Nu? This Week in Jews and Social Justice

In case you missed it, you can watch President Obama’s State of the Union address from this past Tuesday night on the White House website. But if you’re looking for Jewish justice insight into the state of the nation as Obama sees it, look no further than the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC). They put together a State of the Union resource center that includes a transcript of their live Twitter feed with RAC associate director Mark Pelavin and a series of bingo cards that you can use to track the key phrases Obama drops during his speech.
On the heels of the two-year anniversary of Haiti’s earthquake, the Haiti Advocacy Working Group organized Haiti Advocacy Week this past week on Capitol Hill. Bringing together Haitians, organizations working on Haiti’s development, and government officials, events included policy briefings on issues such as gender-based violence, the cholera epidemic, and democracy within Haiti as well as discussions about how best to move forward in securing a strong future for the country. To see photos from the week’s events, click here.

Strides are being made in Phoenix, Arizona to form closer bonds between the Jewish and Latino communities. At a meeting held last week, the second in what will be a series of working dialogues, participants and local community activists got to know one another and discussed the challenges both groups face in response to anti-Semitic and anti-immigrant sentiments that surface in the area. Dialogue organizer Denise Resnik of the Real Arizona Coalition was enthusiastic about the possibilities for the groups working together: “I believe they’re energized to identify ways that we can move forward to strengthen our communities and celebrate our cultures and diversity.”
The Washington Jewish Week recently profiled ten D.C.-area people it considers the “Most Interesting Local Jews of 2011.” While the list includes many rabbis and entrepreneurs, Jewish justice was well represented by Eve Copeland, an active change-maker with Jews United for Justice and PresenTense, and Esther Safran Foer, executive director of a frequent Pursue event venue, historic D.C. synagogue Sixth & I (and yes, the mother of a few notable authors!). Who are the most interesting Jews in your city?