Cover Story: Shabbat Tzedek & MLK Weekend

& SHABBAT TZEDEK MLK

WEEKEND OF JUSTICE

By Andy Tarsy

Over five days, more than a thousand people joined in six events honoring the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and reflecting on the challenges of our own times. Each event was a point of entry to engage our members and friends in important ongoing projects. We affirmed that we are a congregation with a tremendous sense of social responsibility and a sense of urgency about learning and about doing multi-generational, relational work for social justice. FRIDAY NIGHT. 700 people filled the Sanctuary for our annual “Shabbat Tzedek” service. Temple Israel (RYFTI) teens, Beacon Academy students, the TI Youth Choir, and the Boston Children’s Chorus provided much needed inspiration. A powerful address by Michael Curry, local and national leader of the NAACP, painted a vivid portrait of the roots of the NAACP in the early twentieth century, when lynching was commonplace and racism narrowly framed the American experience for Blacks. He spoke candidly about the simple inference of racial bias we must draw from the dramatically different experiences Whites and Blacks still have in terms of education, income, criminal justice, and more. Poignantly, he declared that “if these lives don’t matter, then it cannot be true that all lives matter.”

Ralph Friedin said that “Rabbis Zecher and Soffer set the service in the context of not only remembrance of MLK but also TI’s long history advocating and acting for social justice” and “[t]he diversity of those attending took the words of the service beyond the doors, strengthening bridges to other communities. I left inspired knowing that TI joined the moral values of my Jewish heritage with my personal commitment to social activism. I walked out wanting to participate more in both the religious experience and the social activism of TI.” TI member and member of the Riverway Project leadership team, Ben Poor reflected that he “loved seeing the packed congregation Friday night.” He said, “I feel ready to be asked to do more in this moment.” SATURDAY MORNING. Shabbat morning Torah Study at Temple Israel is always a lively, rigorous exercise. On this occasion, the clergy guided the study session which hosted more than 50 people through topical and challenging pieces of text. TI member Serena Fujita, herself a Rabbi, commented that “[t]he rabbis led us in study of pieces of Torah that generate discussion of the how we as Jews see ‘the other’ and how the Reform movement has struggled with and updated our understanding of our text in alignment with our values.” Serena appreciated ending Torah study with words from

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, relating to racial injustice and what should be expected from religious leaders as moral leaders of their communities. SATURDAY EVENING. Temple Israel convened a gathering of thirty-five teens from TI and area synagogues. Emilia Diamant, of Boston’s Jeremiah Program, led a seminar on racial identity and racial justice. Discussion included concepts including privilege, code-switching, systemic oppression, and white supremacy. “Unsurprisingly,” said Assistant Director of Education Mike Fishbein, “our teens showed themselves to be deeply invested in the discussion.” The program concluded with a beautiful teen-led Havdalah service. SUNDAY MORNING. More than 40 TI members were guests at the Bethel AME Church in Jamaica Plain where the senior pastors are husband and wife team Rev. Ray Hammond and Gloria White Hammond. TI member Sara Barcan captured the spirit of the occasion. “Church members and pastors alike made us feel immediately at ease in their glorious sanctuary. I felt energized by Bethel’s Praise and Worship Team, a group of half a dozen talented singers, and motivated by Dr. Ray Hammond’s sermon, a call to action befitting the occasion not only of Dr. King’s birth, but the end of the Obama presidency. I’m grateful for the relationship between our two congregations.” MONDAY MORNING. Nearly 100 made up the TI delegation at a day of service convened by Boston Cares. Our multi-generational group worked on assembling resource kits for Boston public school classrooms that will supplement science, technology, and math curriculum. TI member Andy Lesser-Gonzalez offered this reflection: “I really enjoyed the teamwork at the tables as everyone worked together. I especially loved that my children had a chance to participate in a social justice activity that was on MLK day, was fun, and gave them hands on experience where they could see themselves making a difference for others. A highlight at one table of TI volunteers was a visit from Boston Mayor Marty Walsh.”

TUESDAY EVENING. Temple Israel hosted a screening of “13th” - a documentary by acclaimed director, Ava DuVernay (“Selma”), which traces racial injustice from slavery through mass incarceration. In his review, Ty Burr of The Boston Globe called “13th” “among the very best movies of 2016” and “probably the most important.” The film screening deepened our connection to a topic that the Criminal Justice working group, led by TI member Kathy Weinman, is tackling as part of the Temple Israel’s racial justice initiative. The most important take-away from every one of the MLK Weekend of Justice events is that they are points of entry for those who are ready to act with conviction and get involved. To paraphrase both the speech by Michael Curry and the words of Rev. Hammond’s sermon at Bethel, as well as the words shared throughout the weekend by our clergy, we need our people to get beyond being spectators and start taking action. We need to push ourselves to new limits, get outside of our comfort zones, get engaged emotionally, and then get engaged by taking action. For more information about TI social justice programs, please reach out to Tali Puterman at tputerman@tisrael.org.