JUSTICE LEAGUE
THE KITCHEN’S COMMITMENT TO ANTI-RACIST WORK
At The Kitchen: we believe that black lives matter. We are committed to doing the work, internally and externally, to build an anti-racist Jewish community. We signed on to Not Free to Desist and realize we have a lot of work yet to do. We joined 400+ Jewish organizations to say Black Lives Matter and realize saying it is the start of this work. Anti-racism is core to spiritual practice and our translation of Torah. Rabbi Noa spoke about this on June 5th - we invite you to read/watch and then take action with us.
PARTNERSHIP W/ GLIDE
A radically inclusive, just and loving community mobilized to alleviate suffering and break the cycles of poverty and marginalization.
Glide has also prepared a voter’s guide for the November 3, 2020 election in California. Sign up to get yours here.
Prepare Meals at GLIDE
A covenant of justice is in motion. We’ve partnered with Glide Memorial Church in the Tenderloin — a radically inclusive, just and loving community mobilized to alleviate suffering and break the cycles of poverty and marginalization. We’ve joined them to serve meals, bake challahs, volunteer as tutors, and learn from the brilliant and holy people behind Glide’s mighty justice machinery. Ready to roll up your sleeves and get to work?
Contact Reed Kolber to plug in.
GLIDE is accepting volunteers for the following shifts below. We would love for folks to commit to weekly or monthly shifts if possible, or just come and try one out to see how your heart is filled with joy being there!
Glide Shifts Needed:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday @ 6:15-9am
Bake at Home: The Kitchen’s Justice Bake Shop
Feeding the people who feed the people at GLIDE
Every Thursday night a rotating group of Kitchen volunteers bake challot, cookies, cakes, breads, and other goodies for Glide staff to help feed the people who feed the people. Volunteers then pick up the items for drop off at Glide. If you are interested in joining the baking or drop off crew, email Reed at reed@thekitchensf.org.
WHAT CAN YOU DO RIGHT NOW?
1. Ways to Plug In
Register to VOTE
Make sure your voting registration is up to date here (link: https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/ ) Glide’s Ballot Guide that just came out to help guide local voters on propositions to help unhoused folks (link: https://www.glide.org/2020ballotguide/)
Anti-Racism Discussion Group: 10/12, 10/26, 11/9, 11/23 8-9:15pm
This discussion group is for anyone who wants to do the difficult and vital work of anti-racism with an open heart and mind. While this is a group that will highlight Jewish voices, especially Black ones, and welcome Jewish questions and beliefs in all their beautiful forms, it is not just for self-identified Jews and you don’t have to know anything about Judaism to be welcome here. This group is open to different levels of experience with racial justice. Contact Kitchen member Sara Beth Hoffman for more information at sara.beth.hoffman@gmail.com.
Team Chesed
Join our Love Team/Team Chesed to offer care to our community members in need in the form of cooking/dropping of a meal to someone who is ill, needing support, a family who just had a new baby, and other mazals! Email Reed (reed@thekitchensf.org) to sign up.
Intergenerational Giving Circle
A giving circle is an innovative way for us to gather a group together and to be thoughtful in how we give our money away. A Jewish giving circle is one that’s animated by Jewish values, and/or that gives to Jewish and/or Israeli organizations. Our giving circle strives to be inter-generational and will be a reflection of the combined interests of us all. We will decide for ourselves what our values are, what the mission of our circle is, and what we want our charitable dollars to support. We’ll spend as much time as we decide works for us to learn more about the issues and causes that are most important to us all, and to connect with terrific nonprofit organizations. Our giving circle will also be a community - we are going to spend time together (virtually), learn about each other’s values and interests, and together have a greater impact than any of us could on our own.
The way it works is this: each member will contribute a minimum of $18, we’ll discuss the values that inspire our giving and the issue areas we want to support, and then we’ll decide together which organizations we want to support. Each giving circle is unique – one of the reasons I like this model so much is that each giving circle has its own identity, one that we get to decide together. Register here & ask Reed any questions you may have.
Tent Donations to GLIDE
Those wanting to celebrate sukkot and offer those shelter can donate sukkot/tents (amazon link to tent) to unhoused folks in the Tenderloin yo Glide’s Walk-In Center @ Eunice Feathers / Glide Walk in Center 330 Ellis Street.
2. Get // Stay Informed
Watch “Never Again Is Now: Take Action to Save the U.S. Asylum System” by Kitchen-ite, Blaine Bookey
Check out the Interfaith Immigration Coalition
For Kids
They're not too young to talk about race infographic
spreadsheet of black-owned restaurants in the bay area, compiled by Soleil Ho, Chronicle restaurant critic
10 Steps to Non-Optical Allyship
Conversation with Bryan Stevenson, of the Equal Justice Initiative
Other Important Learning & Action Resources
Justice in June, compiled by Autumn Gupta with Bryanna Wallace
Anti Racism Resources, including resources for parents, compiled by Anna Stamborski
More Anti Racism Resources, compiled by Sarah Sophie Flicker
Juneteenth Resources:
The Movement for Black Lives is organizing a national weekend of action in defense of Black lives. Show up in solidarity in-person or from home with organizations like SURJ and Bend the Arc. Learn more at www.six nineteen.com.
Watch Slavery to Mass Incarceration (<6 mins) from the Equal Justice Initiative. [Content warning for slavery and racial violence.]
Also read Aviva Davis's Why You Need to Care About Black Lives Matter (<15 mins) and make a donation to Black Visions Collective.
3. Tzedakah // Great Orgs to Donate To
4. Stay in the Know
The Kitchen Justice League Facebook group is the best place to go for more info on our events and to connect with other members.
UPCOMING
New Bridges to Racial Justice
Isoke Femi, GLIDE’s Maven for Transformative Learning and Psychologist Anne Coelho
New Bridges is an approach to undoing social oppression and building intercultural alliances. New Bridges holds firm to the idea that none of us is to blame for our conditioning, and that we all need a loving context within which to free ourselves. Through a series of small and large group introspective activities, we will look deeply at race and racism in America as we share key strategies for undoing the internal and external structures of racism.Space is limited. All Sessions will be over zoom.
Sunday, October 17th, 4-7p
Five Thursdays, which will run from 7:30- 9 pm: October 22 + 29
November 5, 12, + 19
Free for Kitchen members
$72 suggested donation for non-members
WHAT IS THE JUSTICE LEAGUE?
The prophet Jeremiah said "Work for the good of the city to which I have carried you...for when it prospers, you will also prosper." We think he might've had something. We're thinking about San Francisco and how we can work on taking care of the people who make it home.
See, we think that we're here in the world to help bridge the gap between the world as it is and the world as it ought to be. So we're weaving the pursuit of justice, equality and dignity for all people into the fabric of what we do.
You in? There's work to do here and we need your help.