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Posts by author:
Jocelyn Berger
 As the Pursue Program Officer in San Francisco for the past two and a half years, one of the biggest lessons I learned was the importance of collaboration among Jewish communal organizations. Operating with limited resources, targeting similar demographics, and striving toward similar goals as many other organizations, Pursue began as a partnership itself, the innovative child of AJWS and AVODAH. We decided to make partnership a fundamental tenet of our work, and since our inception we’ve partnered with over 150 other organizations across the country to build and strengthen the Jewish social justice movement. Moreover, we hope that our partnership approach will influence the broader Jewish communal field to be more collaborative and cooperative in its work. Read more →
Tagged as:
community,
news,
partners
Stop me if you’ve heard this one: Nearly 200 Jewish, foodie, environmentalist, justice-minded, passionate people of all ages walk into a Northern California ranch. Actually, this wasn’t a joke, it was Hazon’s Food Conference West, December 23-26, 2010.
This year’s conference featured program tracks in Creating a Just Food System, Do-It-Yourself: Food Preservations Skills, Food Systems and Sustainability, Jewish History and Culture, and Texts, Values, and Tradition. As a Jewish social justice communal professional, and personally as a foodie and Judeo-phile, I felt like a kid in the proverbial candy store (that is, a story selling organic candy made without high-fructose corn syrup and chemical additives). So many choices! Where to begin?
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Tagged as:
Bay Area,
food justice
Like Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof,” and NBC newscaster Brian Williams in the recent video Judd Apatow made for American Jewish World Service, I am motivated by tradition.
Tradition is why I love food. Tradition is why I believe in social justice. For some Jews, tradition comes from text and law. For others, it’s a cultural practice passed down from elders. Either way, food and justice form two central tenets of Judaism — and among today’s young Jewish adults, they have united as a significant force. Read more →
Tagged as:
Bay Area,
events,
food justice
 As Californians prepare to vote on November 2nd about the legalization of marijuana, upcoming Chewing on Food Justice: Got Access? moderator Zusha Elinson took a different look at the issue in a recent article in the Bay Citizen. According to his report, zoning laws in Berkeley make it easier to sell homegrown pot than homegrown tomatoes or other common backyard garden vegetables.
Besides the general humor, irony, or absurdity of the situation, this is actually a very important food justice issue. One of the central tenets of food justice is that all people should have available and accessible fresh, sustainably raised, healthy, culturally appropriate food. Unfortunately, in many parts of West Oakland and other Bay Area neighborhoods, this is not the case.
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Tagged as:
Bay Area,
events,
food justice
 On Sunday, June 20th, 40 people gathered at Hayes Valley Farm in San Francisco for What is a California-vore?–a panel discussion about urban farming. Co-sponsored by Pursue and organized by Congregation Emanu-El Young Adult Community Social Justice Chair Spencer Rosen, we sat in the sun on bales of hay and heard from Jonathan Silverman of Feel the Earth Foundation, Lauren Anderson at Produce to the People, Jay Rosenberg of Hayes Valley Farm, and moderator Rebecca Ets-Hokin, a local culinary professional. Rabbi Sydney Mintz of Emanu-El welcomed us and framed the event in terms of the Jewish value of shomrei adamah, the commandment to guard and steward the land. Read more →
Tagged as:
Bay Area,
events,
food justice
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A Project of :
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Jewish change-makers are inspired, motivated and fiercely smart. Jewish values urge us to question injustice, act, and take collective responsibility. Pursue sparks and sustains social change by channeling the unlimited passion and potential of Jewish change-makers
in their 20s and 30s into action for a more just world. Copyright 2010
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