As summer draws to a close, the High Holidays will soon beckon us to reflect on our lives and our individual and communal commitment to
Tikkum Olam
(repair of the world).
The Social Justice Coalition (SJC)
invites you to join the work of
Advocacy
,
Social Action
,
Tzedakah
,
Youth Engagement
-
the four arms of the SJC. Each arm strives to fulfill five core values:
tzedek
(righteous justice);
ahava
(love of one’s neighbors and strangers);
rachamim
(compassion);
chesed
(kindness); and
hachnasat orchim
(hospitality). Join the work of repairing the world through your participation in any of the arms of Beth Emet's Social Justice Coalition.
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As the social justice advocacy group we seek to speak truth to power, learn the details of upcoming legislation, and use the model of congregation-based organizing to address issues of social injustice.
The work of organizing and advocacy does not always yield immediate impact. This is a long game strategy. By focusing on our Jewish values and gaining strength from our collective power we work to maintain motivation, hope and energy as we strive to overcome the injustices we see in our world.
In the past year our group has been actively meeting with legislators, sending emails and letters, and participating in several direct actions.
Working in partnership with JCUA and RAC-IL we experienced the successful passage by the Illinois legislature of three important pieces of legislation:
- The Retaining Illinois Students Equity (RISE) Act, which allows equitable access to financial and institutional aid for those who were previously denied federal aid. This includes undocumented students, transgender students, and African American and other students disproportionately impacted by under-resourced schools.
- Keep Illinois Families Together Act, which prohibits state and local law enforcement from entering agreements which would turn their officers into ICE agents.
- The Private Detention Facility Moratorium Act which bars state and local government agencies from contracting with private companies to operate facilities to detain anyone in government custody, and extends the current moratorium on privatized prisons for civil immigration detention.
For the coming year we plan on continuing our efforts for reform of immigration practices. We are exploring adding work around challenges to reproductive rights and hope to support the work of the Climate Change Social Action Subcommittee in identifying specific advocacy issues around the climate crisis.
Another major effort will be developing a strategy for work on the 2020 election. This includes sharing information with congregants about the proposed amendment to the state constitution to lift the prohibition on a graduated-rate income tax.
Please consider putting your values into action and join us in the effort. Contact
Judy Caplan
for more info or to receive frequent calls to action.
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The work of the
Social Action Committee
is driven by the interests and involvements of its members. There is always a place for your voice, your concerns, your ideas, and your efforts.
Our next meeting is on Sunday, September 8 at 9:30 a.m.
at Beth Emet. Please join us to help develop our vision for the upcoming year and to join any of the current subcommittees.
Two new subcommittees
have formed over the summer and welcome your participation.
The Climate Change Subcommittee
seeks to foster an ethos of stewardship toward the environment, based on Jewish values and the urgent need to be part of the climate change solution. The time to act is now---for our children and grandchildren and all who come after us, and all who share this one beautiful and fragile world. The Climate Change Committee is planning an educational film and discussion series; an environmental ‘challenge’ for the BE community that offers suggestions to positively impact climate change; and a day of awareness next spring. We all care about this critical issue--put those concerns into action and join the work. Contact
Jessie Macdonald
if you’re interested
The Holocaust Subcommittee
is planning a series of events for Spring 2020 to support the need for increased awareness and literacy surrounding the Holocaust. The need for this work is fueled by both the aging and dwindling numbers of survivors combined with the intense reality of our nation’s treatment of detained immigrants. Currently, plans include organizing a panel discussion, a group outing to the Holocaust Museum, and potentially volunteering with programs that support Holocaust survivors locally. This subcommittee is in its early stages of planning and welcomes your involvement. Contact
Lisa Levine
for more information
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In addition to these new subcommittees, there are other Social Action Sub-Committees working in the following areas:
Immigration:
The Post Detention Accompaniment Team (P-DAT)
continues to assist newly released detained immigrants in partnership with the Interfaith Community for Detained Immigrants (ICDI). Beth Emet volunteers now cover two weeks each month. Additionally, a small group of Beth Emet members recently began working with Court Watch, another program of the ICDI. Court Watch volunteers act as witnesses to immigration court proceedings. Contact
Lizzie Graham
or
Phil Bashook
.
Rohingya Cultural Center (RCC) Partnership
: Starting in November, the Social Action Committee is planning a “virtual food drive” to collect money to buy Aldi gift cards for the families of the RCC, many of whom are living just above the poverty line. Stay tuned to EmetMail for more information, or email
Lisa Levine
with specific questions. The RCC is also starting a home tutoring program for moms who want to learn English but can’t come to regularly scheduled ESL classes. More volunteers are needed for a few hours each week; contact
Jessie Macdonald
for more information.
Connections for the Homeless Subcommittee
: Currently this group is working on two events for the upcoming year which include the Connections’ annual Thanksgiving Celebration and a family service event planned for January 19 where volunteers will be making non-perishable lunches. Contact
Sheryl Bartol
or
Stephanie Linn
to get more involved with either of these efforts.
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The Beth Emet Tzedakah Committee grants funds to support causes, organizations and projects 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.
Learn more about how you can contribute and/or get involved.
Tzedakah Spring Grant Recipients
Since 1987, thanks to the Congregation’s generosity, the Tzedakah Committee has awarded 309 grants totaling $134,264. The committee awarded the following five $500 grants during its most recent grant cycle.
Random Acts of Flowers Chicago
improves the emotional health and well-being of individuals in health care facilities by delivering recycled flowers, encouragement, and personal moments of kindness. Their grant will be used to supplement ongoing mental health programming, specifically at their Evanston partner Greenwood Care, located at 1406 Chicago Avenue. This facility serves adults with chronic mental illness, providing psychiatric rehabilitation to its residents.
The Kindness Connection
inspires youth to be lifelong volunteers. Their vision is to create lifelong volunteers who are compassionate, philanthropic, proactive and engaged members of the community by providing meaningful, service learning opportunities to Chicagoland youth. Recently, The Kindness Connection launched Classroom Kindness Kits. Their grant award will be to provide two fifth grade classrooms at Washington School Classroom Kindness Kits to be used during the 2019-2020 school year.
The James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy
serves as a zealous advocate for thousands of Evanston low-income youth and their families in need of legal and social work services. Know Your Rights: Navigating the World of Special Education guides parents and caregivers of children with special needs. Their grant will be used to provide three community-based, "Know Your Rights" training for 75 parents and caregivers.
Connections for the Homeless
serves and catalyzes our community to end homelessness, one person at a time recognizing that safe, stable housing is the foundation from which we each grow and reach our full potential. Their grant award will support their efforts to provide robust drop in services at their 2121 Dewey Avenue location which opened last year and now serves approximately 100 people a month.
Family Matters
partners with youth and families in northeast Chicago to address and overcome structural racism and systemic oppression to build an equitable society. The grant award will assist the five Youth Development programs which engage 95-100 youth providing small group experiential learning projects several days a week to youth ages 7-12 years old. Instruction employs multi-sensory, project-based design and research-based strategies.
Applications
for the fall grant ward cycle are due October 31 with recipient announcements to follow.
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Tzedakah Service Opportunities
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This year, the Tzedakah Committee coordinated several service opportunities. Congregants participated in various food drives. The High Holiday Food Drive to benefit The ARK, Pre-Passover
chametz
food drive (proceeds donated to Connections for the Homeless); after-Passover food drive (proceeds donated to The ARK), and food and paper goods drive donated to the Beth Emet and A Just Harvest soup kitchens before, during, and after Passover. During Passover 2019, the committee collected and distributed 39 bags of groceries for the beneficiaries listed here and collected cash contributions for A Just Harvest soup kitchen.
Once each year, a team of committee members and their families and friends prepare and serve meals to
Beth Emet Soup Kitchen
guests. This year, our soup kitchen service will be on September 25. To get involved with the Tzedakah Committee, please contact
Barry Isaacson.
The Tzedakah Committee is in the planning stages for participation in The ARK's Chanukah Gift Wishes program. Through this program, Beth Emet congregants will have an opportunity to provide gifts requested by The ARK clients.
Beth Emet volunteers are needed to distribute paper grocery bag with a list of items needed from The ARK following services on Rosh HaShanah, Kol Nidre, and Shabbat. Beth Emet also needs volunteers stationed in the parking lot on Yom Kippur (October 9) to assist members with carrying their donations to the two small storage units. Volunteers may also be stationed to neatly organize the donations within the units. Please contact
Barry Isaacson
with any questions about these volunteer opportunities. Thank you for your generosity!
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This year’s Chavayah theme for grades 9 and 10 will be
Taking on the Climate Crisis: Thinking Globally and Acting Locally
. The description of the class is as follows:
With the climate crisis as one of the biggest issues facing our generation, it is our responsibility to engage with what the potential impacts of climate change may look like, why this is a Jewish issue, and how we can transform our communities and take action in our own lives. Over the course of the year, students will analyze the intersections between the climate crisis and issues of migration, poverty, violence, globalization, and white supremacy and learn what actions are being taken both in their Evanston and North Shore communities and on a global scale. Through building activist and organizing skills, learning from leaders on climate justice, and collaborating on action steps we can take, teens will come away with an intersectional understanding of how fighting for climate justice is inextricably linked to our Jewish values.
This year Youth Programs will also be partnering with the JUF and Tivnu to bring a delegation of Chicago-Area teens to Portland, Oregon over Veteran’s Day weekend to learn about issues of houselessness and to build tiny homes for those in need.
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There is much that compels us to action in this season of renewal. We look forward to hearing from you.
Be on the lookout in Beth Emet Lobby to learn more about social justice initiatives and opportunities to get involved.
Maia Volk
, Youth Engagement chair and Director of Youth Programs
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