Greetings!
Shanah tovah and may it be a year of just living and full loving.
We’re excited to share with you
1. Brit Olam is on, including 5 foci of 5778 – This will go on our SA Handouts for Yom Kippur and our website!
2. Invite to first-ever Reform CA San Diego/Orange County Regional Gathering on Sunday, October 22, 10:00-2:00 at Temple Solel in Cardiff
3. “How Far We Haven’t Come” by Rabbi Berk & “Am I My Sister’s Keeper” Rabbi Solomon, Rosh Hashana Sermons
4. Call for Action by Rabbi Jonah Pesner, Director of the RAC
1. The Beth Israel Board of Directors unanimously endorsed the proposed Brit Olam recommended by the Social Action Committee. This endorsement came out of the September 14th board meeting with an edit to the language in bullet point 3, from “all opinions” to “diverse opinions”.
Endorsed Brit:
Mission Statement of Social Action Committee
The Social Action Committee at Beth Israel is part of K’lal Yisrael, the entire Jewish community. When we pursue tzedek (justice) and perform mitzvot (commandments) to translate the words of Torah into the works of our hands, we act as partners with God in tikkun Olam (repairing the world).
Brit Olam of the Congregation Beth Israel
Beth Israel has adapted language put forth by the Religious Action Center to develop this Brit Olam:
Congregation Beth Israel of San Diego commits to these three areas of attention in line with our mission statement above:
•Acting in solidarity with vulnerable communities
•Building relationships across lines of difference in our local community
•Fostering a culture of sacred and civil dialogue in our congregation where diverse opinions are heard
Five Foci of 5778
1. Green – CSA
2. Interfaith Connections
3. SD Impact
4. Gender & Sexual Rights
5. Food Security
In keeping with eternal Jewish tradition, we commit to lead our congregation in advancing Jewish values in the public sphere. Thank you all for your time and dedication to this endeavor – this is a significant and important statement that we are making together as a community.
2. We want to invite you to join the delegation from the Beth Israel’s Social Action Committee to attend the first-ever Reform CA San Diego/Orange County Regional Gathering on Sunday, October 22, 10:00-2:00 at Temple Solel in Cardiff. We will gather with the leaders of social justice teams from congregations across the reason to share our successes and challenges and to talk about how together we can build the California we dream of, a California of compassion, justice and wholeness. This will be an energizing day! You will come away from the gathering inspired by the work of other Reform congregational social justice teams, more deeply connected to Reform CA, motivated by the possibility of what we can accomplish together in California, and enriched by relationships with other Reform social justice leaders in San Diego and Orange County. Lunch will be served. Please register for the regional gathering now and let us know that you plan to attend. Eric & Dean are interested in attending.
3. How Far We Haven’t Come by Rabbi Berk & Am I My Sister’s Keeper by Rabbi Solomon – Rosh Hashana SERMON VIDEOS HERE.
4. Call for Action by Rabbi Jonah Pesner, Director of the RAC:
Dear Beth Israel,
As we approach Yom Kippur and our thoughts turn inward, we are reminded of the many ways in which our world remains broken. This is a time for reflection and atonement, but it is also an important time to prepare for the work ahead – because the challenges we face are fierce.
In Charlottesville, Virginia, we experienced an eruption of violence, fueled by anti-Semitism and white supremacy. Hear Rabbi Solomon’s drash here. With the cancellation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and the banning of transgender people from joining the American military, we are once again seeing the targeting of the most vulnerable, most marginalized members of our society.
Our three Urgency of Now campaigns—focusing on transgender rights, immigrant justice, and criminal justice reform—could not have come at a more critical time.
With the support of friends like you, we are helping synagogues organize and engage in deeper social justice work while working for comprehensive legislative reform in Washington, DC. Just this summer, we rallied the Jewish community, partnered with interfaith allies, and worked in Congress and in congressional districts to protect access to affordable health care.
Please give today. When we act together, we can stand with the most vulnerable members of our society—and win.
With Rosh HaShanah behind us and Yom Kippur ahead, now is the time to take action to create a better world.
L’Shalom,
Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner
Director, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
G’mar tov and thank you all for your efforts for tikkun, healing and wholeness in our world.
If there’s someone that you’d like to share this blog post with, please do.
Ilene Tatro & Rabbi Solomon