Click here to sign up for JCUA’s mailing list and receive the Friday Roundup in your inbox every week!

Bring Chicago Home takes City Council

Our coalition packed City Hall yesterday to participate in a Subject Matter Hearing — an important step to get Bring Chicago Home (BCH) on the ballot. Right before, more than 150 members of our coalition came together for an enormous rally, where speakers told personal stories, provided expert testimony, and called on City Council to pass BCH.

JCUA youth organizer Leela Wittenburg Trubowitz took the mic and connected the homelessness crisis to Tisha b’Av: “When we look at our city today, we see 65,000 Chicagoans living on the streets. These people are our neighbors, our friends, our flesh and blood. Yet when we call for our city’s support, those in power blame the victims of housing insecurity for the hardships they have faced as a result of Chicago’s own failed housing and economic systems. Sinat chinam, I say to you, causeless hatred!” 🔥

We’ve got a lot of work to do in the coming months to make Bring Chicago Home a reality. If you’d like to get involved, contact Community Organizer Jimmy Rothschild (jimmy@jcua.org) to join the fight.

JCUA appears on WBEZ’s Reset

Bring Chicago Home wasn’t the only campaign to reach a significant milestone this week. On Monday, Treatment Not Trauma had its own Subject Matter Hearing, where experts from across the country and community leaders from Chicago (including JCUA members Jada Potter and Elena Gormley) spoke to the Health & Human Relations Committee about how we must reshape Chicago’s approach to mental health.

On Tuesday, JCUA member Emily Piff appeared on an episode of WBEZ Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons to discuss the details of the ordinance: “We want to be a city that cares for people’s health. We want all of our citizens to have access to healthcare and to be able to live the most full and rich lives possible. This is legislation that will help to ensure that.” Check out the full episode.

You can help us move forward by sending a message to Mayor Brandon Johnson and your alderperson and calling on them to support the campaign.

Supporting our new neighbors in Chicago

JCUA is mobilizing support for asylum seekers in Chicago. As the city looks to create shelters in the 46th and 48th Wards to house new arrivals, our members have been attending community meetings to express support. We are committed to ensuring that Chicago is a welcoming place for all people.

On Wednesday, we hosted the “Tisha b’Av for Asylum” event at Beth Emet Congregation in Evanston. JCUA summer interns Aviva and Dalya led a teach-in about why conditions in Venezuela lead many to embark on dangerous journeys to the United States. We also collected supplies to donate to asylum seekers living at police stations and shelters across the city.

Share a delicious Shabbat meal with Kol Or 

The quarterly Shabbat dinner for Kol Or  is coming up on Friday, August 11. Those who identify as Jews of Color are invited to join us for a delicious meal and evening of community-building!

Join us for Co-Governance Reimagined

On Tuesday, August 8th, you’re invited to a very special JCUA event. Individuals from across JCUA — our organizing committees, congregations, affinity spaces, and more — are coming together to deepen our relationships and strategize about the work ahead.

Whether you’re a new or veteran JCUA member, whether you’re active or want to get involved — “Co-Governance Reimagined” is important to attend! Please register here!

Mazel tov, Marla & Brian!

Some exciting news from the JCUA staff: Marla Bramble, JCUA’s Associate Director & Director of Organizing, and Brian Gladstein, JCUA’s Director of Development & Advancement, are taking on the roles of Deputy Directors.

Over the past few years, JCUA has expanded the scope of our work, to include community organizing across Chicagoland, racial justice, youth organizing, community development, and electoral organizing through our sibling entity, JCUA Votes. In these newly-created positions, Marla and Brian will continue to grow JCUA’s organizational impact and nurture leaders within our organization and membership. Mazel tov, Marla + Brian!