We are focusing on a wide range of activities to address racial justice within the United States and within the Jewish community itself.
To focus our Racial Justice efforts we crystallized and articulated our vision and mission for our racial justice work:
“We envision BAS as a Jewish community where people of all races and ethnicities feel at home. Guided by the central Jewish precept that all humans reflect the Divine Image, we thoughtfully and respectfully strive to pursue justice and equity for everyone within our congregation and in the wider community. We do this by educating ourselves about racism and its impact on our synagogue, our Jewish community and the greater society. We focus on activities that advance inclusion and diversity within our own community, and address racism and its attendant injustices in society.”
Our efforts will continue to focus on a series of educational activities including speakers, book group discussions and movie discussions on Black/Jewish relations; White Supremacy; and Jews of Color, among others.
As part of the Reconstructing Judaism movement, in the past year, we have been involved in several racial justice educational initiatives, including study groups using the five-part Stolen Beam curriculum to wrestle with issues related to moral obligations to former slaves, and a trip to the American South to visit the National Memorial for Peace and Justice and the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama, and iconic site of the Civil Rights Movement.
This Fall we will host a week-end long educational program at BAS called Reckoning with Racism: Finding a Path Forward. The week-end will feature many different speakers and other opportunities to discuss how racism impacted housing, education and criminal justice in our local Westchester communities and how we can work to address these issues. This year BAS is also a co-sponsor with several other interfaith groups and the Greenburgh Public Library of a six-part video documentary and discussion series based on the 1619 Project to explore the role of slavery in the US and its legacy. In the Spring, we are planning a special educational program on Jews of Color in our community and beyond.
Members can access a resource list from the Members side of the website.
If you are interested in helping with these efforts, please contact Joy Brownstein.
