Tikkun Olam for Everyone!
Join the Social Justice Coalition in 2019! Whether it’s advocacy, direct person-to-person action,
tzedakah
, or youth involvement, there’s a place for you to practice
Tikkun Olam
(repair of the world)
.
The Social Justice Coalition is guided by five core values:
tzedek (
righteous justice);
ahava
(love of one’s neighbors and strangers);
rachamim
(compassion);
chesed
(kindness); and
hachnasat orchim
(hospitality).
Social Justice has been part of Beth Emet’s ‘DNA’ since its inception. We can continue that strong tradition and work together to create the world we want to see and not accept the world as it is. Below are some ways to join us in the coming months.
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Every social justice need has a public policy cause. The
advocacy
arm of social justice works to advance policies that welcome the immigrant, address the causes of homelessness and poverty, and rectify the inequities in our criminal justice system.
In January, on behalf of the
Religious Action Center of Illinois (RAC-IL)
, we will be meeting with our representatives in the Illinois legislature to share our concerns and hear the issues they will be championing this year. Consider taking part in one of these meetings. Constituents of Robyn Gabel and Laura Fine should contact
Jan Iltis
; Constituents of Kelly Cassidy and Heather Stains should contact
Judy Caplan
and constituents of Ram Villivalam should contact
Rabbi Amy Memis-Foler
. (Photo from the launch of RAC-IL in April 2018.)
On
Sunday, February 10 from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
(at Lakeside Congregation in Highland Park) we will participate in the
RAC-IL planning assembly
. This promises to be an inspirational and energizing meeting! Be part of the Beth Emet moral minyan and participate in the development of an advocacy agenda for local Reform congregations. Carpooling possible; contact
Jan Iltis
for more info.
The
Advocacy Immigration
subcommittee is looking at the many aspects of the immigration issue and working on an informational and action meeting in early spring. If you are interested in being part of the planning let
Judy Caplan
know.
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The mission of the
social action
arm of the coalition is to provide person-to-person connections and opportunities to help those impacted by current social injustices. Here are some upcoming opportunities that focus on homelessness and immigration issues locally:
12:00 p.m.
at Beth Emet. This intergenerational activity introduces Beit Sefer families to the work of Connections for the Homeless. A shared lunch and discussion followed by children putting together outreach kits for homeless individuals. There are so many ways to get involved. Volunteers are also needed to help set up, prepare lunch, facilitate conversation, and clean up.
Sign up to volunteer
and/or contac
t
Lisa Levine
for more information.
Beth Emet’s
Post Detention Accompaniment Team (P-DAT)
is working with newly released detained immigrants who are seeking asylum. This social justice project is part of the
Interfaith Community for Detained Immigrants
(ICDI). P-DAT is recruiting more volunteers and you also can support this work by contributing to the P-DAT fund at Beth Emet. Contact
Phil Bashook
or
Lizzie Graham
for more information. ICDI has more ways to be involved, such as visiting detained immigrants in detention centers or providing hospitality at the ICDI respite house. To find out more, contact
Jessie Macdonald.
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The purpose of the
tzedakah
arm is to support recipients that promote justice, equality, and social well-being; to educate and engage the congregation about our obligation to perform the mitzvah of
tzedakah
(righteous giving and doing); and to encourage the members of Beth Emet to give
tzedakah
as a regular part of our daily lives. This arm provides funding to deserving organizations that are aligned with the mission of Beth Emet’s social justice work.
The 2019 Spring Grant Cycle of the Tzedakah Fund is now open with a deadline of March 31. Many of the grantees apply via referral from Beth Emet members; we encourage you to reach out to any organization that you strongly believe is doing good work and falls within the grant program guidelines. Any organization that meets the guidelines is eligible; including small or large organizations that focus on addressing problems of basic human needs through social service and social action. Grant applications will be evaluated based on the criteria specified in the grant guidelines.
Learn more.
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Beth Emet’s middle school and high school students are passionate leaders within our community on social justice issues. Our Youth Program aims to not only educate and empower our youth by fostering the knowledge and skills necessary to create cultural and systemic change, but to give our Youth a platform to be leaders in our community. Upcoming opportunities for youth engagement include:
Second Annual Youth Immigration Advocacy Day on February 24 from 12:00 p.m.
-
6:00 p.m.
First initiated after Beth Emet's spring break trip to El Paso, the Kino Border Initiative and other Nogales delegations in Chicago are partnering up for an evening of interfaith prayer, education, and advocacy on behalf of immigration reform. Following an interfaith prayer service, the day will consist of presentations from student leaders, first-hand migrant testimonies, ways to express your voice to your political representatives, and a fair of local organizations working on immigration issues.
Learn more
and/or
RSVP.
This year’s trip, created in partnership with Second Baptist Church and Grace Lutheran Church, is themed
“Our Faiths, Our History, Our Power to Create the Beloved Community” and will take place from
Wednesday, March 27 to Sunday, March 31 2019.
This five-day experience will help participants understand the history of the city of Chicago through the lens of racial and religious communities and the power of interfaith activism to create a more just and compassionate city. Teens from our three congregations will be exploring our histories in the Chicago area by visiting historical sites, houses of worship, and hearing from prominent community members. On the final day of the trip, we will return north to reflect on what we’ve learned and how we can take action to make the Beloved Community a reality. For more information contact
Maia Volk.
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Beth Emet has always been an active congregation in the area of social justice and championing human rights. With all these opportunities, we hope you are inspired to get involved somewhere! If you are not already part of one of these efforts or are not yet receiving emails about these efforts, please let us know. Our email addresses are embedded in the text or listed below. Reach out and we’ll get you connected!
Your involvement is critical to the success of these efforts!
Maia Volk
, Youth Engagement chair and Director of Youth Programs
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