Friday started off as one of those days in which I remember why I decided to move to Washington, DC. At Sherman Circle, a block from the Sudanese Embassy, hundreds of activists gathered to protest the Sudanese government’s blocking food aid. The rally called on the United States and world leaders to stop the violence and prevent hundreds of thousands of people from starving. Organized by the Enough Project and United to End Genocide, American Jewish World Service joined numerous other organizations in coming together to raise our voices. The energy was ecstatic as we marched toward the embassy chanting. Soon, we were joined by George Clooney, numerous members of Congress, Martin Luther King III, John Prendergast from the Enough Project, Tom Andrews from United to End Genocide, NAACP President Ben Jealous, Rabbi Gutow of JCPA, Rabbi Saperstein of the RAC and our very own Ian Schwab, Associate Director of Advocacy for AJWS.

After speeches from each of them, they joined together on the steps of the Sudanese Embassy, prompting the United States Secret Service to warn that if they did not move that they would soon be arrested. Defiantly, they stood together and, one by one, they were arrested and escorted into the back of a police van.

In Pirke Avot, the teaching of our ancestors, it says “Rabbi Eliezer said, ‘Other people’s dignity should be as precious to you as your own.’” Watching these great leaders of my generation stand up for the dignity of those who have no voice was truly inspiring. For if we do not stand up for the dignity of those in Sudan, who will? Take a moment and send a letter to President Obama and join those who stood on those steps on Friday.

Marc Friend is the Advocacy Coordinator at AJWS.

This post originally appeared on The Jew and the Carrot.

“This just makes common sense, and—I think—it makes Jewish sense.”

That is how Timi Gerson of the American Jewish World Service (AJWS), closed the House of Representatives policy briefing organized by the Jewish Working Group for a Just Farm Bill.

I was privileged to watch this briefing in action. The panelists, Barbara Weinstein of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (the RAC); Josh Protas of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA); Mia Hubbard of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger; and Timi Gerson of AJWS, had addressed an audience earlier that day in the one of the Senate conference rooms: a spacious, red-carpeted room bedecked with large portraits of senators past and present. This second briefing was in a smaller, more intimate room, not substantially different from the Multi-Purpose Room of my childhood synagogue in suburban New Jersey.

The message was equally clear in both settings: “We, as representatives of the American Jewish community, want a just Farm Bill, and we are concerned that we might not get it.” Mia addressed the reason: “MAZON … has worked on a lot of Farm Bills. But this one is different.” The difference? A slow economic recovery and a government focused on deficit reduction—hefty challenges in a time of great need.

But Mia also noted one positive answer to “Why is this [Farm Bill] fight different from all other [Farm Bill] fights?” For the first time, the newly convened Jewish Working Group for a Just Farm Bill has brought a unified American Jewish voice to food justice, an issue that has energized many American Jews in a new way this year.

The relationship between Jews and food justice ran through each panelist’s presentation. Barbara noted the long connection— “since Biblical times”— between Jews, agriculture and justice. Josh reminded the crowd that the Passover Seders are approaching, marked by the traditional declaration, “All who are hungry, come and eat.” He went on to advocate for more consistent, secure funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or the “food stamp” program. In recent years, this cornerstone government food assistance program has had its funds siphoned for other purposes – as Josh put it, “like a federal ATM machine.”

Mia reemphasized the need for our government to maintain SNAP funding, and advocated additionally for another domestic food assistance program, The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). She noted that hunger does not escape any U.S. district, and reminded us that government assistance programs like SNAP and TEFAP – not food banks and charitable services – should be treated as the first line of defense for food security. Timi wrapped up the conversation by advocating for greater flexibility in our food aid policy. Invoking Maimonides’ declaration that the highest form of giving is one that supports self-sufficiency, she urged Congress to adopt a policy that would allow the U.S. to support purchasing food in countries where food is available, rather than sustaining our current, less efficient and more expensive policy that requires the U.S. to ship American food overseas. Timi reminded the audience that this recommendation enjoys bi-partisan support and the backing of virtually all international development experts. “The only thing getting in the way is politics and special interests.”

One of the audience members, Ellen Teller of the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), praised the panelists for bringing Jewish organizations together and gathering support from over 15,000 Jewish petition signers and 12 additional national Jewish organizations. “You are national, but you are also the local communities nationwide,” she reminded us. “That is where you can make real change happen.”

If there is one thing I learned from visiting Capitol Hill, it is that constituents’ voices matter a great deal. If you haven’t signed the Jewish Petition for a Just Farm Bill, please wait no longer. If you haven’t encouraged your friends to sign the petition, please do. Before Purim or Passover, email your Senator or district representative —or better yet, schedule an in-district meeting— to emphasize that you care about fighting hunger domestically and internationally. Talk about your Hunger Seder or your Global Hunger Shabbat. Tell them you are representing yourself and the rest of the American Jewish community, a community that desperately wants to eradicate hunger worldwide. Tell them our government can take measurable steps to make this a reality— if only there were the political will.

The message of the Jewish Working Group for a Just Farm Bill is that from all corners of the country, we can work together as a Jewish community with one voice. Let’s exercise responsible citizenship in this season of feasts. It just makes Jewish sense.

The Jewish Working Group for a Just Farm Bill includes representatives from American Jewish World Service (AJWS), the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL), Hazon, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA), MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger and the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ).

Ilan Caplan is a Program Associate at American Jewish World Service.

This piece originally appeared on The Blog at 16th and Q.

With the Cherry Blossom Festival commencing and the flowers out in full force, it’s no longer doubtful (despite the recent weather) that Spring is officially here. Recently author Rob Sachs posted an article titled, “An Afternoon of Cherry Blossoms and Swastikas” on The Huffington Post about his unique experience at the annual festival this past weekend. His article is a short piece about his weekend jaunt through the Tidal Basin and then, unexpectedly, into the adjacent United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Sachs juxtaposes the joyful nature of the annual Cherry Blossom Festival to the pain and suffering on display within the neighboring museum and draws a comparison to the Jewish tradition of stepping on a glass; he attributes this tradition, as do many, to the call from the Jewish community to remember the pain of the past even in the most joyous moments of our lives.

To that end, Springtime, for Jews, is all about celebration and juxtaposition. During Purim, for example, we are literally commanded to eat, drink, and throw raucous parties, while simultaneously crying out the name of our enemies and exterminators over and over until we’re numb to the sound. Likewise, Passover, which is right around the corner, requires us to eat and drink like Kings and Queens. However, we still must dip our greens in the tears of our ancestors and spread the bitter pain of the Jews of yester-year all over our matzot. While these are the traditions many of us grew up with, maybe it’s time to consider adding some new traditions to our beloved springtime regiment of Food with Reflection. Bad things happened in the past, and it’s important to remember them, nevertheless it’s also important to reflect and act upon the struggles our communities face today. There’s no better time than Spring – the season of renewal and hope – to get involved.

This April, for example, consider coming out to volunteer with the Washington DC JCC’s Spring into Action program on April 10th. This annual event raises awareness about local environmental issues while providing opportunities for the community to engage with each other and work hand-in-hand towards a solution. This year the event is themed around urban agriculture, community gardening, and park restoration. With oil prices, obesity rates, and unemployment all on the rise, it’s important to remember that our food system isn’t just about food; the way we grow our food impacts the environment, our health, and the economic and employment stability of our communities. Local and sustainable agriculture is a great source of fair employment, healthy food, and community-building throughout the greater Washington DC area – don’t miss out on this great chance to meet some local farmers, advocates, and other families in your own neighborhoods. And bring the kids! This year we’ve planned Spring into Action to fall in line with Earth Day and Global Youth Action Day, so come out, celebrate Spring, and sow some seeds of change.

If you’re looking for a new twist on Passover, also consider heading over to the Rainbow Seder with DCJCC’s GLOE or the Labor Seder with Jews United for Justice. Both of these seders will be fun, meaningful ways to explore some of the most important social issues of our time – the rights of the LGBTQ international community and the struggle to find – and keep – good jobs. And there’s nothing like Jewish guilt and copious amounts of food to drive a movement so don’t wait to jump on board: both of these events tend to sell out every year.

At the end of Sachs’s aforementioned article, he pondered that maybe his detour into the museum wasn’t so random after all; as Jews, we are inexplicably tied to a history of people that have sought justice for themselves and their communities for millennia. No matter what your favorite part of Springtime is – the eating, the socializing, or the reflecting – take a break from the normal routine and make this holiday intentional by exploring not just the issues of the past, but those pertinent to our communities today. And don’t forget to stop and smell the blossoms! Spring is as fleeting as it is special. Take advantage of it.

Michal Rosenoer is from the San Francisco Bay Area and graduated from UC Berkeley. As a DC Corps member, she is a Behrend Builders Community Service Coordinator at the DC JCC.

What’s socially just about a placenta?

I worked this summer at a radical Jewish farm in Connecticut, known as ADAMAH. Twenty farmers grew vegetables on fifteen acres, ran a small commercial dairy, and had our own chickens. We intentionally built a culture of celebrating the earth through our Judaism. When one of the farmers gave birth to a baby girl, the question arose: what’s the best thing to do with the placenta? She chose to bury it at the foot of one of the fruit trees, to allow her own bodily fluids to fertilize the soil that would grow our food. We all nodded our heads in agreement.

In Washington, D.C., where I live now, I’m part of a very different radical Jewish culture. We talk about racism and immigration over shared dinners. We live and work passionately to help people who have held little power in society take that power back. I didn’t even know that such a community existed, much less in a Jewish incarnation.

I still love that story about burying a placenta. And the longer I live here, the more I have realized that my D.C. community of radical, committed Jews might love to learn more about fertilizer and compost, might love to hear more about mysteriously nutrient-rich birth fluid. We might just need to gather together in an organized way and create a space for dialogue. We could maybe even decide as a community that we cared about the origin of our food and wanted to actively fight for a healthy planet. A communal decision is always more powerful – yoter ha shnayim min ha echad… (two are better than one).

So we did it. A planning committee of lay leaders organized a Tu Bishvat Eco-Justice Seder last month, the inaugural event of a new Jewish environmental group we’re creating called Etz Chayim DC. With eighty people in attendance, our community laughed, meditated, acted out the life of a tree, and brainstormed visions for future projects. I discovered that there were already people in my D.C. community committed to composting; that many knew more than I did; and that all of us were interested and excited to begin building a coalition around justice, food and ecology, and Judaism.

If you were one of the 80 attendees, Yashar Koach! I’m excited for you to plan our next eco-justice event, using your own interests and passions. If you live in the D.C. area and are interested in learning more, please send an email to etzchayimhee@gmail.com.

Jacob Siegel is a current Corps member participating in AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps.

“What is a food democracy, and why do we need one?” This was the central question of the panel discussion entitled “How Good Food Makes a Difference” that took place at the Goethe-Institut (in cooperation with the Heinrich Boll Foundation) on Wednesday evening. The speakers, Tanja Busse* and Mark Winne**, both ardent food activists and authors of best-selling books about food justice issues in Germany and America respectively, gave more than a few good responses to these questions, emphasizing the connections between health, community, citizenry, and consumerism in light of our current food system. This conversation about health and food isn’t new to the Jewish community however; for the last few decades, Jews the world over have been making connections between food, social justice, and Jewish law in novel and meaningful ways.

But before we delve into the Jewish side of things, let’s talk terms. First, what is a “food democracy?” According to Busse, in a food democracy, all community members regardless of socioeconomic status, race, gender, or age, would be involved in the decision-making processes that govern local food systems. This means not only having access to political decision-making processes, but also having access to the knowledge about our greater global agricultural system, federal subsidies, and structural inequalities that have shaped the sorry state of health and access in our communities today. Instead of a democracy, Busse claimed, we currently have a “food dictatorship” in which just a handful of biotech, oil, and Big Ag companies have the power and the pockets deep enough to make decisions about what and how the world eats. This is a problem, the authors claim, because these corporations are more concerned with their bottom lines than they are with either environmental sustainability or human rights.

So what are people doing about it? Well, lots of things. First, grassroots food justice movements have sprung up all over the world in the last few decades calling for a more just, equitable, and transparent food system. Both local and international, programs like the Campesino y Campesino movement in South America and the DC Farm to School program here in the district are working to change the way we engage with food on a daily basis in the hopes of creating real change. From the Jewish side, programs like Adamah, a Jewish land-based organic farming program is teaching young Jews how to engage with their food and the environment in a religious context. Likewise, Hazon is organizing Jews to create more environmentally friendly and just communities, which includes advocating for better food access and more local production. At the JCC, my AVODAH placement, we also offer programs like Hunger Action and our Spring into Action annual Day of Service that affords volunteers the opportunity to engage with local environmental and hunger issues.

Busse and Winne also offered some small, concrete steps for individuals looking to help create change around food issues. For instance, Winne’s mantra is to “get your hands in the soil, vegetables on the chopping block, and voices down to city hall.” Winne believes that to create large-scale change, we first must re-introduce intimacy into our personal relationships with food. For example, kids need to be exposed to gardens, healthy food options, and real cooking at home and in school so they value real food, not just the “food” served cheap and fast at their local Burger King. Likewise, Winne advocates for getting together with your friends and family and just talking about food – what do we want from our local food systems? What isn’t working? How can we make it better? Asking those questions is the first step to doing something about it. Similarly, Busse thinks that we need to take a critical eye with us to the grocery store; if you read the labels on the back of your Froot Loops and don’t know what “pink berry flavoring” is, call or email the company and ask for an explanation. It’s your right as a consumer and a citizen, Busse argues, to ask those questions and to make your voice heard.

It’s not only your right, but also your responsibility, in Judaism, to engage with these issues. Jewish law implores that we remember that we were once slaves in the land of Egypt; thus, it is our responsibility to help those struggling the best that we can. So even if you don’t think you are being affected by food issues, get out and volunteer to help others, teach your children to cook, or even just visit a local farmers market. Little steps make a big difference, and starting to think about it is where real change begins.

*Tanjua Busse is a freelance journalist for Die Zeit and Germany’s Greenpeace Magazine. She is also author of the German non-fiction bestseller Die Einkaufsrevolution (2006) dealing with political consumerism, agriculture, and scandals in the food industry.

** Mark Winne is the former executive director of the Hartford Food System and author of the acclaimed Food Rebels, Guerilla Gardeners, and Smart Cookin’ Mamas: Fighting Back in an Age of Industrial Agriculture (2010) which challenges us to go beyond eating local food to becoming part of a larger call for a sustainable and intimate food system and culture.

Michal Rosenoer was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a BS in Environmental Politics and International Development in May of 2010. When she’s not leading volunteer groups for Behrend Builders at the DC JCC, she can be found teaching kids how to backpack, studying urban beekeeping, and advocating for local food justice.

This post originally appeared on The Blog at 16th and Q, the blog of the DC JCC, here.

Calling All DC Pursuers!

Want a chance to see all of your old friends? Want to meet other like-minded folk in the DC area?
Hope you will join us for Shabbat Dinner!

When: Friday, January 28th at 8:00 p.m.
Where: Moishe House DC (1753 Euclid St. NW)

What: Please bring some wine and we will provide the food!
Who: Pursuers, AJWS alumni, AVODAHniks past and present, and anyone else who wants to join.
RSVP: To tlivshiz@gmail.com as soon as possible.

Sanity or fear? Activists, fear-mongers, TV watchers and people who like to laugh will be gathering this Saturday on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. to choose sides in this epic battle, fronted by Comedy Central titans John Stewart and Stephen Colbert. What actions will result from this gathering are anyone’s guess, but we do know some folks who are hosting a wicked after party: The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.

That’s right, the After Party to Restore Tzedek will bring together Jews who attend the rally for a chance to schmooze, kvetch, and otherwise reflect on the day’s proceedings. Will you be there?

“According to the generation, so goes the leader.”
–Talmud Bavli, Arakhin 7A

On November 2, millions across the U.S. will go to the polls. We will elect 435 members of the House of Representatives, 47 United States Senators, 37 governors, and thousands of state representatives. A lot is on the line.

But this year, we must do more. To get the maximum number of people in the voting booths, we are calling on Pursuers to register new voters and help people get to the polls.

In 2008, thousands of Pursuers in six cities participated in presidential debate watching parties and registered to vote (thousands of others went to visit their Bubbe in Florida). In 2010, AJWS and AVODAH, the parent organizations of Pursue, are part of a national network of Jewish organizations working together to make this election count. In seven cities, our partner organizations are living our shared values, working with local coalitions committed to global justice, social change and non-partisan civic engagement.

Are you in? Read about events in your area below the jump!

Visit Define America 2010 to volunteer your time between now and Election Day. Within seconds you’ll find out how you can tap into the opportunities available in your area, including when and where you can hit the streets to transform this election.

If you are in one of Pursue’s staffed cities, sign up to participate in one of the voter engagement events listed below:

Washington D.C.

You can join a team of Jews United For Justice members to call registered voters the next two Tuesdays in October:

When: Tuesday, October 12^th (tomorrow!) and Tuesday, October 19th from 6-9 pm
Where: 1315 Duke St., Alexandria, VA
More information and RSVP: Email lizzie@jufj.org to join us.

New York City

Join Jewish Funds for Justice for non-partisan Get Out The Vote work in partnership with Families United for Racial and Economic Equality (FUREE), and Uri L’Tzedek.

When: Sunday, October 24, 2:00 to 5:30 p.m. (Meet at 1:45)
Where: Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. Meet at Congregation Kol Israel, 603 St. Johns Pl. between Franklin and Classon (2/3 or 4/5 trains to Franklin Ave.)
Partner: Families United for Racial and Economic Equality

When: Sunday, October 31, 2:00 to 5:30 p.m. (Meet at 1:45)
Where: Washington Heights, Manhattan. Meet at Hebrew Tabernacle, 551 Fort Washington Ave. just north of Bennett Park (A or 1 trains to 181 St.)
Partner: NYC Aids Housing Network

More information and RSVP: Contact Abby Bellows, 212-213-2113 x68 or abellows@jewishjustice.org

San Francisco

Join Progressive Jewish Alliance for neighborhood canvassing and phone-banking in partnership with many Bay Area organizations.

When: October 17^th, 31^st, 20^th, 21^st and most importantly, November 2^nd, Election Day! Various times and locations.
More information and RSVP: Toby Kramer, tkramer@pjalliance.org

Since its inception, Pursue has earned a reputation for bringing together change-makers–and we’re proud to highlight some of the incredible people who have long been involved in building and strengthening a vibrant Jewish community committed to making a difference. Last week, we posted the first of three interviews with individuals in New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. Pursue believes deeply in the power of community, collaboration, and supporting leaders to create lasting social change. Each person featured embodies these qualities. Last week we highlighted Emily Kates in San Francisco. Now, we bring you Nathaniel Berman.

Tell us about yourself and what you’re doing now.

I’m an attorney working at the U.S. Department of Labor. I’m also a Jeremiah Fellow, one of a cohort of 16 socially conscious Jewish individuals in the D.C. area who are in a nine-month course developing organizing skills, storytelling skills, and learning about affordable housing and immigration issues.

How did you first become involved with Pursue?

My connection to Pursue goes back to when I did the AJWS Volunteer Summer program a number of years ago. It was incredible. It really opened my eyes to what one person can do and expanded my view of the power of the Jewish community to make change. I moved to D.C. about three and a half years ago, after law school, and I was always looking for Jewish groups to volunteer with and to make a difference with. I also got involved with Jews United for Justice (JUFJ), the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), and the Anti-Defamation League.

Pursue often works with JUFJ and HIAS in D.C. Have you seen them interact in interesting ways?

Oh, absolutely, especially in an activity like Inside the Activists’ Studio that has happened for the last couple of years, introducing us to local Jewish activists, having small group discussions about organizing and activism. Working in coalition is a tremendous thing and I think that’s something that Pursue does very well. Working with other groups that are similarly inclined and passionate about this work just amplifies what a positive impact all these groups can make together.

There is such an overlap and unity in the Jewish social justice community in D.C. that just helps me come back for more. I see the same faces and hear about the next steps for a campaign over and over again, and I think that helps drive the point home that the community is very strong, mobilized, and unified. There is a network to work within and bounce around in. All these groups are playing some part in this work together in addition to talking about their own organizations’ missions.

What does Pursue mean to you?

I just think it’s a great group of people overall, some of the strongest people that I’ve ever met who are really involved, aware, and committed. There hasn’t been a single person whom I haven’t wanted to engage in conversation. The network’s just been expanding and expanding as far as I can see since I’ve been here over the last three and a half years.

I’m a government employee and that’s how I chose to express myself with public service, but it does leave me enough time in the evenings and on the weekends to help out–to either show up at a rally, go to community meetings, or just get more involved and informed in general. And if I see that there’s a Pursue event happening on a Sunday afternoon or a Thursday evening, to hear a community activist or members of different boards around town speak about their experiences and their organizations, I go. I’m glad to be where I am, having my public service day job and also having time to expand that in my free time.

Suzanne Lipkin is a Program Associate for Pursue and AJWS.

On January 17th, 2010, Jewish change-makers gathered and learned from local Jewish activists, engaged in skills-share workshops and enjoyed networking opportunities

Photos by Emily Goodstein