Yom Kippur 5787 Afternoon Programming: In-Person and Virtual
All Yom Kippur programming is free and open to the public.
In-Person Programs
LET CUBA LIVE! ¡Cuba No Está Sola! with Linda Loew, Marc Kaplan, and Myra Glassman
Linda Loew, Marc Kaplan, and Myra Glassman will report back with short presentations and photographs depicting their May and August visits to Cuba, plus Marc's special report about participating in the 1970 Venceremos Brigade, where he and others on the Brigade had the opportunity to meet with Fidel Castro, and his reflections upon returning fifty six years later this summer. There will be accounts of the extraordinary accomplishments of the Cuban revolution, including free health care and education, and how 67 years of U.S. embargo (longest in world history) and today's strangling economic genocide have placed Cuba in a dire situation, threatening all of their accomplishments.
Questions posed for discussion will include: How do we, who are defined by Judaism's belief in liberation and support for those in struggle against repression, respond to the crisis unfolding in Cuba today? and How can we help?
The Origins of Migration: An Exploration of Migration in Sacred Literature with Sanctuary Working Group
Join Sanctuary Working Group and coordinator Emily Wheeler for a discussion on immigrant migration to Chicago and the USA, and the role of migration stories in sacred literature. From school watch to court accompaniment, from rapid response to sanctuary, we will look at some of the ways our communities deal with the current wave of anti-immigrant policy and sentiment. We will also look at the brutality of the racist government policies and the arcane legal maneuvering meant to push any migrant from our borders. And of course, discuss how members of the Tzedek Congregation can assist our migrant siblings. We will be joined by Tzedek Chicago member Brian Carson and Emily Wheeler, the program coordinator from Faith Community Initiative, who will share models for migrant assistance.
ABOUT SANCTUARY WORKING GROUP: The Sanctuary Working Group is a solidarity organization that supports and accompanies vulnerable migrants in their journey towards sustainable independence. Since 2020, the SWG has provided direct support to over 600 individuals and families primarily from Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Central-East Asia.
Virtual Programs
Collective Self-Accountability in Harrowing Times with Dean Spade
In the face of ecocide, genocide, and widespread repression, many are feeling powerless, hopeless, responsible, yet uncertain about how to take action toward liberation. How can Judaism help us to connect our daily experiences and actions to the profound transformations needed in our times? How can we hold the pain of all that is out of control in the world, in others, and even in our own reactivity, in a principled, loving, and pragmatic way? How might the ancestral practices associated with Yom Kippur support skillful navigation of hard feelings like resentment, rigidity, shame and judgement that are common responses to the pressures we are under?
ABOUT DEAN SPADE: Dean Spade has been working to build queer and trans liberation based in racial and economic justice for the past two decades. He is a professor at the Seattle University School of Law. He is the author of Normal Life: Administrative Violence, Critical Trans Politics and the Limits of Law. Dean’s latest book is Love in a Fucked Up World: How to Build Relationships, Hook Up, and Raise Hell, Together.
Biblical Text and Art: Abraham and Isaac from Caravaggio to Chagall with Sarah Rosenson
The story of Abraham almost killing his son Isaac, referred to in Hebrew as the Akedah, is traditionally read on the second day of Rosh Hashanah. In this interactive online session we will read and discuss this fascinating and troubling text. We will also talk about the Jewish tradition of midrash, where people write stories that answer questions left open in the biblical text, and the idea that art can be another form of midrash. Then we will look at paintings of the scene by Caravaggio, Rembrandt, and Chagall to compare and contrast how these brilliant artists depicted this dramatic episode.
ABOUT SARAH ROSENSON: Rosenson is the author of Fan Fiction on the Book of Genesis: A Guide to Close Reading of and Creative Writing on the Bible. After practicing law for a decade, Sarah earned her master’s degree in Jewish Studies and became a teacher. She taught classes on ethics and on the Bible at a Quaker high school, and she currently teaches adults both in-person and online for various institutions. Her classes include The Biblical Art of Marc Chagall, Children’s Bible Stories for Adults, Ethics Thought Experiments, Ethics and Sports, and Jane Austen and Philosophy, among others. You can find her website at www.sarahsclass.net.