Please join for 7 intimate book conversations concerning climate emergency, systemic racism, and Indigenous wisdom. Focusing mostly on Canada, these books will hit us hard in our uncomfortable places, offer guidance and direction on how we can make a tikkun, a repair, in radically new ways, as partners with the Holy One on this earth.

We will try to reserve the books in our libraries, find discounts for book purchases when we can, and will point out other resources to get these books into all of our hands. We will also provide notice if a book offering changes during the year. Please see the Tikkun Olam Book Club webpage with all 7 titles and descriptions of each of our books.

The first two books chosen by the Tikkun Olam Committee are:

Ijeoma Oluo’s book is a comprehensive conversation guide on racism. The book raises questions and provides talking points and counter-arguments, for both people of colour and others, on systemic racism. Oluo asserts that no matter how well-intentioned we might be as individuals, our complacency with racist systems makes us all complicit. The author shares how we can leverage our privilege to take specific actions against systemic racism — in our neighbourhoods, communities, schools, workplaces, and in our local governments.

Our entire Or Shalom community is invited to celebrate Chanukah by lighting our menorot, and introducing Seth Klein’s newly published book A Good War – A book that evokes the teachings of Chanukah: No matter that the odds are stacked against us, in the darkest of times, we have an imperative to act to repair the world.

Zooming in to address us, Seth Klein, the founding director of the British Columbia office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, will speak about how we as Canadians, can address our climate emergency in ways that support the welfare of all Canadians, and especially our First Nations’ families.

A Good War is Canada’s blueprint for effectively tackling the climate crisis, transitioning to a zero-carbon society, and making these transformations in just and equitable ways. Klein holds that the technology is largely ready to go, but what’s missing is the political will. He uses the example of how Canada rose to the challenges of World War II to demonstrate our country’s ability to act forthrightly and creatively in crisis. Importantly, Klein also discusses what the Second World War can teach us about reducing social inequality in the face of a crisis and the crucial role Indigenous people have played in both our wartime efforts and our current battles on climate change.

Other books in the series include: