Righteous Indignation, Ch. 12 (p 87-93)

Righteous Indignation, Ch. 12 (p 85-93)
Redemption for Radicals: Jewish Congregation-Based Community Organizing -- Rabbi Jonah Pesner

(1) While the two primary examples in this chapter relate to health care (general access/coverage and nursing home care), the two over-lapping themes of community organizing and story-telling can be applied to any social justice issue.

The first example of community and stories was especially powerful for me because my wife and I personally struggle with health care access and cost. If there is a time for organizing on this issue, it is now as Daschle begins tackling this issue anew. What is your health care story?

(2) "Though the story of the recent Massachusetts health reform is powerful, it is not unique. It is but one example of Jewish participation in the emerging movement called Congregation-Based Community Organizing (CBCO)" (p 88).

The Jewish Reconstructionist Federation website lists three CBCO characteristics:

1. Congregants engage in one-to-one conversations within their synagogue, and often with other congregations, about their social justice passions.
2. Leaders engage in extensive clergy and lay leadership training and development.
3. Synagogue leaders work side-by-side with dozens of faith institutions and progressive organizations in their community, across lines of race, class, and faith.
   

Would your local congregation be open to telling their stories? What social justice passions would you want to discuss? What would it take to get the spiritual leaders of your faith community to engage in this conversation? How open is your community to working with people of other faiths? How open are you?

[More resources at/by Interfaith Funders, Unitarians, DART and YouTube.]

(3) "For people of faith, the first step toward justice is when we cry out" (p 89). The examples given of people who listened to the cry are Pharaoh's daughter, Moses and God.

I once prayed that God would open my ears to the cry of the oppressed. It wasn't long before I was overwhelmed. Cries from every direction were disorienting. Where to start? What to do? What was the first priority? "Okay, God. There is too much. Your kingdom come; your will be done. And how can I be a part of that right here, right now?"

What was the first cry for justice that you remember hearing? When have you cried out? Did anyone listen and respond?

(4) Since this blog is for "ordinary radicals," let's look at the definition of radical given on page 90.

"The radical is that unique person to whom the common good is the greatest personal value.... The radical is so completely identified with mankind that he personally shares the pain, the injustices, and the sufferings of all his fellow men" (p 90; quoted from Reveille for Radicals by Saul Alinksy).

How radical am I? In what ways do I share in the pain, injustice and suffering of others? How does this lead to their redemption? And to my own? If the common good is not my greatest personal value, what is?

(5) "First and foremost, [the Exodus story] teaches that in every time and place, redemption is possible. It begins with a cry... It continues with rage at the injustice, and a willingness to act. It requires leadership and relationships.... The people must begin to articulate their story..." (p 91).

Crying, rage, willingness to act, leadership, relationships and story-telling. Where am I at on these themes? Am I crying or hearing some else's cries (or both)? Do I have rage? At what? Am I willing to act? Am I acting? Am I offering leadership? Am I follow others who are more experienced than I? What condition and quality are my relationships? Are there key relationships I need to focus on to bolster community change? I am telling my story, listening intently on other's stories, providing an environment what words can be shared and heard?

(6) "In the globalized twenty-first century, justice transcends categories of race, class, and faith. Today, standing together for redemption means discovering our shared suffering and being challenged by each other's divergent traditions" (p 91).

What groups do I still not listen to? Why? What barriers am I allowing to stop their story? What stories am I telling myself about these groups? What suffering might I share in common with them? Am I open to hearing anything from this group's faith tradition?

(7) "The power for systemic change emanates from the Divine, but it comes only from authentic relationships both inside the Jewish family and beyond, with other communities who share a vision of a world redeemed. We can harness the power of our relationships and engage together in bold, public action, across lines of faith, class, and race, and address the structural sources of economic and social injustice" (p 93).

"Redemption isn't just for radicals. Redemption is for everyone" (p 93).

May we build relationships across barriers of faith, socio-economic class, age, ethnicity, political party, and every other characteristic we use to describe "them" and "us." And in these relationships, may we find divine power to build a more just world.

Righteous Indignation, Ch. 2 (p 15-22)

Righteous Indignation, Ch. 2 (p 15-22)
What Does Tikkun Olam Actually Mean? -- Rabbi Jane Kanarek, PhD

This short chapter is packed with meaning as it considers the ramifications of one's actions on the world, the future and even on God. The two primary concepts are tikkun ha'olam and chesed.

(1) Tikkun ha'olam roughly means "mending the world" (p 15).

"Tikkun ha'olam may be translated and understood as a recalibration of the world, a recognition that the world is out of balance and that legal remedies are needed in order to readjust the world to a better balance. The focus is not so much on the power of the individual to effect change, but rather on the power of the law to correct systemic injustice" (p 19).

"The Mishnah and Talmud help us ask the big structural questions, forcing us to focus on underlying causes of suffering and to address them..." (p 21).

"Tikkun olam means Jewish social justice. It means having a large vision of the world as it ought to be..." (p 22).

What issues are you researching and dealing with from a systems perspective? What structural injustices are you focusing on? What are you finding? What are you doing? What's your story? Does your faith play a role in your motivation or methodology? Let's not forget about environmental issues as we consider other social and economic injustices.

(2) Chesed includes the concepts of "compassion, generosity, and lovingkindness" (p 20).

"Acts of chesed are immediate responses to an individual in need. A person is cold: give her clothes. A man dies: bury him" (p 19).

"Acts of chesed are responses from one individual to another in a difficult or desparate time, a response to help that person get through the day" (p 21).

"All too often, as we pursue our grand visions for the world, we can forget the people who are in the immediacy of suffering. Chesed is our reminder that as we ask why people suffer from hunger, we also remember to bring meals to the hungry..." (p 22).

What individual acts of compassion and kindness have you witnessed recently? What is a meaningful way that you have been cared for?

(3) "Chesed reminds us not to forget the people that make up our societies. Tikkun olam teaches us to try and change society itself" (p 22).

Which comes more naturally to you, chesed or tikkun olam? That is, from a social work perspective, what level do you tend to focus on more--micro (give a man a fish), mezzo (teach him and others more effective fishing methods) or macro (secure equal access to the pond, stop those who are polluting the water)? What might happen if we approached social activism at only one of these levels? What examples can you give?

Some faith communities see chesed as consistent with their ethical teachings, but feel tikkun olam is not for them because they do not want to meddle in politics. What would you say to convince them to work for societal change? What examples from your community's teachings and from history could you use to encourage them to get involved at the macro level without being partisan?

As the Introduction explains, this book will focus on tikkun olam rather than chesed. But let's be sure to keep a balance of both.