicitly reminds us to act justly toward immigrants because “you were once strangers in the Land of Egypt.” However, a smaller number of politically conservative Jews may hold anti-immigrant sentiments that are unfortunately also present today in our country.

Labor Unions Many of the grandparents of Jews were active members and leaders in labor unions--the International Ladies Garment Workers Union and the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union, which have become part of UNITE/HERE, once had many Jewish garment workers as members. Jews are still active in unions now as organizers, leaders, and members. However, some Jews are owners, bosses, and landlords so it can get complicated just as it is for people in other denominations.

Resources 1. Jewish FundS for Justice is a national foundation that funds community organizing. Founded by Jewish organizer and singer Si Kahn, JFSJ gives organizing grants and has recently expanded its work getting synagogues involved in FBCO. Their publication, “Faith Based Community Organizing: A Unique Social Justice Approach to Revitalizing Synagogue Life,” is a helpful resource for organizers, leaders, clergy and congregations who are looking for ways to talk to synagogues about organizing. In addition to other grants, JFSJ offers Synagogue Challenge Grants that can be used as part of a synagogue’s first year dues to a faith- based community organization. Visit: www.jfjustice.org or call 212-213-2113 (Simon Greer, Director; Ben Ross, Director of Organizing).

2. Notably, within PICO, the San Francisco Organizing Project, Peninsula Interfaith Action and People Acting in Community Together (San Jose) have had a lot of experience working with synagogues. In 2005, the three organizations in partnership with the Jewish FundS for Justice launched the Bay Area Synagogue Organizing (BaySO) initiative which combines outreach to synagogues, staff and leader training and Rabbi discussions. To learn more, contact Erika Katske at SFOP ([email protected]).

3. The Greater Boston Synagogue Organizing Project is working with synagogues in a unique program to enable them to understand congregation based community organizations, to find their own voice and determine their own self-interests. Meir Lakein, an Orthodox Jew, former director of Brockton Interfaith Community and an extraordinarily talented person, leads the Boston project. Contact: [email protected].

3. The Jewish Organizing Initiative (JOI) places younger Jews in community organizing jobs and brings them together for reflection and learning. It has many resources on its web site such as their publication there called “Jewish Community Organizing Workshops”. Michael Brown is the Director and can be reached at: [email protected]. Visit: www.jewishorganizing.org. 4. The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism is the Social Action center of the Reform Movement. The RAC will launch its Just Congregations Project in July ‘06, led by Rabbi Jonah Pesner, formerly the Rabbi at Temple Israel in Boston, a long-time member of the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization. The initiative will be working with Reform congregations who want to get involved in FBCO. Visit: www.RAC.org for more information and a variety of other Jewish social justice resources.

5. There are MANY online resources if you are looking for more general information about Judaism and the Jewish Community. Be careful though—not all of them give accurate information. Two places to start are www.MyJewishLearning.com and www.SocialAction.com.

Written by Lew Finfer, Director of the Organizing and Leadership Training Center (OLTC) 1773 Dorchester Avenue; Boston, MA 02124 -- (617) 822-1499; LewFinfer @aol.com

Lew has been a community organizer since 1970, and OLTC has developed 7 congregation based community organizations in Massachusetts and 1 in Vermont since 1990. He belongs to Temple Shalom in Milton, MA and lives in the Dorchester section of Boston. He has been director of OLTC since 1985. OLTC supports a network of 7 congregation based community organizations. OLTC is affiliated with the PICO national network of faith based community organizations.

This paper has been improved by the comments and suggestions of Meir Lakein of Greater Boston Synagogue Organizing Project, Jenny Oser an American and Israeli organizer, Michael Brown of the Jewish Organizing Initiative, Rabbi Jonah Pesner of Temple Israel/Boston, and Erika Katske of the San Francisco Organizing Project (who thanks Rabbi Mordechai Liebling). I thank them very much for their help.