Meritt Thomas; Unsplash
When I was interviewing for my current role as Program Associate with the Avodah Institute for Social Change in February 2021, I remember being asked a question that has since stuck with me: How does social justice practice inform your work, regardless of the task you are doing? While it’s something I am learning every day, part of my philosophy is that centering relationships, slowing down when necessary, and giving credit where credit is due are all key parts of the work (among many others). No matter the type of task and no matter how small, I try to integrate these values into my work—and our aim at the Institute is to support others in figuring out their own answers to this question.
We hope that the resources offered this month spark connection and further inquiry into infusing social justice practice into the entirety of our lives—and not just limited to our work.
Recommendations
Article
This Season of Giving Thanks, Acknowledge the Tribal Land Upon Which You Live
Yolanda Savage-Narva, Avodah Institute Advisory Council member, reminds us this Thanksgiving/National Day of Mourning of the importance of naming the tribal lands we live on and learning about the people who originally stewarded them.
Poem
Accents
Denice Frohman, queer poet, performer, and educator, performs her poem “Accents,” a reminder of the strength of bilingual and multicultural families through a focus on the beauty in Frohman’s mother’s accent.
Video
Intersections of Identity: The Jewish Indigenous Experienc
Listen to a conversation between Sarah Podemski, star of FX’s Reservation Dogs, and Emily Bowen Cohen, artist and comic writer, on how they weave together their Indigenous and Jewish identities, the parallels between their communities, and how they reconcile the divergences.
Podcast
Being an Empathetic Leader with Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt
Institute Advisory Council Co-Chair Ilana Kaufman interviews fellow Co-Chair and Avodah Board member Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt about her experience leading a memorial service for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and about her leadership models and self-care routines.
Song
Just As You Are
Avodah Service Corps alum Marni Loffman wrote “Just as You Are” to encourage their listeners to lean into the multiple and contradictory emotions humans experience. They create music as spiritual and emotional care and build community through their Tik Tok and Instagram.
