By Karen Thirman Or Tzedek Parent My daughter Hannah was fortunate to be able to participate in Or Tzedek for two summers. Not only did she have a great time and make new friends, her experience had a transformative impact on her understanding of social justice issues and her role and responsibility as a Jew …
By Deborah Goldberg JCUA Teen Programming Coordinator It’s been six months since last summer ended, and we have been busy with year-round programs and planning for the summer. In October, we kicked off our partnership with Beth Emet Synagogue – Or Emet: Year of Action. We spent October, November, & December exploring and understanding identity & privilege, …
By Anna Rubin JCUA’s AVODAH Organizing Fellow On January 27, JCUA traveled to Springfield with the Responsible Budget Coalition (RBC) to protest the continuing budget impasse during Governor Bruce Rauner’s State of the State address. The night before, my AVODAH bayit had a program called “Jews and the Civil Rights Movement.” We had the opportunity to …
By David Feinberg JCUA Board of Directors I first learned of JCUA after a chance meeting at the Bucktown Arts Festival. My family and I had recently moved to Chicago, and I was looking for a way to live my Judaism that connected with my values and the values I want to impart to my …