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Grounded in values of rachamim, mercy, Teshuvah, repentance, and in the understanding that human beings are created b’tzelem Elohim—in the image of God– T’ruah’s rabbis and cantors across the state are leading their communities to fight against mass incarceration and to strive toward a world built on community-care and justice.
The MA cluster of T’ruah chaverim are part of a coalition of organizations and communities supporting the #NoNewWomensPrison campaign, an effort led by formerly incarcerated women and their families to stop construction of a new women’s prison in MA.
The campaign’s legislative focus is a five year moratorium on new prison and jail construction, but the campaign itself goes further, arguing that the $50 million dollars slated for a new women’s prison should instead be invested into communities in the Commonwealth most affected by incarceration.
The organizations at the helm of the campaign, Families for Justice as Healing and The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls, are also focusing on Reimagining Communities– organized efforts to create alternatives to incarceration and policing in their own communities.
Meet our Massachusetts Organizer
Michaela (she/they) believes strongly in the power of community organizing to usher in transformative change. She was introduced to the world of organizing through Jewish-led social movements and went on to work as a field organizer and as a regional field director on a 2020 presidential campaign and as a field director for a progressive MA-based congressional campaign. She graduated from Dartmouth College (where she was involved with a variety of student-led organizing efforts) with a BA in Anthropology and Creative Writing. She currently lives in Somerville, MA with her dog.
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Shabbat Hazon: Massachusetts Reimagining Communities Sermon & Study Toolkit
T’ruah invites Massachusetts clergy to use this toolkit as a way to connect the decarceration of women and girls in the Commonwealth with Shabbat Hazon.
