The Hebrew year 5782, in which we find ourselves, is a Shmita year. Just as we sanctify the seventh day of creation with Shabbat, the Torah commands us to set aside every seventh year for rest, renewal, and redistribution. During the Shmita, agricultural lands lie fallow, debts are forgiven, and shared resources become freely accessible. In our modern, post-agrarian …

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By Rachel Doherty, JCUA Immigration Committee Member Yesterday morning, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights took to the streets of Chicago to demand a pathway to citizenship for all 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. JCUA members and staff — together with immigrants and allies — sat down in the middle of …

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Jackie Baldwin — JCUA’s Police Accountability organizer — is featured in a new Crain’s Chicago Business story! She speaks about our victory passing the Empowering Communities for Public Safety (ECPS) ordinance, what inspired her to take action, and how we can ensure that public safety is driven by the people of Chicago. “We have to …

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Earlier this year, JCUA members voted to take on the Bring Chicago Home (BCH) campaign, alongside a diverse coalition of community organizations, including Communities United, ONE Northside, SEIU Healthcare IL, United Working Families, and the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH). Bring Chicago Home seeks to end homelessness in Chicago by creating a dedicated revenue …

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Tonight we welcome Sukkot — a holiday that commemorates our wanderings through the Sinai desert. Following the Exodus, the Jewish people sought shelter in temporary dwellings called sukkahs, which today serve as symbols for the transience and fragility of life. JCUA always looks to Jewish history to inspire our work. We ask ourselves what our ancient and modern …

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