I served as staff at Kirva’s recent Spiritual Immersive and was invited to share a short practice during the lead-up to Rosh Hashanah. Kirva’s social justice approach to mussar, an ancient Jewish ethical practice, is a valued collaborative partner with Jews of Color Sanctuary. The five days we spent together at Pearlstone strengthened our practice, reinforced bonds, and built community as we used mussar to align our actions with our values. Learn how to bring Dismantling Racism from the Inside Out into your community. Meanwhile, I hope this practice enriches your preparations for the High Holy Days.
JoC Sanctuary co-facilitated a niggun creation workshop, with ish and Birds of a Feather, in preparation to welcome Little Amal’s journey highlighting the realities of refugees. Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Purval greeted the Syrian girl and shared words of welcome, speaking also as the son of parents who a generation before had been an immigrant and a refugee.
photo by Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra
Jewish people of color are often forced to navigate the cultural threads of their interwoven composite identities in ways that help empathize and understand the circumstances that create refugees and seeking to reconnect with lost family. Sharing a border with Israel opposite Egypt, Syria is close enough to mingle with Jewish narratives in Israel, and beyond.
While Little Amal remains on the move searching for parents after being separated through war, Cincinnati Jews and allies can support refugees in our community through Refugee Connect, a nonprofit that coordinates the efforts of partner organizations and volunteers. This network serves the more than 25,000 displaced people resettled in our region.
These events framed entering into Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Our personal and collective prayers for redemption are entering into conversation under the stars over our sukkot. May our ushpizin help us connect with where we have been as we discern the path toward collective liberation. We have an opportunity to invite more than Jewish men, and think beyond Jewish women elevated in Torah to include
We have an opportunity to think beyond the Jewish men elevated in Torah, and the women added later, to invite other characters who can help us weave our requests for forgiveness into redemptive action. Bilhah and Zilpah, our inconsistently acknowledged Jewish matriarchs have a lot to say through their voiceless lines of Torah. Sukkot is a sweet time to listen.
Jews of Color Sanctuary 