[Event: 10/31] JCUA’s Asaf Bar-Tura Talks About Jewish Social Change at Elmhurst College

On Wednesday, October 31, 2012, JCUA’s Asaf Bar-Tura will be speaking at the Interfaith Forum on Social Justice at Elmhurst College.

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Asaf Bar-Tura

The Interfaith Forum on Social Justice at Elmhurst College t is holding an interfaith panel discussion that brings together diverse faith communities to discuss their approaches to social change.

Here are the details:

Date and time:

Wednesday, October 31, 2012
2:00-3:30 PM

Location:

Frick Center (FC) Founder’s Lounge, Elmhurst College
(See Campus Map)

Speakers:

• Asaf Bar-Tura, Jewish Council on Urban Affairs
• Zeinab Bakhiet, Inner-city Muslim Action Network
• David Weesly, Night Ministry

More than Israel: Steve Keen on Jewish Social Justice Trip to Washington, D.C.

By Steve Keen
Past president and board member, JCUA

Steve Keen

On July 28 and 29 I had an opportunity to travel with several JCUA leaders to Washington, D.C. to meet with congressional leaders and key staff at the White House.

What was most important about our trip was the fact that the administration had an opportunity to hear from progressive Jews that there is more on our agenda than Israel. Among other things, our issues include housing, education, food justice, healthcare, immigration, and women’s reproductive rights.

It was great to meet with several progressive congressional leaders and let them hear our voice on social justice issues, although we also attempted to meet with legislators who didn’t share our viewpoints.

In meeting with HUD leaders

One such legislator was Sen. Mark Kirk, who unfortunately chose not to meet with us. However, we were still able to share our concerns on his “security first” stance on immigration reform by going to his Senate office and speaking with his staff.

What is critical now is that we as the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable determine how to follow up with leaders from Congress and the White House on these issues to keep our voices heard, and possibly take up a suggestion that was made on Friday that Roundtable organizations committed to working on immigration issues join the We Were Strangers, Too: Jewish Campaign for Immigration Reform.

Save the Date: Jurisprudence Dinner 2011

Lowell Sachnoff

We’re thrilled to announce that longtime JCUA friend, civil rights activist and attorney Lowell Sachnoff, will be the recipient of the Arthur Goldberg Social Justice Award as part of JCUA’s 2011 Jurisprudence Social Justice Awards Dinner. Board members Abner Mikva and David Graham will co-chair the event.

Please hold the date of Wednesday, November 16, 2011, from 5:30- 8:45 p.m. for the 2011 Jurisprudence Social Justice Awards Dinner.  The dinner will be held at the Fairmont Chicago, 200 N. Columbus Drive, in the International Ballroom.

For more information contact Pamela Klier-Weidner at pamela@jcua.org.

Or Tzedek: Jewish Teens Working for Justice

Or Tzedek helps teens strengthen their Jewish identity and commitment to social justice.

As part of the program teens: work in Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods; explore Jewish approaches to social justice; develop leadership skills; examine urban issues and their impact; live in Chicago and enjoy the city in the summer; and earn 30-40 community service credit hours.

There’s still time to register for a summer session:

Advanced Session
June 19-26

Regular Session #1
July 10-17

Regular Session #2
July 31-Aug. 7

 

Interfaith Solidarity in Action: Teen Trip to Springfield

By Leah Roth-Howe
Coordinator of Teen Programs, JCUA

On March 9, 2011 Jewish, Christian and Muslim high school students from the Chicagoland area traveled to Springfield, Ill. to participate in a powerful demonstration of interfaith solidarity and advocacy.

Joining hundreds of other committed people participating in Illinois Muslim Action Day, the interfaith teen delegation highlighted the power of interfaith collaboration and civic engagement.

Teens met monthly at each faith’s house of worship—a mosque, a synagogue, and a church–to prepare a platform for IMAD and learn how to advocate for social change through policy and lobbying efforts.

While in Springfield teens met with Rep. Fred Crespo (D-Streamwood) and presented their platform on equitable education for all Illinois students.

Although the teens joined hundreds of other committed people working in solidarity with the greater Muslim community, the group provided a powerful example of interfaith solidarity in action and underscored the need for education reform throughout Illinois.

[Read more about this powerful interfaith teen delegation]

Around the Nation, a Rebirth of Jewish Social Justice

The below article was originally published in The Jewish Daily Forward and was co-written by Jewish Funds for Justice President and CEO Simon Greer and Board Co-Chair Amy B. Dean. The New York-based Jewish Funds for Justice is a partner organization of JCUA.

By Amy B. Dean and Simon Greer

Abraham Joshua Heschel, one of the most pre-eminent rabbis and theologians of the 20th century, was a Jewish leader who insisted that our faith be linked to the struggle for social justice in America.

In the Fight: Abraham Joshua Heschel (center left) joins with Martin Luther King in 1968, at one of many joint appearances. Getty Images

He lived this conviction by actively supporting causes such as the Civil Rights Movement and serving as an adviser to the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. “In the realm of the spirit,” he said, “only he who is a pioneer is able to be an heir. The wages of spiritual plagiarism is the loss of integrity… Authentic faith is more than an echo of a tradition. It is a creative situation, an event.”

This statement identifies one of the central tasks of modern Judaism — the need to ground religious practice in a legacy of Torah study, observance and ritual, and to perpetuate tradition by adapting to contemporary times.