This post originally appeared on Jewschool.

The Jewish social justice sector continues to expand and grow. Let that not be mistaken in today’s news that Pursue: Action for a Just World, a flagship initiative of our community, is disbanding in late 2012. And both organizations’ new initiatives reflect an exciting new stage of maturity for this movement, for the better.

When first constituted in 2006 as the partnership young adults program of American Jewish World Service and AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps, Pursue was an initiative neither organization could support alone. Each possessed budding communities of alumni from year-long and alternative break service learning, but little more. It hired capable, inspired staff and produced innovative programs that integrated the Jewish community into the wider social justice movement and vice versa.

Over six years, it touched the lives of 6,000 young people through nearly 300 programs in 7 cities with 165 partner orgs. Unlike most programs aimed at 20s/30s urban Jews, it eschewed aimless socials in favor of deeply-inspired, focused leadership training applicable equally (or perhaps best) outside the Jewish community. Through seminars and mini-conferences like Inside the Activists’ Studio, Pursue trained successive cohorts in serving on boards of directors, as well as activist skills like online fundraising and protest theater. And the staff infused today’s progressive discourse with a Jewishly-rich vocabulary through long-term study groups like the Justice & Jewish Thought series (register for the final NY cohort until June 22).

The holistic, thoughtful nature of every gathering exemplified the partnership’s values. Gatherings found creative ways to ensure gender balance on panels, catering that satisfied both kashrut and high ethical standards, and reached out to every possible justice cause. There is no other single program that has infused the current generation of Jewish activists with skills, wisdom and community.

I have been privileged to work with their staff over the past four years — the indefatigable Merrill Zack, Audrey Sasson, Stephanie Ruskay, Suzanne Lipkin, Erica Hymen, Rachel Ann Gross-Prinz, and Chanel Dubofsky. Their service has brought us to serve and this new evolution will without a doubt employ them in new and creative ways.

All that said, let’s not lament a good program’s passing while missing the greater point: we are growing and new possibilities demand new modes of collaboration. In 2006, this community was still in its infancy, but today as both organizations have grown so have their constituencies’ capacities for influence. Community-building and skills training for individuals was an investment, not an end in itself. We’ve always believed that the power and strength of this maturing sector lies in mobilizing, advocating, leveraging influence. Now both organizations are armed with well-tooled disciples ready for the heavy lifting.

What’s next? This is the natural next evolution:

AVODAH is clear that in order to fulfill its mission of supporting the Jewish community’s fight against poverty by creating Jewish leaders for social change, it must focus on guiding and inspiring its alumni network and their peers in domestic anti-poverty efforts. And AJWS is committed to mobilizing the U.S. Jewish community – including its alumni and other constituents – to effect U.S. policy change in support of marginalized people in the developing world realizing their human rights.

AJWS already began lobbying the American government’s foreign aid support through its Reverse Hunger campaign and Pursue’s local “city teams” focused on poverty alleviation at home. And this movement is capable of even more and exercising real power on the key issues of our day. Kol hakavod and congratulations to the Pursue staff, lay leaders and community for making this quality investment over the past six years. Pursue has been a home and training ground for so many — we look forward to both organizations’ future initiatives.

In the meantime, take advantage of Pursue’s final programs and trainings in NY, DC, the Bay Area and elsewhere.

Dear Pursuers,

We are writing with some bittersweet news. After many months of discussion, AJWS and AVODAH have made the decision to wind down our shared program – Pursue: Action for a Just World – by the end of 2012. Over the last two years, both AJWS and AVODAH have engaged to various degrees in intensive strategic planning processes. Each organization has refined and focused our respective strategic visions and organizational goals. AVODAH is clear that in order to fulfill its mission of supporting the Jewish community’s fight against poverty by creating Jewish leaders for social change, it must focus on guiding and inspiring its alumni network and their peers in domestic anti-poverty efforts. And AJWS is committed to mobilizing the U.S. Jewish community – including its alumni and other constituents – to effect U.S. policy change in support of marginalized people in the developing world realizing their human rights. 

As these separate paths have crystallized for AJWS and AVODAH, we have come to realize that Pursue, in its current iteration, is no longer a strategic fit for either of our organizations. But this decision in no way diminishes our shared commitment to young Jews dedicated to social justice. It allows AJWS to ramp up its commitment with targeted programming around national campaigns such as Reverse Hunger, travel to the developing world and deeper opportunities to make long-lasting social change. And it enables AVODAH to strengthen the network of people who participated in its immersive year long program and to find ways for alumni to collaborate with peers who share their interests, values and goals of alleviating poverty in the U.S.

This summer and fall, the Pursue New York community will have a robust, exciting menu of opportunities to plug into, including programs planned by the stellar Pursue City Team, Justice & Jewish Thought Summer School, Meet the Change networking events and a closing celebration party tentatively scheduled for late November. In the Bay Area, a summer film series on food justice will be the last Pursue event. The Pursue blog will continue for the next while. And although Pursue will wind down by the end of 2012, the Pursue staff you are accustomed to hearing from remain on staff  and are excited to speak with you about different opportunities to plug into AJWS and AVODAH in your cities and nationally. 

It has been a privilege for AJWS and AVODAH, through Pursue, to engage with such an inspiring community of activists and thought leaders. Moving forward, both organizations are deeply committed to providing Pursuers with the opportunities, skills and tools needed to make powerful change in the world. With AJWS, you can put your head, heart and hands to work through targeted strategies that maximize our power as allies of marginalized people in the developing world who seek access to their basic human rights; with AVODAH, you can develop and strengthen your skills as Jewish leaders for social change working to alleviate poverty in the United States. 

AJWS and AVODAH are grateful to all who have shaped Pursue – from the innovative funders who helped seed this partnership, to the 165 Jewish organizational partners with which Pursue has collaborated over the last six years, and most importantly to you, the Pursue community. We look forward to continuing to advance the Jewish social justice movement with you in a multitude of ways now and in the future.

We encourage you to check out a not-quite-final snapshot of some of the pretty great things that Pursue has accomplished over the last six years (if we don’t say so ourselves!).

With great respect,
The Pursue Team:

• Merrill Zack, director, Pursue and associate director, education & community engagement, AJWS mzack@ajws.org
• Stephanie Ruskay, senior advisor, Pursue & director of alumni & community engagement, AVODAH sruskay@avodah.net
• Audrey Sasson, senior program officer, Pursue/AJWS asasson@ajws.org
• Suzanne Lipkin, program officer, Pursue/AJWS slipkin@ajws.org
• Erica Hymen, program officer, Pursue/AJWS ehymen@ajws.org
• Chanel Dubofsky, program associate, Pursue/AJWS cdubofsky@ajws.org 

And our leaders at AJWS and AVODAH: 

• Ruth Messinger, president, AJWS
• Marilyn Sneiderman, executive director, AVODAH

• In honor of Martin Luther King Day this week, the Jewish Women’s Archive posted a provocative article reminding us that, for all the involvement of Jews in the Civil Rights movement that makes us proud, there were other segments of the community that were much more reluctant to take a stand. Describing the fear some Jews in northern U.S. cities felt as more blacks moved into their neighborhoods, the article emphasizes the unglamorous nature of much of the activist work around civil rights and the continuing challenge to, in King’s words, “get to the Promised Land.”
• Promising news for LGBT Jews: Jessica Youseffi reported in the Huffington Post this week about the pilot program of the Welcoming Synagogues project, which is wrapping up in the next few months. The program works with congregations across denominations to identify specific ways they can actively make LGBT Jews part of synagogue life, rather than simply affirming that the community is “inclusive.” Dr. Joel L. Kushner, the leader of the pilot, named four areas that congregations can work on—content, visibility, training and language—explaining, “For LGBT people to feel welcome in a congregation they need to be explicitly identified and affirmed.”
• What’s so Jewish about the Occupy movement? A panel of justice-minded Jews gathered in Los Angeles last week to discuss this topic at an event presented by Progressive Jewish Alliance + Jewish Funds for Justice. In addition to noting the viral, diverse, and collaborative nature of the movement, Oy Gay blogger Tera Greene highlighted the vibrant and pervasive role of women that stands out from a long history of radical movements led by men. To read more and view the full video of the panel discussion, click here. 
• This week, in addition to the high-profile news around the Keystone XL Pipeline and the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act, another important piece of legislation is making the headlines: the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Initially passed in 1994, VAWA  provides funding to help investigate crimes against women and support the victims and survivors of violence. VAWA is up for reauthorization this year, and Jewish Women International has organized an opportunity to show your support—click here to take action.

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.

Like Pursue, the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable, a collaboration of 21 national, regional, and local Jewish social justice organizations, similarly prizes and embodies this approach. The JSJRT, of which AJWS and AVODAH are members, seeks to elevate the role of social justice in the broader Jewish community (incidentally, also one of Pursue’s aims). In coming together to build relationships, share best practices, and even begin to work together, the JSJRT strengthens all of our work to effect broad social change across lines of race, faith, and class.

This Friday, July 29, 170 leaders from JSJRT member organizations are participating in a unique White House Community Leaders Briefing Day. I am incredibly excited to attend this special event representing Pursue, AJWS, and AVODAH! This special opportunity will allow us to represent the concerns and goals of our respective communities, to learn more about how the federal government is responding to community needs, and to identify new ways to collaborate to help our communities.  When 21 Jewish social justice organizations across the country get together and express our values and concerns – equality, human rights, access to health care, education reform, affordable housing, food justice, diversity, and more – the Obama Administration has to listen.

For me, social justice is an essential and intrinsic part of my Jewish identity. It feels like a profoundly Jewish act to literally speak truth to power and communicate my opinions directly, face-to-face, to Administration officials and policy-makers. Sharing my perspective on crucial social, political, and economic issues, in the company of 169 fellow Jewish social changemakers, creates a much louder voice and far more compelling message than any one of us could have alone. As Jews, we are coming together to pronounce our highest aspirations for social and economic equality in our own backyards, and around the world.

At this time of major upheaval in our country, where partisan politics are deepening divisions and taking us farther away from the solutions we so desperately need, it is clear that the way forward must be together. Truly, there is no other way. I’m glad that Pursue and the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable already figured that out. I hope that on Friday, the White House will learn from our example too.

Jocelyn Berger is a graduate of Nativ and Brandeis University and has worked for assorted labor, antiwar, international development, social justice and Jewish communal organizations. Beginning in the Fall of 2011, Jocelyn will pursue (ha) a Master’s degree in international affairs at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

• Rabbi Jill Jacobs, executive director of Rabbis for Human Rights-North America and author of There Shall Be No Needy: Pursuing Social Justice Through Jewish Law and Tradition has recently come out with a new book. Where Justice Dwells: A Hands-On Guide to Doing Social Justice in Your Jewish Community offers practical advice on doing social justice work with a Jewish lens. Repair the World quoted Ruth Messinger, president of AJWS, as saying that the book is “a pitch-perfect guide for schools, congregations and communal organizations to engage in thoughtful, focused and effective social justice work.”
• Jewesses with Attitude posted an outraged article about In Shifra’s Arms, a new crisis pregnancy center in the DC metropolitan area. This facility, operating with a concealed anti-choice agenda, fits into the recent assault on reproductive rights going on across the country, although in a different form than most: it’s Jewish. On the other side of the aisle, The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism commented on the recent interfaith Congressional briefing supporting abortion rights, exploring how the progressive religious voice is often stifled by that of the religious right.
• The Forward’s Leonard Fein reflected on the purpose of the Jewish people’s continued existence last week, exploring the Jewish imperative to pursue social justice. In discussing whether this imperative functions as a burden or an opportunity for the Jewish people, he makes the strong claim that “Judaism without an emphatic commitment to social justice is a betrayal, a disfiguring distortion.” David Gottlieb echoed that sentiment in his piece in Zeek this week, expounding on the possibility of a Jewish Housing Initiative and urging Jews to not only pursue advocacy efforts, but also engage in direct action.
• The Bay Area Reporter covered the grand opening of a new office in San Francisco for Keshet, a national organization that provides support, training, and resources to ensure that queer Jews are embraced and included by their Jewish communities. Keshet’s presence adds to the Bay Area’s thriving queer Jewish community as just one among many established LGBT Jewish institutions in the area, such as the Bay Area Jewish Healing Center, Congregation Sha’ar Zahav, Jewish LGBT Alliance of the JCF, and Nehirim. Pursue looks forward to collaborating with Keshet in San Francisco.

• On Sunday, Jewschool’s Aryeh Cohen called for California Governor Jerry Brown to sign the Fair Treatment for Farm Workers Act, and explored what exactly is Jewish about labor rights. But on Tuesday, the governor vetoed the legislation, which, if passed, would have allowed farmworkers to unionize without fear. Union leaders and members, after weeks of praying, fasting, and public appeals to the governor, vowed that they would not stop the fight for farmworkers rights.
• Last week, New York legalized same-sex marriage in a vote of 33 to 29! Accordingly, the Forward’s Sisterhood blog interviewed two active members of an LBGT-oriented synagogue, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, about the implications of the bill’s passage for the way the Jewish community engages with LGBTQ individuals, and what is next for queer activists. Meanwhile, Congregation Shir Tikvah in Minneapolis is organizing against a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage in their state, citing the Jewish value of tikkun olam as motivation to combat the “pharaohs” of complacency and bigotry. 
• The Jewish Daily Forward profiled Grow and Behold Foods, a sustainable alternative to industrial kosher meat that Naftali and Anna Hanau are expanding this July. Anna notes that CSAs and Farmers’ markets are valuable sources of food, but still, “if you keep kosher and want to eat good meat, there is a real lack of options.” However, in the Netherlands, Kosher meat might be even harder to obtain, reports The Jew & the Carrot, due to a new law proposed by the Dutch Animal Rights Party that would ban ritual slaughter.
• Mazon announced that it will distribute $3 million in grants to organizations responding to hunger worldwide. Grantees span the gamut of anti-hunger networks, from food banks to advocacy organizations. The list of recipients range from organizations in the United States, to those in Israel, South Africa, Argentina, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Haiti, and Niger. American Jewish World Service also took food justice on this week, blogging about the ways we in the U.S. can advocate for the livelihoods of small-scale farmers in the Global South.

• With Father’s Day coming up, Repair the World urged us to consider creative gifts for dad, suggesting a bike ride for the environment with Hazon, a micro-loan to entrepreneurs in the global south, or a donation to AJWS for their humanitarian work abroad. And take a photo! The Progressive Jewish Alliance and Jewish Funds for Justice is encouraging people to post Father’s Day photos on this Facebook page.
• Tikkun Daily explored the history of Jewish homelessness, and how the Jewish people’s perpetual uprootedness can illuminate the importance of housing and dignity for all in contemporary times.
• On The Forward’s Sisterhood Blog, Rabbi Jill Levy encouraged conservative synagogues to make room for “ima on the bima,” discussing her struggles and successes being a rabbi and a mother. After a spunky critique of her arduous search for a congregation, Levy ultimately explains how her role as a woman and a mother has in fact enriched her work as a spiritual leader. 
• Rabbi Richard Jacobs was unanimously elected as president of the Union for Reform Judaism on Sunday, reports the New York Jewish Week. In his acceptance speech, he spoke about his experiences with congregational social justice work, and his effort to build 1200 affordable housing units in a low-income neighborhood: “Commercial banks wouldn’t give our coalition a construction loan so we created our own bank for social responsibility called Community Capital.” Mazel Tov!
• DeafHope, a non-profit in Oakland, California released its new video, “Why is Shoshannah Stern Pissed Off?” It’s the latest installment of the Lavender Revolution, a social media movement to stop violence against deaf women. The Forward’s Sisterhood blog describes how Stern, an actress and activist who grew up in an observantly Jewish, deaf home, critiques victim-blaming and rape culture in the video.

• With the passing of writer and performer Gil Scott Heron, much attention has been paid to his lengthy career. The Jewish Week’s blog went back one step further to examine his days at the Fieldston School in New York City, also known as the Ethical Culture School, with a predominantly Jewish and affluent student body. The post suggests that both his discomfort being surrounded by well-off students and the school’s commitment to “advanced liberal concepts of social justice, racial equality, and intellectual freedom” likely influenced his later writings and works.
• Jewcy kicked off June with the Big Jewcy, a list of “a few people we really liked that our readers had to know about.” The folks at Jewcy will be updating the list with new people every day through the 14th. In the meantime, take a look at the social justice category’s featured Big Jewcy profiles of Liz Appel, Adam Braun, Rachel Lerner and, in the religion and beliefs category, former AJWS Rabbi-in-Residence Brent Spodek.
• The devastating tornados in Joplin, MO left much of the town decimated. While the synagogue was spared damage, four Jewish families lost their homes, prompting nearby Jewish communities to pitch in with donations and take up a collection for both the affected Jewish community and the greater tornado relief effort. The St. Louis Jewish Light profiled the response in detail, and the Jewish Federations of North America has posted comprehensive tornado relief information on their local St. Louis website.
• The holiday of Shavuot, coming up next week, is a particularly meaningful time to reflect on Jewish social justice values. The commemoration of the giving of the Torah is an opportunity to re-connect with these values within the Torah and to examine the meaning of Jewish peoplehood. To help in this endeavor, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism offers “Standing Together: A Social Justice Guide for Shavuot” relating the holiday to the issues of economic justice, the environment, world Jewry and LGBT issues and advocacy. Chag Sameach!

• As we shared last week, Jewish Funds for Justice embarked on a Mother’s Day campaign to save Medicare for future generations. You can now check out the dozens of photos and personal stories posted by supporters of the campaign detailing how their aging parents were able to live with dignity through Medicare and the consequences for families if proposed changes go through Congress. Have your own story to tell? It’s not too late to post something!
• This Shabbat, while you’re busy commemorating World Fair Trade Day at kiddush or biking through Boston, you can also Stamp Out Hunger through your own mailbox. The U.S. Postal Service is collecting food donations that you can make by simply placing them by your mailbox. Coming in a year when millions of dollars have been cut from vital support programs, the drive only highlights the increasing needs of food insecure Americans. Better yet, combine the two occasions and stuff your donation bag full of Fair Trade products.
• Grinnell College in Iowa announced the inaugural awardees of the 2011 Grinnell College Young Innovator for Social Justice Prize. Two of the three winners are close to Pursue’s heart: James Kofi Annan, who is the leader of AJWS grantee Challenging Heights, which promotes a secure future for children, especially survivors of child labor and trafficking; and Rabbi Melissa Weintraub, who recently stepped down from her position as executive director of Encounter, which provides educational experiences related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
• While Tony Kushner has been in the news quite a bit lately for the controversial decision by the City University of New York to deny the playwright an honorary degree – and then the reversal of their decision – what has not garnered as much attention is his monumental new play on progressive topics, which opened this week off-Broadway. “The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures” centers on a Brooklyn family struggling with competing visions of labor, revolution, money, and relationships, to name a few. The Forward commented on all the reasons why, despite mixed reviews, Kushner’s idea-heavy work may be more necessary than ever before.

• Happy Mother’s Day! This year, celebrate the important women in your life through action and philanthropy:

  • Jewish Funds for Justice is taking up the fight to save Medicare this Mother’s Day. To prevent changes in the 2012 budget that would make people currently under age 55 pay more for health insurance when they become seniors, JFSJ asks you to post a picture of your mother or grandmother holding up signs to save Medicare on Facebook and then to send them to your members of Congress.
  • Jewish Women International again offers an opportunity to honor not just your mother but mothers who are currently residing in battered women’s shelters around the country. The organization, which focuses on empowering women through training and education, will send flowers and other gifts to women at 200 shelters – and a card to your own mother – in exchange for a donation.
  • In honor of hardworking mothers in the developing world who are building better communities, AJWS created e-cards that can be purchased to send to your friends and family. AJWS supports projects that enable women to become literate, start businesses and advocate for their rights – making the future better for their children.

  
  

• Mergers aren’t just for big corporations: domestic social justice stalwarts Progressive Jewish Alliance, based in California, and national org Jewish Funds for Justice will be joining forces officially later this month. As both are friends and collaborators of Pursue (and we are fans of partnership ourselves), we’re excited to see what happens next with this convergence of change-making forces.
• The death of Al Quaeda leader Osama bin Laden last weekend by U.S. forces evoked a mixed reaction from Americans, despite the seemingly overwhelming focus on celebration in mainstream media. Tikkun’s Rabbi Michael Lerner responded to the news in a blog post referencing the Biblical precedents on how to react to the death of one’s enemy, along with his own examination of violence in our interconnected world: “The struggle against terrorism will not be won through killing.”
• The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism hosted its Consultation on Conscience this week in Washington, D.C. The gathering of Jewish and public policy leaders offered opportunities for exchange on several issues, as this RAC blog post reflects. Congressional representatives Nancy Pelosi, Jared Polis, and Jan Schakowsky all spoke to the role that the values of equality and fairness should play in education, healthcare, and national spending.