As a community, Kol Tzedek contains multitudes. We affirm our shared humanity, those of us who daily fear for our lives and those of us who have privilege and are working to unlearn reliance on the police and the false security of white supremacy.
We mourn George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Nina Pop, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, David McAtee, and loved ones named and unnamed. We say their names and we pray that their memories are a blessing.
We grieve with congregants and neighbors violently attacked by police with unlawful chemical weapons right here in West Philly, on I-676, in Minneapolis, and across the country.
We celebrate the uprisings and political wins of the people in every single state in the US, and we wholeheartedly amplify the Movement for Black Lives in calling for profound and visionary change.
We join the call to defund Philadelphia's police department in the streets, from the bimah, with our phones, with sidewalk chalk, with shofars, and by creatively and generously leveraging KT's resources.
We demand that law enforcement and city, state, and federal government officials are held accountable for their role in the increasing militarization of the police across this country, and for the murders of Black and trans people in particular.
We pledge to find KT's place in Philadelphia's movement ecosystem, informed by relationships, Jewish practice, and our own lived experiences. This happens through our safety and security practices; the Torah we teach and learn; the relationships we build in solidarity with other religious communities in Philadelphia; and in the many other ways that we take action together.
We are ready to do the work to heal from the trauma of white supremacy and learn how to keep each other safe. As a community we are all in different places on our journey and we commit to meeting each other where we are with care, curiosity and accountability.
We commit to actively supporting the whole KT community to become an antiracist community, structurally and interpersonally. We know that there is persistent racism within our community that impacts the experiences of community members of color. We will do better within our community, continuing to examine our individual and institutional implicit and explicit biases, and supporting and following the leadership of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) congregants.
The present uprising calls us into greater alignment with our name and aspiration, Kol Tzedek: A Voice for Justice. Embodying antiracism is an active process, and we are committed to that long-term journey, as individuals and as a community.
In addition to this statement by our congregation, we have also signed onto this public letter endorsed by more than 400 Jewish organizations and synagogues supporting Black Lives Matter.
We mourn George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Nina Pop, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, David McAtee, and loved ones named and unnamed. We say their names and we pray that their memories are a blessing.
We grieve with congregants and neighbors violently attacked by police with unlawful chemical weapons right here in West Philly, on I-676, in Minneapolis, and across the country.
We celebrate the uprisings and political wins of the people in every single state in the US, and we wholeheartedly amplify the Movement for Black Lives in calling for profound and visionary change.
We join the call to defund Philadelphia's police department in the streets, from the bimah, with our phones, with sidewalk chalk, with shofars, and by creatively and generously leveraging KT's resources.
We demand that law enforcement and city, state, and federal government officials are held accountable for their role in the increasing militarization of the police across this country, and for the murders of Black and trans people in particular.
We pledge to find KT's place in Philadelphia's movement ecosystem, informed by relationships, Jewish practice, and our own lived experiences. This happens through our safety and security practices; the Torah we teach and learn; the relationships we build in solidarity with other religious communities in Philadelphia; and in the many other ways that we take action together.
We are ready to do the work to heal from the trauma of white supremacy and learn how to keep each other safe. As a community we are all in different places on our journey and we commit to meeting each other where we are with care, curiosity and accountability.
We commit to actively supporting the whole KT community to become an antiracist community, structurally and interpersonally. We know that there is persistent racism within our community that impacts the experiences of community members of color. We will do better within our community, continuing to examine our individual and institutional implicit and explicit biases, and supporting and following the leadership of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) congregants.
The present uprising calls us into greater alignment with our name and aspiration, Kol Tzedek: A Voice for Justice. Embodying antiracism is an active process, and we are committed to that long-term journey, as individuals and as a community.
In addition to this statement by our congregation, we have also signed onto this public letter endorsed by more than 400 Jewish organizations and synagogues supporting Black Lives Matter.
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In solidarity,
The 5780 Kol Tzedek Board of Directors Andrew Zitcer, Interim President Elana Baurer, Interim Vice President Rachel Winsberg, Interim Secretary Stefan Lynch, Outgoing Secretary & Past President Sam Shain, Treasurer RB Brown, Executive Member at Large Jessica Levine, Education Committee Rep Tav Aronowitz, Justice & Action Committee Rep Rilka Spieler, Hesed Committee Rep Sophie Lee, Gabbai Coalition Rep Rowan Machalow, IT/Data Committees/Task Forces Rep Kevin Moseby, Member at Large 1 Zoe Page, Member at Large 2 Wilbur Bryant II, Member at Large 3 Sara Freeman, Member at Large 4 Rebecca Ganetzky, Member at Large 5 |
If you would like to get more involved with antiracism at Kol Tzedek, please see here or email socialjustice@kol-tzedek.org. |