Justice Work Doesn't Pause for a Pandemic
This work is our calling, and it doesn’t pause for a pandemic. Instead, we find creative ways to engage and mobilize our communities at a distance.
Catastrophe in America: Racism, Violence, & Tishah B'Av
I had a friend in college named Ray. He was a good guy. He had a lot of the qualities I thought I lacked when I was in college. Ray was good looking, athletic and charismatic. He was a running back on the school's football team.
Justice Work Doesn’t Pause for a Pandemic
Kathryn and I began our social justice journeys with the URJ. We grew up in NFTY and attended URJ summer camps, we served on the NFTY North American Board, and we currently sit on the Commission on Social Action.
Intersectionality Is at the Core of Justice for All
As protests continue throughout each of our communities, don’t wish them to end but instead commit to supporting them until we truly achieve justice for all. Show your support. Cheer on the protestors. Join the protestors. And when you vote, vote for real change.
Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner: Recent Writings, Remarks, and Media Appearances
New Jersey Reform Jews Know How to Show Up
“I need you to show up in Trenton.” Those eight simple words are how it all started. In 2006, State Senator Loretta Weinberg shared these words with a group of New Jersey Reform Jews at the URJ Biennial.
The Peace-ful Warrior
My most poignant image of the Six Day War is the photograph of a young Israeli soldier praying at the Kotel, the Western Wall, enveloped in a talit, with an Uzi submachine gun hanging from his shoulder.
Racism is a Public Health Crisis
The truth is that COVID-19 and police violence are both public health emergencies, linked by more than 400 years of systemic racism. Racism itself is a health crisis, and these events are just two important symptoms of it.
Racism is a Public Health Crisis, and It's Time for Us to Act
The urgency of this moment is clear. Launching the We Are Done Dying Campaign in early May, the NAACP declared, “The health and safety of our people are at an unparalleled risk.”
Staying Safe This Summer
This summer, through the Religious Action Center's Machon Kaplan program, I am interning for the Children’s Environmental Heath Network (CEHN).