Social Justice: Creating a More Just Society
The Social Justice workgroup of our Social Action Committee regularly organizes events in response to local and national issues that pertain to issues of social, economic and environmental justice.
Currently, the workgroup has been creating a robust educational curriculum on racism, hosting monthly programs that foster learning around un-centering Whiteness in the Jewish community, allyship with BIPOC/marginalized groups, and the social outcomes of racist policies.
As a community with strong lay leaders, our programming is also driven by the interests and passion of our members. In 2020-2021, one of our members has been co-facilitating a monthly parenting group on Raising Anti-racist Jewish children. It is attended by parents of white, black and multiracial children in our synagogue community seeking to connect and support one another around this shared goal.
Another CSI member founded the “Ketonet Passim” (Coat of Many Colors) Book Club, in which we read and discuss novels, memoirs, and works of non-fiction that examine Jewish lives, communities, practices, and texts from the perspective of Jews in the LGBTQ+ community, Jews of Color, and Jews by Choice.
In the past, CSI has hosted an open-to-the-public talk by Clarkstown councilwoman Stephanie Hausner called Advocacy 101, where participants learned how to channel their energy for political change into impactful actions.