Self Reflection and Social Action for the High Holidays

by Ari Hart [➚] · Saturday, September 24th, 2011

Chevre, I’m pleased to offer Uri L’Tzedek’s High Holiday supplement, Mah Ani, for free download here. Read, share, enjoy. Wishing you all a shana tova and a year full of sweet, sweet justice.

Domestic Violence Conference – NYC

by Ari Hart [➚] · Friday, September 16th, 2011

Join us at Uri L’Tzedek’s Domestic Violence Awareness Conference, on Sunday, September 18th from 10:00am-4pm at Lincoln Square Synagogue (200 Amsterdam Avenue, NY ) to learn what Jewish tradition teaches and how to combat domestic violence in the Jewish community! Through education and activism we can stop domestic violence in our communities.

Guest speakers include many experts in the field, such as Blu Greenberg, the Founding President of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance (JOFA), Shana Frydman, LCSW Director, Family Violence Services at MET Council, Sandra E. Rapoport, Author of Biblical Seductions and Jeremy Stern, the Executive Director of the Organization for the Resolution of Agunot (ORA), among others. Other partnering organizations include, Project SARAH, JOFA, Jewish Women’s Foundation of New York (JWFNY), Jewish Women International (JWI) and OHEL. Register today at Eventbrite!

Remembering and Erasing Evil – 9/11 and Amalek

by Ari Hart [➚] · Thursday, September 8th, 2011

For most Americans, Sept. 11, 2001 was a day we can never forget. Where we were when we heard, the images on TV, the fear in the voices of our loved ones, the horrible loss of life: every time the anniversary rolls around, we encounter our own traumatic experiences.

However, as the event moves further into the past, and a new generation of Americans who don’t remember 9/11 grows up, we begin to ask ourselves a series of questions: How should we come together to remember 9/11? What parts of 9/11 should we remember? Is there anything we should forget? How should we memorialize 9/11 for future generations who do not remember that day?

This week’s Torah portion, Ki Teitze (“When you go” in Hebrew), concludes with a command to remember the actions of a nation of archetypal terrorists: the attack of Amalek. Amalek waged a war of terror on the children of Israel as they fled slavery in Egypt. They did not attack the soldiers. They attacked the weak and tired stragglers at the back of the camp. Like today’s terrorists, their goal was to incite fear and panic by inflicting as much harm on innocent civilians as possible. While the mainstream Jewish view is that the nation of Amalek does not exist physically today (see Talmud Bavli, Berakhot 28a), the Torah contains three specific actions to take when remembering this trauma:

1. Remember (zachor) what Amalek did to you on your journey, after you left Egypt…
2. You shall erase out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.
3. Do not forget! (Deuteronomy 25: 17-18)

Let’s begin with zachor, which means “remember.” The Ramban, a classic medieval commentator, teaches that zachor must happen through the mouth. The trauma must be transformed into speech, into a told story. Telling the story contextualizes the tragedy within our personal and national narratives. If we do not tell the story, the event stays both meaningless and all powerful. Telling the story is a critical step toward healing.

After being told to remember, we are told to erase the memory of Amalek from under the heavens. How can we remember and erase a memory at the same time? A close reading of the biblical text offers an insight into specifically what is to be remembered, and what is to be forgotten. “Remember what Amalek did to you,” followed by “erase the memory of Amalek from under the heavens.” This suggests we are to remember our experiences (where we were when we heard, the images of the falling towers, the names of those who were lost), but we do not remember the enemy itself: we aren’t to dwell on the sick strategies of the murderers, their story, glorify them through conspiracy theories or turn them into martyrs. Remember what happened — to us.

I’m reminded of President Obama’s decision to not release the photos of Osama bin Laden’s body. Though many clamored for them, releasing the photos would have served as rallying points for those who emulate bin Laden, strengthening the evil forces he channeled.

I’d like to suggest another way of erasing the memory of evil: do not become it. The hatred and nihilism that was released into the world on 9/11 can exist in each of us. When you feel it rising up inside you, in ways big or small, note it and then do whatever you can to erase it from under the heavens. Evil’s most precious victory is not military or political — it is the corruption of the good.

The final guidance the Torah offers is lo tishkach – don’t forget. Remember … and don’t forget? The Ramban again offers insight when he writes that zachor, remember, happens with the mouth through speech, but lo tishkach, don’t forget, happens with the heart. According to the Ramban, telling the story with only cognitive awareness is insufficient — we must experience the loss. For some, like those who lost loved ones, there’s no way to avoid the heart when remembering tragedy: there is no day, anniversary or not, when they do not feel the pain. Others fortunate to not experience that constant pain must find ways to connect to the memory in both our heads and our hearts. This ensures that we don’t just learn from trauma on an intellectual level but that we internalize the lessons into our hearts and will, transforming how we act in the world.

Remember. Erase. Don’t forget. These three ancient, seemingly strange and contradictory ways of memorializing trauma in a collective consciousness offer profound insights into how to respond to trauma. On this 10th anniversary of 9/11, may we find ways to do all three, telling our stories to bring healing, erasing evil around and within us, and integrating the trauma’s unique truths into our fullest selves.

Chewing on Food Justice: Fruits of our Labor in NYC

by Ari Hart [➚] · Monday, August 8th, 2011

Everyone’s talking about “food justice” these days, but what is it – really? What are all the pieces at play? How do they all connect? In what ways does “food justice” reflect our Jewish social justice values? And what are the best ways to plug in and take action?

Whether this conversation is new or familiar to you, we hope you’ll join us for Chewing on Food Justice, a break down of our broken down global food system.

Chewing on Food Justice: Fruits of Our Labor

Join us for the third session of the series to learn about workers rights across the food chain. While food workers are some of the most exploited workers in the global economy, they are also leading up some of the most creative and effective organizing campaigns to improve their conditions and bring about a truly fair food economy. Their struggles remind us that a sustainable food system can only be achieved when the people harvesting, packaging, preparing, and serving our food are treated with respect. Our Jewish values demand it and our collective moral compass compels us to work toward it. Come and learn about some of their dynamic efforts and find out how you, too, can help bring us all one step closer to real sustainability.

WHEN: Monday, August 15th, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
WHERE: Town and Village Synagogue
ADDRESS: 334 East 14th Street (map)
COST: Free
RSVP (encouraged): Register below
Invite your friends: On Facebook

A light kosher meal will be served (certified by the Tav HaYosher)

Confirmed Presenters:
Daniel Gross – Founding director, Brandworkers / Board member, Food Chain Workers Alliance
Ari Hart – Co-founder and executive board member, Uri L’Tzedek
Mae Singerman – Co-founding member, Community / Farmworker Alliance
Others TBA

The first session of this series, “What on Earth is Food Justice?” featured the Brooklyn Food Coalition’s general coordinator, Nancy Romer. The second event, Chewing on Food Justice: Got Access? unpacked questions related to food sovereignty and democracy. Stay tuned for info about a final event in the early fall on the upcoming Farm Bill re-authorization.

This series is hosted by Pursue: Action for a Just World and co-sponsored by Hazon, Uri L’Tzedek, theBrooklyn Bridge CSA, and Jews for Racial and Economic Justice.

Food Justice at the Seder Table

by Ari Hart [➚] · Wednesday, April 13th, 2011

Below is an overview of the Uri L’Tzedek Food and Justice Haggadah Supplement by a former Uri L’Tzedek intern, Yitzi Raizner. The supplement, featuring 26 articles and insights about food, justice and Pesach, is available for free download here:

Justice at the Seder Table
by Yitzi Raisner

The Seder is an orchestrated affair with fourteen movements, from Kadesh to Nirtzah. At my family’s Seder, though, there is a prelude which marks the true beginning of the meal, long before the first cup of wine is poured. One might call it Bechira, “The Selection.” For you simply cannot approach the Pesach table without a thoughtfully chosen Haggadah (and pillow, for that matter). My grandmother is loyal to the Szyk Haggadah for its aesthetic offerings. My sister, on the other hand, appreciates the Abarbanel’s unique insights. It’s a highly personal choice and no two people end up at the table with the same one.

This year, Uri L’Tzedek, “an Orthodox social justice organization guided by Torah values, and dedicated to combating suffering and oppression,” has partnered with a number of like-minded groups to produce a Haggadah supplement tailored to the needs of a new generation of Jews. This is a generation, according to Nigel Savage, founder of Hazon and a contributor to the supplement, “striving to find meaning and wisdom in ancient tradition, and not merely in the abstract, but in relation to a wide range of complex and troubling contemporary issues.” Members of this generation will find a compelling treatment of one such issue in the Food and Justice Haggadah Supplement. Its message is simple: As we eat sumptuously and recount the story of the Exodus, we cannot ignore modern-day slaves, the impoverished and oppressed people of the world. Some of them, like the farm workers who pick the grapes for our wine, provide the backbone of our food security while enjoying no such security themselves. This is a grave injustice. More »

Prayers to accompany the search for chametz

by Ari Hart [➚] · Monday, April 11th, 2011

Below you’ll find two prayers by Jon Kelsen and Dina Weiss, written to accompany the search and nullification of chametz in our homes. I found them meaningful – hope you will too.

___

The Torah instructs us to clear our homes of all hametz (leavened foods) prior to the onset of the holiday of Pesah.  In the Talmud, R’ Alexandri refers to his yetzer hara (evil inclination) as “leaven that is in the dough” (TB Berakhot 17a).  The Midrash provides a way of understanding this equation:

‎“ושמרתם את המצות” ר’ יאשיה אומר: אל תקרא כן, אלא ושמרתם את המצוות.  כדרך שאין מחמיצין את המצה, כך אין מחמיצין את המצוה; אלא, אם באה מצוה לידך, עשה אותה מיד:

“And you shall guard the matzoth. ” R.  Yoshayah said: Rather read [the word “matzoth”] as “mitzvoth. ” For just as we may not allow matzah to rise, so too we may not “ferment” [i. e.  delay] a mitzvah.  Rather, if a mitzvah comes your way, do it immediately
(Mekhilta d’Rabbi Yishmael, m.  d’ Piskha 9).

Because leavening is a process that takes place over time, R’ Yoshayah equates hametz with laziness.  In other contexts, hametz is equated with the attribute of self-inflation, of arrogance.  This more expansive definition of hametz invites us to link the process of destroying and relinquishing hametz with the complementary practices of working to remove those “hametzdik” attributes which we have allowed to grow within our souls, and which manifest themselves in multiple ways, including in the maintenance of superfluous possessions and even income.

Using the traditional liturgy as our template, we have composed two prayers intended to frame our intentions as we work to discard our hametz, clean our homes, and engage in bedikat and bi’ur hametz (the search for and destruction of hametz).  The first text is designed to be recited during the days and weeks prior to Pesah as we clean and dispose of our hametz; the second text is meant to be recited after the burning of the hametz, on the morning of April 18, erev Pesah.  We hope that these texts resonate with you and move you to adapt them to fit your own circumstances.

Hag Kasher v’Sameah,

Jon Kelsen and Dena Weiss

Hineni

I am present, in body and mind, to fulfill the positive commandment of “On the first day, you shall dispose of hametz from your homes. ”

As I prepare to destroy all the leavened food in my possession, so I commit to removing all objects and aspects of my life which share distinct features with hametz:
clothing I do not wear which might clothe another,
tzedakah I am withholding which might sustain another;
love I have not shown which might inspire another. 
I also prepare to challenge my traits of procrastination, selfishness and narrow perspective, arrogance, and fear.

Yehi Ratzon

God, should it please You, help me to grow from the experience of discovering and destroying the hametz from my home and office, my closet and my desk, my heart and my mind.  I recognize that I have not done so completely.  Regard my efforts as achievements.  Help me to turn my mistakes into lessons and to continue this process of purification throughout the coming year. 
This year we are here, next year may we be in Eretz Yisrael.  This year we are slaves, next year may we be free.

‎הנני מוכן ומזומן
הנני מוכן ומזומן לקיים מצוות עשה כמו שכתוב בתורה “אך ביום הראשון תשביתו שאור מבתיכם. “
וכמו שאני מוכן להשבית כל מחמצת שברשותי, כן אני מוכן להשבית שאר דברים שברשותי שיש בהם מעין תערובת חמץ:
בגדים שאינני לובש היכולים להלביש ערומים,
צדקה שקפצתי בידי היכולה להקים דלים,
אהבת חינם של חננתי. 
ואף אני מוכן להתמודד עם יצרי הרעים שבכל מחבואות מחשבותי ,שאור שבעיסה:
החמצה, אנוכיות, מוחין דקטנות, גאווה, ופחד.

‎יהי רצון
יהי רצון מלפניך ה’ אלוקינו ואלוקי אבותינו, שתעזרני ללמוד לעלות ולהתקדש על ידי עבודת בדיקת וביעור החמץ:
הן מביתי הן ממשרדי,
הן מארוני הן משולחני,
הן מליבי הן משכלי. 
מתודה אני לפניך שלא סיימתי את מלאכת הקודש בתמימות. 
צרף יגיעתי להשגתי, מחשבתי למעשי. 
הפוך שגגות לזכויות, ירידות לעליות, ותזכני למשוך שפעת הקדושה והטהרה של מצווה זו. 
השתא הכא, לשנה הבאה באראע דישראל .  השתא עבדי, לשנה הבאה בני חורין.

NY Food Justice Seder!

by Ari Hart [➚] · Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

Hey Chevre, really great event coming up that you might want to check out if you’re in the New York Area.

The event will feature:
Opportunities to connect with inspiring food justice campaigns;
Space for conversation connecting the Seder themes to food justice;
Re-imagined rituals to highlight food justice issues;
Delicious, Tav HaYosher certified food;
Readings from Uri L’Tzedek’s newly released Food and Justice Haggadah Supplement;

Cost: $18. This is a 21+ event.

Time: Sunday, April 10 · 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Location: 274 Garfield Place, Brooklyn

To RSVP: Visit www.pursueaction.org/food-justice-seder/.

This event is brought to you by Pursue, Uri L’Tzedek, and Hazon and is co-sponsored by Congregation Beth Elohim / Brooklyn Jews.

Holding God Accountable: Tragedy and Faith

by Ari Hart [➚] · Monday, March 21st, 2011

“Will you really sweep away the righteous with the wicked… ?” Genesis, 18:23

These words echoed in my spirit as I watched the images of the tsunami strike in Japan, and as the situation continues to unfold it evokes profound spiritual anxiety in me. How do we make sense of such enormous tragedy within the context of our faith? For we who believe in an active God who cares about what happens in this world, how do we make sense of wide-scale catastrophe? How do we respond when horrible things happen to innocent people?

We hold God accountable. Continued here…

New York Muslims and Jews: Serving Together

by Ari Hart [➚] · Sunday, January 30th, 2011

It sounds like a dream: a Muslim woman wearing a full head covering, laughing and joking with an orthodox rabbi as they paint a mural of Run-DMC for Brooklyn schoolchildren. But on Martin Luther King Day, 2011, that dream was real.

On that day, over 50 Muslims and Jews gathered together in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn to participate in the kickoff event for United in Service: The Jewish Muslim Volunteer Alliance (JMVA). They came came from the Council for the Advancement of Muslim Professionals New York Chapter, Uri L’Tzedek: Orthodox Social Justice, and Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School, or because they heard about the groundbreaking event from family or friends. Together, they painted several large murals inside IS 292 junior high school.

Kyla Pollack, the Co-founder and Chair of JMVA and Chair of Interfaith Service Initiatives for Uri L’Tzedek, explained that: “We formed the JMVA to create a group where Jewish and Muslim New Yorkers could unite around our commonalities and our shared interest in improving our city. By working on service projects together, we demystify each other and hopefully open up space for dialogue. It’s an opportunity for people who wouldn’t otherwise interact to come together around a shared, positive goal.”

Fariha Khaliq, a member of the JMVA steering committee, added, “It is important to educate ourselves about other cultures, traditions and religions.” Khaliq and Pollack, along with four other young New Yorkers, first met in October to form the JMVA and plan its events. By all measures, last week’s kickoff was a smashing success. More »

Looking for a job in NYC? Uri L’Tzedek is hiring

by Ari Hart [➚] · Friday, January 28th, 2011

Uri L’Tzedek is fast-paced and fast-growing organization: This past year Uri L’Tzedek has grown
from a local, New York based organization to a movement with national importance. We are looking for a self-motivated indivudual who can join this dynamic national team working with the Director, Associate Director of Operations, President, Board, Chair, and many volunteers As a grassroots effort, we show that individual actions can significantly contribute to justice in the world.

The Director of Programs anchors the ambitious programmatic agenda of the organization. The
Director of Programs reports to the Director and also works closely with the Chair of the Board of  Directors.

Primary Job Responsibilities:
· Engagement: Recruit and cultivate relationships with Uri L’Tzedek’s core constituencies
including young professionals, students, congregations, Rabbis, and other stake-holders.
· Program Design and Implementation: Develop Uri L’Tzedek’s programmatic
vision. Oversee Uri L’Tzedek’s menu of programming including the Tav HaYosher, Uri
L’Tzedek university fellowships, and social justice Batei Midrash. Leads the day-to-day
operating and logistics for these programs.
· Program Evaluation and Improvement: Evaluate Uri L’Tzedek’s current programs
with a focus on national scalability and replication, innovation, and added quality.
· Management: Recruit and manage committee heads.
Oversee educational and
programming staff including the Tav HaYosher team, Chair of College Initiatives, Social
Justice Rosh Beit Midrash, and local teams.

Please send cover letter and resume to jobs (at) utzedek.org.

NY Activist Jews Needed Tomorrow for Flaums Leafletting

by Ari Hart [➚] · Saturday, December 18th, 2010

Workers who toiled at Flaums for years, making kosher food in abusive and illegal working conditions, are trying to  bring some justice to their cause.

They are counting on us to bring awareness to the Jewish community about the labor violations that have occurred there and the Flaums unwillingness to pay the fine ordered by the courts. You can read the story here.
Today, on Sunday December 19th, from 5-7pm, we’ll be canvassing businesses that carry Flaum’s, in person and by phone, letting the stores and their customers know about the problems at Flaum’s and exerting pressure on the company to pay the $270,000 they owe their workers. We’re meeting at 96th and Broadway at 5pm.

Will you join us?

Bikkurim Seeks Your Innovative Jewish Idea

by Ari Hart [➚] · Thursday, December 9th, 2010

Bikkurim: An Incubator for New Jewish Ideas is accepting applications for 2011! Bikkurim seeks innovative, NYC-based, Jewish, non-profit projects that are in early stages of formation and organizational growth. We provide free office space, free and subsidized capacity-building consulting, small stipends, extensive networking, and a peer community of Jewish start-up initiatives. Bikkurim is a joint project of the Jewish Federations of North America and the Kaminer Family.

Download your pre-application here, and submit it by February 1, 2011. Full applications, by invitation only, will be due April 8, 2011. Finalists will be interviewed and selected by the end of June. Residency begins in July, 2011. For more information, contact Jason Leibowitz at jleibowitz@bikkurim.org or 212-284-6896.

A good Jewish film not about Israel-Palestinian conflict, the Holocaust, or Hareidim?

by Ari Hart [➚] · Sunday, November 28th, 2010

I got to watch my good friend Josh Freed’s feature film Five Weddings and a Felony a few weeks ago at its premiere in DOC-NYC, New York’s Documentary Film Festival. Here’s a trailer:

Jewish Educator Mission to Haiti

by Ari Hart [➚] · Wednesday, November 17th, 2010

Uri L’Tzedek is accepting applications from rabbis and Jewish educators to go to Haiti for 4-5 day education missions. The educator will visit with the team of Israelis and American Jews doing community development to further their learning. Applicants should have strong experience teaching:

• Dynamic Jewish learning through texts, spirituality, and ritual
• Leadership development
• Social justice education

The social justice educator will create their own lessons and then receive support and training from an Uri L’Tzedek leadership team. The education mission, in partnership with Tevel B’Tzedek, will cover accommodations, kosher food, and transportation in Haiti. Participants or participants’ organizations will be responsible for the cost of travel to Haiti, which is only about 2 hours off of Florida.
Interested applicants should send their resumes and a ½ page letter of interest to  info – at- utzedek.org

Flaums’ Factory Workers to Speak Tonight at Uri L’Tzedek Beit Midrash

by Ari Hart [➚] · Monday, November 1st, 2010

Hey New York friends,

Workers from the Flaum’s Kosher Foods plant will be speaking tonight at an Uri L’Tzedek Beit Midrash about their experiences at the plant and what the Jewish community can do to make change.

A little background: Flaums’ is a Satmar owned kosher food maker that for years was in violation of wage law for dozens of its employees (60-80 hour weeks with no overtime, some workers working below minimum wage, etc)… The workers tried to raise their concerns with the management and were all illegally fired. The workers took them to court, and the National Labor Relations Board and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in their favor, fining the company $300,000 in back pay. However, the company is stalling payment. That’s where we (and you if you can make it) come – we’re trying to put some communal pressure on Flaum’s to pay what they owe the workers in back wages. For more info, read this Forward article.

Come tonight and we’ll learn some Torah around workers’ rights and Jewish law, in addition to hearing from some of the workers themselves. The event is happening at 7:30 PM, at the Drisha Institute. 37 w. 65th street, 5th floor

Jewish Social Justice Orgs Join Forces – Make Change

by Ari Hart [➚] · Sunday, October 10th, 2010

Hey Jewschoolers,

Neat collaborative effort here. Check in with your local organization to see how you can get invovled!

In recognition of the importance of this year’s midterm elections, five members of the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable (JSJR) are joining forces to launch the Roundtable’s first major initiative: Define America 2010 (www.defineamerica2010.com/jewish/).

This collaboration is the first national coordinated voter outreach effort of its kind from the Jewish community. Working across lines of race and faith, the Roundtable’s Define America 2010 initiative will give people opportunities to register voters, talk to people about the issues they care about, and turn out to vote.
More »

Sustainable Food, Sustainable Faith

by Ari Hart [➚] · Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

Hey y’all, I just posted the next part of the Jewish Food Movement series in the Huffington Post, this one focusing on growing sustainable food. My goal in writing these pieces has been to get the word out to people about all the amazing food work happening in Jewish circles: farming, social justice, spirituality, etc…

I’m trying to include all the great work that’s going on, but if there’s anything I missed please let me know in the comments. Last time I posted up the social justice and food piece there was some helpful stuff.

Statement of Principles on the Place of Jews with a Homosexual Orientation in the Orthodox Community

by Ari Hart [➚] · Sunday, July 25th, 2010

Check out this interesting Statement of Principles, written and edited by leaders in the Modern Orthodox community:

For the last six months a number of Orthodox rabbis and educators have been preparing a statement of principles on the place of our brothers and sisters in our community who have a homosexual orientation.

The original draft was prepared by Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot. It was then commented upon by and revised based on the input from dozens of talmidei chachamim, educators, communal rabbis, mental health professionals and a number of individuals in our community who are homosexual in orientation.

Significant revisions were made based upon the input of Rabbi Aryeh Klapper and Rabbi Yitzchak Blau who were intimately involved in the process of editing and improving the document during the last three months.

The statement below is a consensus document arrived at after hundreds of hours of discussion,debate and editing. At the bottom, is the initial cohort of signators.

We, the undersigned Orthodox rabbis, rashei yeshiva, ramim, Jewish educators and communal leaders affirm the following principles with regard to the place of Jews with a homosexual orientation in our community:

1. All human beings are created in the image of God and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect (kevod haberiyot). Every Jew is obligated to fulfill the entire range of mitzvot between person and person in relation to persons who are homosexual or have feelings of same sex attraction. Embarrassing, harassing or demeaning someone with a homosexual orientation or same-sex attraction is a violation of Torah prohibitions that embody the deepest values of Judaism.
More »