by Lauren Goldstein
JCUA Intern, Advocacy and Community Organizing

In Photo: Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle urging commissioners to vote in favor of the amendment (photo taken by Open Communities).

Over the last year JCUA has been a partner in the effort to pass the Source of Income Amendment in Cook County, which will effectively outlaw (finally!) discrimination based on source of income in Cook County. This is already the case in the City of Chicago, but the rest of Cook County has been lagging behind. This has allowed landlords to deny Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher holders the right to apply for residence in their units.

Today, May 8, 2013 the Cook County Board of Commissioners voted YES to amend the Human Rights Ordinance so that those with Housing Choice Vouchers will no longer be legally discriminated against based on their sources of income. Today, the Cook County Board of Commissioners voted YES for a county where discrimination of this type will no longer be tolerated.

The discussion prior to the vote was moving and powerful. Among other speakers, Cheryl Johnson, Executive Director of People for Community Recovery and longtime Altgeld Gardens resident and environmental justice activist, silenced the crowd with her moving words that proved impossible to disregard. A young mother of three and previous volunteer coordinator for the Obama campaign, also a Housing Choice Voucher holder, empowered the crowd to recognize that the stereotypical face of voucher holders is truly only a stereotype, and challenged the commissioners to see voucher holders as the strong, hardworking, veterans, mothers, fathers, and PEOPLE that they really are.

Following a separate roll-call of votes from the Commissioners, as well as astounding speeches in support of this amendment from Commissioner Garcia, Commissioner Sims, and Commissioner Suffredin, equal opportunity came to fruition amidst the celebratory applause, hugs, and words of praise from the audience.

While today is a day to celebrate justice won, we urge you to not forget the reality in which this discussion is rooted. It is concerning that in 2013 we must still debate whether to allow discrimination to thrive and to be codified into law.

Today we thank our partners in this campaign, especially Open Communities (who have led the fight and coordinated our collective efforts), Metropolitan Tenants Organization, Access Living and others.

JCUA will continue to work so that one day we may live in a society where basic human rights and equal protection under the law are no longer a point of contention. Until then, we hope you will celebrate this victory with us, and remember, as Dr. King said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

In suburban Cook County, a person can be discriminated against by a property owner or landlord if they happen to pay their rent with a Housing Choice Voucher (formerly known as Section 8).  This is codified discrimination happening in our very backyards.

As a partner in the Source of Income Campaign, JCUA supports an amendment to the Human Rights Ordinance of Cook County which would make such discrimination illegal.  The Source of Income protection amendment to include Housing Choice Vouchers as a protected class under the county’s fair housing ordinance is included in the Human Relations Committee Report from July 24, 2012.  This protection already exists in Chicago and we want to mirror that protection for the suburbs.

The Cook County Board of Commissioners are voting on the report TOMORROW, Wednesday, May 8th at 11:00 AM.  We need your help to stop housing discrimination!  Please call your Commissioner (find your commissioner here, contact info below) and tell them:

In the vote tomorrow, please vote YES in support of The Human Relations Committee Report from July 24, 2012

JCUA will be at the vote and we invite you to join us:

Wednesday, May 8th at 11:00am in the County Board Chambers (118 N. Clark Chicago, IL; 5th Floor).

Please get there early to secure a seat or standing space.

Commissioners Contact Information:

by Lauren Goldstein
JCUA Intern, Advocacy and Community Organizing

On Wednesday, May 1, JCUA joined thousands of families, individuals, activists, advocates, and organizations to march for just and compassionate immigration reform.

In photo: Rabbi Alison Abrams, JCUA’s director of organizing, at the march.

It was a beautiful spring day (finally!) – perfect for coming together for social change. We arrived at Union Park at 2:30 to the sound of drums beating, people chanting, and flags waving. We then joined the march, which was just getting underway. We marched alongside allies from the Erie Neighborhood House, Logan Square Neighborhood Association, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (of which JCUA is a member), Unite Here, Rabbi Joshua Salter from the South West Organizing Project, Community Renewal Society, and many, many more.

The energy was high and the atmosphere was buzzing with excitement as the march converged with another march for immigration reform that started at a different location, so that we could all march together as one large group into the Loop to Federal Plaza.

As we weaved through the afternoon rush amidst businessmen and women, bicycles, taxis, and buses, the group continued to sing and shout chants such as “What do we want? Immigration Reform! When do we want it? NOW!” and we soon closed in on Federal Plaza. The rally continued at the plaza with the goal of sparking excitement and change for the future.

The need for comprehensive immigration reform, the necessity that we stop deportations, that we stop tearing families apart, is growing ever more important with each passing day. The time has long been here to change our current system so that we may be a more humane, compassionate people. On May Day, JCUA marched united with the many people in our city who work tirelessly for change, and we are honored to have had the opportunity to be a part of this vital change.

See footage from JCUA’s march on May Day:

For more on JCUA’s work for immigrant rights, visit:

http://www.jcua.org/immigration

Leiah Moser

Internship Focus: Rabbinical Fellow, Or Tzedek
School/Program: Reconstructionist Rabbinical College

Leiah just finished her second year at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. As a rabbi in training, she has a deep interest in finding new ways to build spiritually engaged, inclusive communities of prayer. In addition to blogging about issues of identity and gender diversity within Judaism, she is active in service leading at a number of local congregations, particularly at Dorshei Derech, the Reconstructionist minyan at Germantown Jewish Centre, and has been involved this year in Mitzvah Mensches, a service program for adults with special needs at Mishkan Shalom. She’s looking forward to spending the summer in her former hometown of Chicago, and can’t wait to get to know and work with this year’s Or Tzedek participants!

Beth Filipiak

Internship Focus: Community Development, Organizing and Advocacy
School/Program: Loyola University Chicago, MSW and MA in Social Justice

Having received her BA in Sociology, Beth spent the next several years in direct services and as an Assistant Director for a Low-Income Senior Housing Management Company.  During this time, she also volunteered twice with a holistic development organization in the Philippines, living, working and learning with this organization for almost a year a half total.  Currently, she is in her final year of a dual master degree program at Loyola University Chicago where she is working toward her MSW and MA in Social Justice and Community Development, with a potential for a certification in Non-profit management and philanthropy. Beth will be with JCUA through December, 2013.

Rachel Aaronson

Internship Focus: Or Tzedek
School/Program: Grinnell College (incoming)

Rachel is currently finishing up her gap year of service with the Americorps program City Year, an education based non profit dedicated to solving our nation’s high school drop out crisis. She’s spent the year working full time as a tutor and mentor in a 6th grade language arts classroom in Orlando, making sure all of her students are given the tools necessary to succeed both in and out of the classroom. She graduated from Chicagoland Jewish High School in 2012, and will be attending Grinnell College in the fall. As an Or Tzedek alumna and an avid advocate for social change, Rachel cannot wait to return to JCUA for this summer!

Jessica Cohen

Internship Focus: Communications
School/Program: Johns Hopkins University, English/Sociology

Having grown up in Chicago, Jessica is now a student at Johns Hopkins University (Class of 2016). In high school she volunteered with kindergarten and nursery school children, primarily as an assistant teacher at K.A.M. Isaiah Israel’s Sunday School program. Jessica has a strong interest in communications, and has pursued journalism and graphic design as an editor for her high school yearbook. She is currently a staff writer for her college newspaper, the Johns Hopkins News-Letter, and is a Layout Editor for the undergraduate public health research journal, Epidemic Proportions. Jessica also volunteers once a week at a soup kitchen in Baltimore that supports battered women, and is a member of the Johns Hopkins’ Sexual Assault Resource Unit.

Eliana Fisher

Internship Focus: Or Tzedek
School/Program: Barnard College

Eliana is a student in the double degree program with Barnard College and Columbia University and List College at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Eliana was a participant in Or Tzedek’s 2011 summer program, and a JCUA volunteer in summer of 2012. She feels that these experiences with JCUA and Or Tzedek were truly life-changing and she is really looking forward to working with Or Tzedek and JCUA again this summer.

Margaret Port

Internship Focus: Jewish-Muslim Initiative
School/Program: Vassar College

An Evanston Township High School graduate, Margaret just completed her freshman year at Vassar College.  She plans on pursuing a double major in psychology and political science.  Her other interests include playing violin, swimming, and volunteering at the Pediatric Development Center in Chicago.

Ione Barrows

Internship Focus: Community Organizing and Advocacy
School/Program: University of Chicago

A Massachusetts native, Ione is an undergraduate at the University of Chicago majoring in History and Gender Studies. She has previously worked as an English tutor at a public school in Woodlawn and is currently an intern at jU Chicago, a campus organization dedicated to redesigning Jewish traditions and engaging Jewish students on campus through innovative programming. She lives in Hyde Park.

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Find out more about internship opportunities at JCUA by visiting:
www.jcua.org/internships

Questions about internships at JCUA? Contact:
Asaf Bar-Tura
Director of Programs
asaf@jcua.org

JCUA marches in solidarity with the people of Postville, Iowa, 2008.  » See more photos

On Friday, May 10, 2013 a gathering commemorating the fifth anniversary of the Postville, Iowa immigration raid will take place in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The purpose of the event is to remember the 389 persons who were arrested on May 12, 2008, to reconcile with those who contributed to the injustices, and to advocate for the reform of immigration policies.  JCUA was very involved in the efforts five years ago and we continue to be committed to worker and immigrant justice.

The event will begin at noon with a remembrance ritual in front of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa, 111 7th Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids.

A “Walk for Justice” will follow at approximately 12:20 p.m. to Immaculate Conception Church, 857 3rd Ave. SE.  Here an interfaith prayer for reconciliation and a call for reform of our immigration policies will take place around 1:00 p.m. The assembly is being planned by a wide coalition of those involved in the response to the raid as well as those affected.  It will include immigrants who were part of the 2008 raid, church representatives who ministered to the immigrants and their families, lawyers who saw the injustice of the system, as well as others who are concerned about immigration reform.

The remembrance ritual is being held in front of the federal courthouse because of the court’s role in the raid and its significance to the ongoing national conversation about immigration.  Postville was one of the largest raids in American history and it devastated families and ripped an entire community apart.  We now must move forward to make sure Congress takes the necessary action to reform our immigration system—making sure we provide a path to citizenship, protect workers and end raids.

More information is at www.lirs/postville-anniversary.

RSVP:

If you are interested in going to Cedar Rapids with JCUA, please contact Rabbi Ali Abrams at alison@jcua.org.

We ask that you join us in standing with those held at Broadview and their families by participating in the vigil with us.

Click here to RSVP.

When:

7:15 AM – Vigil begins at Broadview Detention Center.

Where:

Broadview Detention Center
1930 Beach Street, Broadview, IL

Transportation:

• Once we know who wants to come, we will plan for transportation for those not driving.
• When you RSVP , please indicate if you need transportation.

Contact person:

Rabbi Ali Abrams
JCUA Director of Organizing
Alison@jcua.org

RSVP here.

Date:

• Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Schedule:

• 2:00 PM – Gathering at Union Park
• 3:00 PM – March Begins
• 4:00 PM – Rally at Federal Plaza (Jackson St. and Dearborn St.)

JCUA Meeting Area:

Option 1: Meet us at 2:30 PM (Union Park)

• You can arrive at Union Park via Ashland-Lake CTA train (Green and Pink lines)
• JCUA members will be at the northeast corner of Ashland and Washington (see photo of meeting area). Look for the JCUA sign!

Option 2: Meet us at 4:00 PM (approximately) at the rally (Federal Plaza):

• When the march arrives at Federal Plaza, JCUA members will gather between the Calder sculpture and the federal building. (see photo of the meeting area). Look for the JCUA sign!

RSVP:

• Let us know if you plan on coming. It will make coordinating much easier!
• RSVP here.

With any questions, please contact:

Rabbi Ali Abrams
JCUA Director of Organizing
Alison@jcua.org

Guns are not toys. This, I think, we can all agree on. I would venture a guess that even those who don’t believe in stricter gun control laws accept that guns can be dangerous and should be used with care, and most importantly kept away from children.

 Imagine my surprise when, the other night, I stopped in my local Mexican restaurant to pick up a burrito and was met with a 50 cent machine dispensing very realistic-looking, if less than life-size, “Guns n’ Grenades” key chains. For the low price of half a dollar, you too, can arm your son or daughter with a training weapon.

One of the reasons I was so shocked was that it seems so obvious. Giving a child a toy gun will not teach them how serious and dangerous such weapons are. It will not teach them to avoid guns for their own safety. It will not teach them to approach guns, if they ever must, with a strong sense of responsibility.

It will, instead, teach them that guns are fun toy to play with. It will teach them that it’s fun to pretend to shoot guns at your friends. It will teach them that guns can be carried around in your pocket all day, forgotten about and put through the wash on accident.

In the same way that giving children candy cigarettes will teach them that it is okay, fun even, to smoke later in life, it should be clear that accustoming children to violence and weapons when they are young is no way to ensure a safe future for them.

The US Senate, in turn, has not been doing its part to make this country safe from gun violence. It is a disappointment that gun control legislation, which is so painfully relevant in this day and age, could not make it passed the senate this week.

I live in one of the most violent cities in the country, which also happens to be one of the most segregated cities and have one of the worst public education systems. There are times when I have to wonder how many young people my age will actually live to be the age where they can say they were born and raised here in Chicago.

Sophie Leff

My generation is being decimated and the US Senate, the gun lobby, and the private sector are not only standing by and letting it happen, they are pushing gun toys into the hands of young children.

It is unacceptable to perpetuate this kind of cavalier attitude towards guns and violence for a profit, especially when  the consequences will  include thousands of young lives.

Danny Obeler and Miriam Grossman, activists and Jewish leaders who have previously staffed Or Tzedek’s winter retreat and summer programs, will be joining us for all three sessions. Rachel Aaronson and Eliana Fischer, Or Tzedek summer alums and Chicagoland Jewish High School graduates, will be our program interns this summer.

Welcome to all of our wonderful staff and to our 2013 Or Tzedekers. We can’t wait to get the summer started.

Miriam Grossman is finishing up her first year at Chicago Theological Seminary, studying Liberation Theology and Interfaith Engagement. Over the past year, Miriam has also been a Rabbinic intern at Mishkan, a vibrant, independent Jewish community in Chicago, and a student at SVARA, a yeshiva for “Traditionally Radical Judaism”.

She is one of the founding members of Jewish Solidary in Action for Schools (JSAS) and one of the contributing authors of Mizvah Stories (Reclaiming Jewish Press) which is currently nominated for a National Jewish Book Award.

Before returning to school, Miriam was the Chicago program director of AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps and worked as a community organizer at JCUA.  She can’t wait to spend the summer with all of the Or Tzedek teens!

Danny Obeler currently works as a Chicago Education Advisor at Jewish Student Connection. Originally from Buffalo Grove, Danny graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2010 with degrees in International Studies and Political Science.

The previous year, Danny did AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps, working at the Washington DC Jewish Community Center as the Behrend Builders and Community Service Coordinator.

When not at the Jewish Service Corps, Danny plays guitar, drinks green tea, rides his newly built bicycle, and advocates for social justice issues, especially around sustainable food systems. Danny is so excited for another fun-filled and amazing Or Tzedek experience!

Eliana Fisher is a student in the double degree program with Barnard College and Columbia University and List College at the Jewish Theological Seminary.

Eliana was a participant in Or Tzedek two summers ago, and a wonderful JCUA volunteer last summer. She feels that these experiences with JCUA and Or Tzedek were truly life-changing and she is really looking forward to working with Or Tzedek and JCUA again this summer!

Rachel Aaronson is an alumna of Chicagoland Jewish High School (class of ’12) and will be attending Grinnell College in the fall.  Rachel participated in Or Tzedek three years ago and  feels as though her experience continues to impact her today, as her involvement in the program helped her find her passion for education reform.

This passion led her to take a gap year between high school and college to work for City Year, an education-based non-profit dedicated to rectifying the nation’s high school dropout crisis. Rachel can’t wait to spend the summer working for a program that helped develop her personal commitment to social change!

Early in the morning of April 5 2013, members of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs stood alongside the Sisters of Mercy and other interfaith partners in prayer and in strength to support those being deported from the Broadview Detention Center.

In the shadow of the barbed wire fencing and the county jail buses, amidst police vehicles and officers, and beneath a waving American flag, words of prayer and songs were shared to illustrate our solidarity with our brothers and sisters currently being detained in this country. Standing with us were a few families waiting to say goodbye to their family members. Vigil participants told the families that we were all there to pray with them, and that they are not, and never will be, alone.

Judy Levey – executive director of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs – offered an opening prayer for the vigil as we all joined together to sing “The World is Narrow Bridge” (see video below). Prayers were offered, proclaiming we will keep in our hearts those being deported, the families been torn apart, those living in fear and uncertainty, and the leaders of our nation who have the power to make a change. Above all, prayers expressed hope that the spirit of love be more powerful than the spirit of hatred and discrimination.

Participants learned the names of a number of individuals being deported that day to countries around the world, from Albania to Guatemala, for no reason other than administrative paperwork error. Those present were called to contact our elected officials and plead for comprehensive, compassionate immigration reform. We were moved to act now – to create and affect change now – to fight for justice now.

Buses with detainees leaving detention center for airport

Each day across the country families are destroyed by this inhumane immigration policy, and we have the power to organize and achieve change. We were reminded that we, too, were strangers, and survived by the grace of a helping hand. It is now our turn. As we stood together and bore witness to the cruelty occurring every day, we hope to have infused those leaving Broadview Detention Center this morning with the strength they need to carry on, and the knowledge that they are not alone.

Please join us in fighting for comprehensive Immigration reform. Stay tuned for upcoming events and opportunities to help us as we fight for a better and more just society for all.

For more information on JCUA’s immigration work, contact:
Rabbi Alison Abrams
JCUA Director of Organizing
alison@jcua.org