Why I think Jews are not natural organizers/Funny, you don’t sound Jewish

Here is what I learned as a Jew growing up about justice. People being hungry is an injustice, go serve in a soup kitchen. Elders being left to die alone in a nursing facility where they are mistreated is an injustice, go visit an elder. People having inadequate access to health care is an injustice, go open a free clinic. Racism is an injustice, go make a friend who is of-color.

I learned the texts that prove all those things are unjust. (Justice justice thou shalt pursue, let justice well up like a mighty stream, it is not upon you to complete the task, nor are you free to deter from it, love your neighbor as yourself, hate evil and love what is good and so forth and so on…) Here is the Jewish problem as I see it. I am thirty-two. These teachings existed before me and are being taught now. People are still hungry, elders are still alone, health care is still inadequate, racism is still alive and well. And they are still unjust. What we have not done and not taught to do is fight the problems. We are great with arguing and identifying the issues. We can stand up and claim-THAT IS INJUSTICE. We are masterful triage nurses and band-aid putter-onners. But what we have not learned to do is how to make poverty, agism, abandonment, and racism go away.

How come?

How come we have not done that? And instead of spending time talking about the why, what are we doing now to fix it?

Look, it is uncomfortable to ruffle feathers. Good Jews boys and girls do not shame people or make others feel uncomfortable. Do they. Untrue, Talmud is replete with tales of shaming someone in to doing the right thing. Good Jewish boys and girls do not create upheaval in the social order (that’s ok, I’ll sit in the dark) do they? Untrue. Exodus itself is a tale of bucking the system and speaking truth to power.
What us good Jewish boys and girls seem to do is say, wow, it is such a shame that person over there is begging and then we go home to a nice meal. What us good Jewish boys and girls seem to do is talk about how important workers right are, I mean heck, I buy fair trade coffee and shop at the coop! While leaving an inadequate tip for a server, hiring cleaning lady who cannot afford insurance and shopping at Walmart (but it is so easy, so convenient…these are the voices in my head too!).

I too buy ice cream even when it comes in a Styrofoam cup I will throw away, I too buy the cheap convenient brand, I too shop at the farmer’s market for cheap prices when others cannot get there, I too buy new clothing when I have something perfectly acceptable in my closet instead of giving money somewhere useful, I too accept that poverty is a given, I do not squeak when someone else’s rights are infringed upon. I too say…this is not my problem.

The truth is, it is my problem. The truth is, I am part of the problem. The truth is I cannot fix everything but that does not mean that I should fix nothing. The truth is I cannot fight every fight but that does not mean that every fight does not belong to me. I will say it again so I can hear it louder, the truth is I am a part of the problem

I am part of the problem because I buy in to, benefit from, perpetuate in and accept the system as it is. I am part of the problem because I worry more about rocking the boat when really the whole thing should be burnt, bludgeoned, sunk and abandoned!

I am part of the problem

I don’t want to be a part of the problem.

Pretending that I am not part of the problem does not make it not so.

I want to be part of the solution.

I am scared

I don’t want to give up too much

I don’t want to be too bothered or too uncomfortable

But I think it is about time that I let these truths make me so uncomfortable that the discomfort of standing up for what I believe in pales in comparison.

How do I let THAT responsibility sink in? How do I make this a permanent change to care more about rights than about wants?

I don’t know, but it is happening slowly. Please, help push me along, please, struggle along side me.

Why I think Jews are natural organizers

It’s funny…that reminds me of a story. What more Jewish words (other than pass the lox and bagel platter) are ever uttered? We are story tellers. We relate to the world through a good tale. Hassidic tales, talking with our hands, the Torah (come on, everyone’s favorite parts are Genesis and Exodus because those are some good stories)
Community organizing is all about telling stories. Tell me a story which shows any of the following…What keeps you up at night? What motivates you? What is your vision? Who inspires you? Who do you inspire? Who/what (people as well as beliefs) do you care about? Who or what cares about you? Why do you care? How far are you willing to go?
I invite you-tell me your story. Choose a question and answer it…coming soon, some stories of my own….

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….