White Jews explore their unique roles in dismantling white supremacy

| By Jonathan Elbaz
Categories: Anti-Semitism & Hate, Black-Jewish Relations, Bridge Building, Economic Justice, Other
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By Rose Silverman, JCUA member One of JCUA’s new and steadily growing initiatives is the White Racial Justice Working Group (WRJWG), which I co-founded in 2019 as a space for JCUA’s white Jewish members to work together to dismantle white supremacy. Our working group calls upon the idea of an affinity space, an intentionally separate space for …

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How white Jews can respond to systemic racism, guided by three Jewish principles

| By Gwen Tucker
Categories: Black-Jewish Relations, Congregation Partners
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by Rabbi Bruce Elder The past few weeks have been trying for our country. We have been reminded, once again, of the pain white America has inflicted unabated on African Americans for the past 400 years. As outraged as we might be at George Floyd’s murder, white Jews must respond in a way that centers …

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Why it’s critical for Jewish communities to be engaging in racial justice learning — especially now

| By Gwen Tucker
Categories: Black-Jewish Relations, Community Issues, Human Rights, Other
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A few weeks ago, 17 of our Mishkan community members, including members of our staff and our rabbis, took part in the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs’ racial justice training for Chicago-area congregations on a rainy Sunday, over Zoom (like all things nowadays). As a spiritual community, we had already gathered a small group back …

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JCUA Demands Action for Black Lives

| By Gwen Tucker
Categories: Black-Jewish Relations, JCUA Statement
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The unconscionable murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis exposed once again the police brutality and white supremacy Black people in the United States experience every day. Floyd’s story echoes those of Breonna Taylor, Laquan McDonald, and countless others whose lives have ended in tragedy because of racist, state-sanctioned violence. Meanwhile, close to three months into …

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Joint Statement from JCUA’s White Racial Justice Working Group and Kol Or Caucus for Jews of Color

| By Gwen Tucker
Categories: Black-Jewish Relations
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The consequences of white supremacy are omnipresent. Some moments make these consequences abundantly and violently clear. We are in one such moment, as we mourn the recent loss of Black lives (Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd) who were each murdered because of racism. The Jewish Council on Urban Affairs is a multiracial community that …

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