Resources

T’ruah’s complete Jewish guide to the New Sanctuary Movement is here in a revised and expanded edition! This resource includes: Background information on sanctuary and immigration, placing them in the larger context of white nationalism and America’s history with immigration Concrete steps to take An original essay grounding sanctuary work in Jewish tradition and text...

On the 9th of Av, 5772, I had to attend the wake of a close friend who died suddenly at the age of 24. It was the first time I ever fasted on Tisha B’Av. I wasn’t raised with any observance or even knowledge, really, of the day, and even as I became more observant...

If you’re like me, the intractable status quo between Israel and the Palestinians is really getting you down. Ever since Yitzhak Rabin’s handshake with Yasser Arafat on the White House lawn nearly 24 years ago, my heart has been given over to the Oslo accords. An Israel and a Palestine, existing side by side in...

“The most urgent, the most disgraceful, the most shameful and the most tragic problem is silence.” These words were spoken by Rabbi Joachim Prinz, one of two Jews to speak at the March on Washington in 1963 alongside the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. Rabbi Prinz knew of which he spoke, having served the Jewish community...

Zeal—In this day many of us are fired up. It is easy to see the injustice. It shouts at us every time we open our Facebook feeds, its red face looks up at us from the newspapers at our feet. We march, we sing, we chant. We scream out in agony demanding change. A while...

Commentary on Parshat Balak For the past 10 years, I’ve been leading my synagogue’s children’s school team, yearly, in a 5k walk that likely none of you have ever heard of. The Save Our Homes Walk Somerville is indeed a very small local effort. Its purpose is to raise cash for keeping people on the verge of...

“This isn’t a marathon we’re in. It’s a sprint.” I was privileged to hear Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum say these words to a small group of rabbis last week, and it chilled my blood. It was the exact opposite of what I have been hearing from activists since November 9th, that we need to prepare and...

A text study about the individual and communal responsibility to heal, especially the poor.

Have you ever been in an earthquake? April, 1979 in Jerusalem. Studying for my end of year rabbinic exams. The floor started shaking and then stopped. I relaxed for a moment. Then, it started again. This time I looked to where I might run for safety. In a flash I realize that all that beautiful...

Rabbi Cynthia Kravitz writes about Parshat Sh'lach-Lecha.