We Want to Have a Common Language: Carolina Jews for Justice Stand Out in the Moral Mondays Crowd

[xchrom]

http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/22156-we-want-to-have-a-common-language-carolina-jews-for-justice-stand-out-in-the-moral-mondays-crowd

It can be isolating to be a progressive Jew in North Carolina. In a state where just 1% of the population identifies as Jewish, it can be tough just to find a religious community, let alone a politically active one. Although older Jews who may have been activists in the civil rights movement of the 20th century still live there, it appears their coordinated work for justice ended along with that era. There is no sustaining, Jewish-identified organizational infrastructure that today’s generation of younger North Carolina Jews could revive and harness for today’s fights.

But recently one Raleigh-based Jewish group has tapped into a wellspring of political passion among Jews, and is mobilizing them across the state to challenge the Republican takeover of the legislature. Through building coalitions with other faith and community-based groups, turning Jews out to the Moral Mondays rallies at the state capitol, and organizing laypeople and rabbis to take action, the members of Carolina Jews for Justice (CJJ) are speaking up for the political changes they want to see in North Carolina.
CJJ president Debbie Goldstein describes the loose but committed network of grassroots volunteers that maintains this activity.

“There are eight or ten of us that keep the day-to day work going, 20 of us that come all the time, and 100 that come out to a rally,” she says. Goldstein adds that while CJJ’s regular meetings are held in Raleigh and Durham, it claims members from all over the state, including the metro regions of Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Asheville, and Greensboro.
Faith in Action

Max Socol, CJJ’s 27-year-old co-founder, grew up in Greensboro and now lives and works in Raleigh as principal of a temple-based school. His organizing pedigree, though, dates back to his living and working in Israel in 2008-2009 with Israel-Palestine Creative Regional Initiatives (IPCRI). From there, he moved to Washington, DC, where there were plenty of opportunities to work for social justice but no consensus among those who were doing the work. “There were two moments,” he says, “that crystallized for me the idea that it would be useful to advocate for justice from a Jewish perspective.”

[cbayer]

1. Very glad to see more and more groups participating in this.

This is a very positive movement and the broader the better.

There is power in coalitions.

[xchrom]

2. i just am wondering how THIS group reacts to civil rights movements

that obviously have religious/spiritual underpinnings.

and those foundations aren't even new.

[cbayer]

3. By this group, do you mean the DU religion group?

There has been pretty broad support for the Moral Mondays movement, but it's hard to imagine what one could find to object to.

[xchrom]

4. i find the perspectives in this group interesting and informed.

i lurk but don't post as much in other groups.

[cbayer]

5. I've notice that, but I like the topics that you tend to bring to this group.

Apparently, though, there is not as much interest in this as one might have hoped.