Welcome to Organizing

So I am back to blogging this next part of my Rabbinic adventure. I am now living in Minneapolis for the summer with the family of a good friend of mine from New York. I am here as the Rabbinic Intern for Jewish Community Action, a community organizing organization. Check out their site, their stuff if super cool. (if you know anything about Heksher Tzedek-which you should-well, JCA is doing stuff with that.)

While I am here, I am hoping to take the knowledge of community organizing which I have gained through a training in May and a class I took about 2 years ago at Hebrew Union College (my rabbinic school).

I am freaking out about the whole thing on some level. I am afraid. Yes, fearless traveler of the world is afraid. Of what? Well, first of all, I always am frightened at the start of any new journey. But, I am fearful of failing, I am fearful of doing this really knew thing which I seem to have a love and affinity for, but just have never done. Change is always intimidating, so is learning something new. What if I just can’t get it? My inner over achiever is afraid of looking or being incompetent . What if I hate it and am stuck here!? My inner restlessness always worries about sitting still for too long. What if …what if…what if…
I was talking with Vic Rosenthal, executive director of JCA on day one. I told him about being afraid. He told me two things which I think will be wonderful for me to keep in mind. First of all, he said that organizing is about failing! Taking risks is part of the game and not all of them will pan out. Failing and having it go wrong is part of the culture of this world. I am reassured by this. These words remind me that failing is normal and here especially, there just seems to be no judgment about it. This feels like a safe space to mess up.

Secondly, I said that in my own experience, I like to see myself as someone who pushes. But when pressed to push, I often balk at the opportunity. Like I know what an edgy sermon to give would be, a challenging question to ask, but then, I do not. I think of a rational reason to walk away from the discomfort when really all I am doing is avoiding discomfort and creating a dynamic tension. Vic said, well, you know that one question you are afraid to ask…ask that one! Well, I am embarrassed to say it (why am I embarrassed?) but I needed permission from someone to do what I want to do. I need to think a great deal about this one…

So, I am off and running.

My goals are 1) to be a witness, watch and learn about community organizing and how this organization approaches it, 2) learn and practice the skills of doing the one to one by doing as many as I can while I am here, and 3) to lay the ground work for future rabbinic interns to do this same thing!
I hope through this blog, not only will I get to develop my own rabbi-ing further, but also to just do this stuff and help other people who afraid of this stuff too that it is doable (I need to believe that! I need to do this and try it and mess it up and succeed and write about it and I really hope someone else will read this and think, Yes, I can do that too even though I am afraid…)
Ultimately, it comes down to this. I think our world is a mess. I think we, as a human race, are in real trouble. And I think if anything is ever going to be different, if we stand a fighting chance of being “saved” from the messes we have created, then we have to brave enough to cross the barrier of discomfort for the sake of the greater good. Because, I am more afraid of silence and that nothing will change than I am of the personal pride-beating I might endure. If I cannot do this, if we cannot do this, if YOU cannot do this, well, then…we are all screwed….