Workers’ Rights Examined in Jewish-Muslim Text Study

Reflections on Our Text Study on Workers’ Rights

By JMCBI

Just before May Day, the traditional celebration of workers’ rights, we came together to explore what Jewish and Muslim traditions contribute to the current discussion on labor.

Sponsored by JCUA’s Jewish-Muslim Community Building Initiative, this text study featured Rabbi Victor Mirelman and Muslim chaplain Abbas Chinoy who facilitated the event on a rainy Sunday evening in the comfortable Dollop Café in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood.

The need to contemplate labor issues has gained urgency around the Midwest. In Wisconsin, only a few months ago Gov. Scott Walker made it almost impossible for public employees to organize; and in Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is also changing the city’s relationship with its employees. It wasn’t even a month ago that Gov. Walker repealed the Equal Pay Enforcement Act that had offered legal avenues to fight wage discrimination based on race, age, disability, religion and sexual orientation.

Muslim chaplain Abbas Chinoy (at top, in photo at left); and Rabbi Victor Mirelman (in center of photo at right).

The evening began with this question: How have worker rights (or lack thereof) influenced peoples’ lives?

While one participant had very positive experiences with her union, another expressed her disappointment with the union of which she had been a member; she said she had been neither well informed or well cared for.

Ramsey Retrospective: Long and Winding Road

Chicago Jewish News Profiles JCUA President Jane Ramsey

By Judy Levey
Chief Executive Officer, JCUA

Congratulations to Jane Ramsey, the subject of a major cover story in the Chicago Jewish News (March 16, 2012). As we announced recently, Jane was named to the new position of president after many years as executive director. In the article, writer Pauline Dubkin Yearwood chronicles Jane’s many contributions to JCUA.

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Long and Winding Road
By Pauline Dubkin Yearwood

There are so many memories, so many accomplishments, they tumble forth from her so fast, she sometimes has to stop and catch up with herself for a minute.

The day after Sept. 11, when a Jewish organization reached out for the first time to the Muslim community as a partner in eradicating hate.

The press conference at the Robert Taylor Homes, when the public took notice for the first time of what the Chicago Housing Authority was doing to residents there.

The time a coalition of Jews, Latinos and African Americans, wanting to send a message to Sears about jobs, flooded the teller lines at the bank on the first floor of the then-Sears Tower, leading to an elevator shutdown – and a meeting with Sears officials.

The successful effort to wrest a Pilsen housing complex from the forces of gentrification and save it for the area’s low-income residents.

And the many quieter, less public successes: a curriculum on Judaism and urban poverty that now reaches some 30,000 students; an Urban Mitzvah Corps for college students; voter registration drives; and, most cherished, joining forces with groups from other Chicago ethnic and religious communities to fight against poverty and oppression.

That’s only a small part of what Jane Ramsey recalls as she looks back over her three decades as executive director of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, a 48-year-old organization that works in partnership with other Chicago communities on social justice issues.

Read the rest of this story at the Chicago Jewish News website

Jews and Muslims Share Stories of Immigration

Reflections on our Jewish-Muslim Text Study on Immigration 

“So many talk about it. JCUA and JMCBI DO it. Bringing the people together and learning about each other’s experiences and traditions is very moving and shows how much we have in common.” 

–Ray Grossman, Text Study Participant, February, 2012 

Being a stranger in a strange land is an experience that is familiar to Jews and Muslims in the United States. In the text study on Feb. 23, Jews and Muslims gathered at the beautiful Dollop Café to explore what our traditions tell us about immigration. The discussion was facilitated by Imam Abdul-Malik Ryan (the Muslim Chaplain at De Paul University) and Asaf Bar-Tura (Associate Director of Programs at the JCUA and Ph.D. Candidate at Loyola University Chicago).

We began by reflecting on our own connection to immigration in our personal lives and histories. One participant said that though her family had been in the U.S. for three generations, she still caught herself speaking in patterns similar to her grandmother from Europe. Another woman shared that she had grown up in the U.S. with her family’s memories of their homeland, and stepping into her parents’ home is like a trip to Pakistan. We learned that migration is tied to memories, to what was left behind, and passed on from generation to generation.

Jewish-Muslim Text Study: “Women in Judaism and Islam”

By JCUA’s 2011-2012 Intern
From Action Reconciliation Service for Peace (Germany)

Our first Jewish-Muslim text study of 2012 was new and refreshing in a number of exciting ways.

First, it was the first text study facilitated by a female Muslim chaplain. Second, it was the first text study facilitated by two women – Tahera Ahmad from Northwestern University and Rabbi Andrea London from Beth Emet. And, third, for the very first, time the topic of the text study was gender-related and specifically on women: “Women in Judaism and Islam.”

At JMCBI's January text study, participants discuss the roles of women in Judaism and Islam.

Over coffee at the Adriatic Café in trendy Andersonville, this group of 25 people – mostly women – settled in for an evening of discussion and learning.

A Dialogue Between Imams and Rabbis

Imam Ousmane Drame of Masjid Al-Farooq (from left), Rabbi Asher Lopatin of Anshe Sholom Bnai Israel Congregation and Karen Danielson of the Mosque Foundation.

By Asaf Bar-Tura
Associate Director of Programs, JCUA 

Over the past year JCUA has been partnering with the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago and the Chicago Board of Rabbis to create a unique forum in which imams and rabbis in the Chicago area can break bread, exchange ideas and collaborate.

The first meeting took place in April, 2011, and the second meeting held on Dec. 13, 2011.

The group of participants is as diverse as one can imagine. Coming from all over the city and the suburbs, from a range of ethnic and racial backgrounds, men and women, from Orthodox to Reform, the group truly represents the diversity of our communities.

The main topic of discussion at the last meeting was “Challenges and Opportunities in Transmitting Religious and Communal Identity to the Next Generation in America.” The meeting was co-facilitated by Rabbi Michael Balinsky and Imam Senad Agic.

JCUA and our partners believe in the importance of building relationships among our spiritual leaders as part of a larger effort to foster collaborations between the Jewish and Muslim communities in Illinois. All partners are committed to continue to provide a platform where faith leaders are able to share ideas and engage in open-dialogue about issues pertaining to their respective communities.

Rabbis and imams interested in participating in the citywide Chicagoland Rabbi-Imam Dialogue Initiative should contact Asaf Bar-Tura at asaf@jcua.org. The next meeting is scheduled for late February 2012.

What Dr. King and Rabbi Salanter Might Have Said about Lowe’s and Racism

In commemoration of Martin Luther King Day and in solidarity with the American Muslim community, on Sunday, Jan. 15 JCUA’s Jane Ramsey spoke at an interfaith town hall meeting concerning Lowe’s anti-Muslim actions last month. The town hall meeting took place at the Prayer Center of Orland Park.

See media coverage of the event:  Southtown Star | Enews Park Forest

Watch the full town hall meeting on YouTube (see Jane Ramsey’s speech from 8:00 to 15:45).

Here is Jane Ramsey’s full speech at the event:

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born 83 years ago today. Assassinated over 40 years ago, his powerful legacy lives on. Dr. King fought on behalf of and with oppressed communities, not in defiance of American ideals, but in their name. His famous words echo strongly as ever:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

Dr. King emphasized that though our past, as well as our present, are engulfed by the oppression, racism and discrimination that targets minority communities – as a society, we all face a common future.

Jane Ramsey (from left) Amina Shareef, CAIR-Chicago; Jan Shaulis, Faith United Methodist Church; and Anya Cordell, writerJane Ramsey and other speakers at a panel discussion about Lowe's. (Photo: Enews Park Forest.)

The Jewish Council on Urban Affairs stands strong here today with you, stating loudly and clearly that the outrage felt by Muslims, and by all people of good will, regarding Lowe’s shameful actions reflects our outrage. Lowe’s cowardice in buckling to the right-wing Florida Family Association’s demand that it pull its ads from TLC’s reality show “All-American Muslim” and subsequent justifications by Lowe’s for these acts, are deeply offensive and attack the very core of our democracy.

JCUA Condemns Attacks Against Muslim Institution

The Jewish Council on Urban Affairs condemns the attacks against the Islamic cultural center and the three other locations in Queens, New York on Sunday, Jan. 1.  We denounce the attempts to bring fear and intimidation to the Muslim community.

As a Jewish organization committed to combating racism and Islamophobia, we will continue to advocate for civil liberties and civil rights of the Muslim community in the United States.  There is no place for religious intolerance in New York or anywhere in this country.

The United States was founded on principles of religious freedom and over the course of  its history has enormously benefited from the diversity of its population.

“As Jews, members of another faith community that has long known religious intolerance and, solely on the basis of our religious affiliation, been the target of violence, discrimination and hate crimes, we are outraged by these senseless acts against our Muslim brothers and sisters.  We call upon all persons of faith and good will to condemn these and any such  attacks and pledge to stand in solidarity with the  Muslim community,” said Jane Ramsey, executive director of JCUA.

Developing story can be found here.

Cafe Finjan: Calling All Artists

We are seeking work that explores the theme “New Roots Chicago: Digging our past and branching into our future.” The experiences of nurturing a home, and tensions between uprooting and rerooting in the Chicagoland area will be the key issue for our 2012 annual Jewish/Muslim performing arts event.

Jewish and Muslim poets, singer-songwriters, storytellers, comedians, actors, dancers, bands, visual artists or filmmakers can apply today. We encourage both professional and non-professional artists to apply.

Send an email to cafefinjan2012@gmail.com NOW, but no later than Wednesday, Feb. 1. Include your name, contact information (phone and email), a description of your performance piece, samples of your art (mp3s, links, videos, photos) if possible, and the community (Jewish or Muslim) with which you identify.

CAFE FINJAN 2012
Date: Thursday, March 15, 2012
Time: 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Location: Columbia College, Conaway Center, 1104 S. Wabash, Chicago

RSVP Online

 

Muslims and Jews Explore Traditional Texts on Economic Justice Issues

Note: The next Discussion over Coffee will take place Wednesday, January 18th. Topic: Women in Judaism and Islam. Stay tuned for details.

In the comfortable and warm Bourgeois Pig Cafe, Jews and Muslims gathered on a cold but sunny December afternoon. In times of foreclosure, unemployment, poverty and homelessness, they came to explore what their traditions say about economic justice.

Participants, facilitators and organizers put together chairs in a big circle with a few tables on the side for their coffee. Approximately 15 people came, eager to learn more about the topic and each other’s stories.

The event organizer from the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs welcomed everyone and introduced the facilitators – Rabbi Alison Abrams from Temple Chai and Imam Abdul-Malik Ryan from DePaul University – and gave a quick overview of the structure of the text study. Everybody then shared their names and why they were interested in the issue.

Interfaith Press Conference Opposing the National Defense Authorization Act

Dec. 15, 2011 marked the 220th anniversary of the Bill of Rights. On this day Asaf Bar-Tura represented the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs at an interfaith press conference opposing the provisions allowing indefinite detention in the National Defense Authorization Act. These were his words at the press conference:

“Throughout the ages the Jewish community believed, and still believes, that we ought to guide ourselves in the tradition of our prophets – Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, and others – who stood steadfast in the gates of the city, said what some did not want to here. The prophets, those who speak truth to power, are often vulnerable, marginalized, isolated.

Throughout the history of this country, the rights to due process, to legal representation, to a fair trial – have all been the last defenses available to those most vulnerable and discriminated among us. The Jewish people remember all too well what can happen when people are stripped of their own rights, in their own land. When the light of justice, of just laws and institutions is dimmed, then civility is abandoned and darkness prevails.

President Obama: in a few days the Jewish community will begin lighting candles in celebration of Hanukkah. We say that we create light to drive away the darkness of our times. In these days we remember the times when we were oppressed, our freedoms taken away, and we rededicate ourselves in this season to the struggle to live freely.

We urge you today to drive away the darkness. Stand up for civil rights. Stand up for human rights. Do not – in the name of the fight against terrorism – bring terror into our communities. Defend all Americans. Veto this bill.”

Other speakers at the press conference included:

Alie Kabba
Executive Director, United African Organization
Board President, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights

Sufyan Sohel
Deputy Director, CAIR-Chicago

Imam Misbahudeen Ahmed Rufai
Executive Board Member, Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago
Professor of History, Malcolm X College

Maaria Muzaffar
Muslim Bar Association

Rev. Larry Greenfield
Executive Minister, American Baptist Churches of Metro Chicago

Razan Abu-Hashish
Activist, Immigrant Youth Justice League