“A Jew is asked to take a leap of action rather than a leap of faith.” – Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
Hello everyone,
We hope you are doing well and are staying safe. To say there is a lot going on in the world right now is a massive understatement. Our people are hurting, the world is hurting. We can’t just sit idly by and watch. In Judaism, we are taught to practice Tikkun Olam which means “repair the world”. Our world is broken and has been for some time now. It’s long overdue for us to repair it.
Repairing the world comes in so many forms. When we usually think of repairing the world we think about activities like: planting trees, organizing a food drive, helping to build a house, hosting a fundraiser, and volunteering in our community (just to name a few). However, the possibilities are ENDLESS. We can repair the world by taking care of others in our community, no matter their race, sexual orientation, gender identity, etc. No matter how we do it, it needs to get done!
What happened to George Floyd, and what has happened to countless other people of color, is murder. There is no question about it. What’s happening in response to that murder, is a movement of voices expressing their discontent to our government officials. People of color are sick and tired of being oppressed and their allies are sick and tired of it too. Black people and their allies are using their first amendment right to fight for social change.
Over a thousand people who were protesting got arrested before all four officers involved in the murder of George Floyd. Over a thousand people who were practicing their first amendment right to protest got arrested; while those who have sworn to protect and serve the American people and failed to the highest degree, have not been arrested. Actions speak louder than words, and the actions of our governments (both local and national) are speaking volumes. So, let’s be louder!
Overwhelmed with where to start? Here are some actions you can take right now:
- A Masterlist of Ways to Help (including places to donate, petitions to sign, and more!)
- Participate in Week of Action
- Sign the #JusticeforFloyd Petition
- Reclaim the Block: List of Organizations to Donate to
- Support Black Congresswomen in Congress
Looking for a way to donate money, but don’t have any money to spare? Some YouTubers receive money for the ads that are put on their videos. Some of these YouTubers are donating all of the ad money they receive on certain videos to organizations that will help further justice for people of color. Please watch these videos in their entirety. Do not skip ads. Leave them on in the background if you’d like! Replay them. Share them. Here’s a list of SOME of the videos we’ve come across: Fundraising YouTube Videos
Want to educate yourself? Looking for some Summer reading? Here’s some books we’ve seen recommended on social media”
Books about Racism, Black Experiences, Black Feminism and Black LGBTQ+
Free Black History Library from Charles Preston
Here’s a list of Black Owned Independent Bookstores from which you can try to purchase these books. Don’t have money for books? See if you can check them out of your local library as ebooks using the Libby or Overdrive apps!
There’s a lot of misrepresentation when it comes to the protests and actions of different individuals. Media twists a lot of what happens at these protests to make them seem more harmful and to make the protestors out to be bad people. Here’s one article that points some of those out: List of Hoaxes and Misleading Posts – Buzzfeed
There is still a lot of work to be done. We (Amanda and Marissa) are not perfect and we don’t know everything. We have a lot of learning to do. We didn’t want to fill your time with another post about how bad we feel about what’s going on. Words can only do so much. We wanted to help you do something now. We all have the power to change the world and we wanted to give you a place you can start.
Keep this conversation going far beyond the trending hashtags. The hashtags will soon enough fall lower and lower on the trending list. Please do not let this issue get pushed aside when that happens. Always fight for social justice; especially when it’s not “trending”.
To be Jewish is to believe in social justice. As Elie Wiesel once said, “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”
Do good, stay educated, and wash ya hands.
Amanda & Marissa
