Praying with My Legs

When Heschel marched with Dr. King, did he know he was paraphrasing the words of Fredrick Douglass?

Our understanding of Rev Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and his work is a more palatable version of the story. The Civil Rights Movement was not just an era of peaceful protest, but an era of unrest and upset, an effort to try to break down the barriers of systemic racial inequity in the United States. How does the Jewish community, and non-POC communities, engage in racial justice today? This MLK day text study implores you to do self-inventory of your relationship to race.

Written in partnership with Erika Davis.

Jews and the Civil Rights Movement

Jewish people were heavily represented in the individuals that participated in the Civil Rights Movement, what effect did this have?

The narrative of being slaves in Egypt was one prominently referenced as theJewish obligation for involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. How and where did Jewish people show up during this time, and what effect did it have on both the Black and Jewish communities? This Turn the Tables guide, intended to be utilized in chevruta (partnered learning), walks you through various points of view on this relationship. Explore your relationship to Black liberation through various narratives and discussions.

Racial Justice Service Learning

What role can service learning play in the creation of a more just and equitable world? What action and learning must we participate in to help in such a process?

Jewish tradition teaches that the first human was created from dust of the four corners of the world in order for one to not be able to tell an individual to go back from where they came. Oppression and disenfranchisement exist in our society today and how can we combat systemic injustices through moments of learning? This comparative text study explores our relationship to those in our community that come from different backgrounds, and envisions a world of unity through service.