JVoices: your jewish wakeup call

if the site hadn’t been hacked.

• ICE Raids hit the Bay Area a day after May Day, including scaring the shit kids at Berkeley schools
• After the exchange with Eden last week about transgender youth, I thought I’d plug this amazing, indepth interview series that NPR is doing right now on trans youth.
• Joseph Gindi gave one of the best talks I’ve heard in awhile about Israel, Palestine, and why ethnic nationalism strikes a discordant note in the goal of achieving true democracy at the Righteous Indignation conference. What I appreciated most about this panel was not that the ideas were new, but how much the panelists strived to use language that moved beyond the rhetoric we all often fall prey to that divides people.
• Police brutality in Philadephia has raised alarms, particularly because the vicious beating of three Black men, Brian Hall, 23, Pete Hopkins,19, and Dwayne Duches, 24, was caught on tape by FOX helicopters. Folks in the media world always say, that when it comes to talking about race and racism in the U.S. media and larger public domain, documentation is paramount.
• Before I headed to the RI conference, I had the pleasure of joining JVoices contributors’ Robin Washington and Rabbi Capers Funnye at the Be’chol Lashon think tank, which you can read a bit about in the Forward and JTA. On a personal note, it was BEYOND refreshing to be in a room with folks whose perspective on Jewish life was not limited to the U.S. mainstream-dominated narrative of intermarriage or continuity, but rather the breadth of Jewish life in Global Jewry. I should also say, a hearty mazel tov to Alysa Stanton for being the first African-American female to receive her semicha as a reform Rabbi in the next two weeks!
• And I’ll round this out by plugging a really great fact sheet on “Jews from the Middle East,” written by Sephardic scholar Ilise Cohen and up on Jewish Voice for Peace’s site. This sheet gives a much broader perspective on Jewish global migration, and the impact of the founding of Israel on Sephardi and Mizrahi communities. “Of a total Israeli population of 7 million, over 2.5 million (35-40%) are Mizrahim, about 1 million (15%) are Russian immigrants who came in the last 20 years, about 1.4 million (20%) are Palestinian Israelis, 154,000 (2.2%) are Ethiopian, and about 2 million (25-30%) are Ashkenazi Jews and others. This means 55-60% of the Israeli population is ‘non-white’; together, Mizrahim and Palestinian Israelis form a majority. Knowledge of these demographics has the potential to change the perception and treatment of these marginalized communities. Despite being the majority Jewish population in Israel, Mizrahim are represented in small numbers in the Israeli Parliament and in elite positions such as professorships. Many still live in poor ‘development towns,’ agricultural Moshavim, or urban peripheries such as South Tel Aviv that receive fewer municipal funds than more central and majority-Ashkenazi Jewish cities, towns, and Kibbutzim.”
• Oh, and of course I can’t leave out the conversion controversy sparked by the Israeli Rabbinate, could I? Some I’ve talked to actually see this as a “good sign” in the long-term, believing that the Supreme Court would totally strike the religious ruling down, further separating religion from rule of the state. While I commend this wishful thinking, this doesn’t change what, again, Gindi stated out so well, which is the inevitable and inherent tension, particularly amongst Jews in the U.S. who believe so strongly in a secular democratic state, still holding onto the idea that ethnic nationalism in Israel is OK–and not just OK, but possible to have along with a “true” full, and robust democracy for all of Israel’s citizens? Yeah, the irony is apparent, no? Saying a country is for a particular set of people, and yet being a “democracy for all” does seem problematic, no?

Many of you noticed that JVoices was hacked this week. You might have seen images like a gray wolf or this lovely webbed, red skeleton looking item to the left that was meant to scare you away.

It’s been quite a ride getting the site back up. For a moment, I had it running, but when it was hacked there were probably scripts put in that made it untenable to try to keep fixing the site as is, so that when I thought I was good to go, there it was again: “Hacked by Workman Team!”

So, I had to wipe out the database and start over.

And here we are! There are still a few minor details to work out, but all in all, it’s nice to be back!

I can’t tell you why it was hacked, or who hacked the site. I wish I had some juicy sordid controversy to spill, but alas, no one was able to identify a source in that way. All I know is that it’s undoubtedly a pain in the ass.

So thanks to all of you for your messages and support in getting this back up, especially thanks to Craig at Dreamhost for all their support, and Spencer, Kerrick, Toba, Charles, Dan and more for showing me some love.

Apologies I’ve been a bit MIA lately. Some weeks you have those moments where the thoughts, conversations and questions being asked aren’t the time to blog. They’re the time for another kind of reflection. And the past few days, I’ve been at the Righteous Indignation Conference, which has been part of that time of reflection.

That said, for folks who want to learn a little bit more about the conversations happening here, Dan’s posted some photos and a podcast of one of the panels up on Orthodox Anarchist. More soon.

As a child growing up in Israel, the Holocaust was omnipresent. Reminders of it existed all around, randomly as well as by design. The makolet was run by an aging couple with numbers on their arms. In 1977 it seemed that ‘Never Again’ was Begin’s election slogan. Hanoch Levin had already included this classic line in a well-known, but despised play: ‘…as the daughter of a Holocaust survivor and the mother of a soldier to be, I hereby light this torch in the name of (fill in the blank).’ [Thank you Hanoch Levin) If you don’t understand why that’s funny and offensive, it’s that the constant repetition of the Holocaust while prepping kids to die in endless warfare. Levin saw the irony. Most people saw the tragedy.

It got worse each spring, as the journey from Holocaust Day, thought Memorial Day for Those Who Fell In the Battles of Israel, (yom hazikaron lanoflim b’ma’archot yisrael) and culminating in Independence Day. Woe to the child sick at home in those weeks! There was only one station (Channel 1) and in the morning it played the Open University education programs, which seemed to be Holocaust clips. An MTV for Holocaust education. These were mostly historic reels showing Hitler foaming at the mouth or piles of shoes and hair.

I wonder what daytime television will be like when the Palestinians get a state, and what the calendar will look like. Will the Palestinian Open University show grainy images of windswept refugee camps in 1950’s Lebanon? Will they show trails of refugees driven out of from Lod and Ramleh? Maybe the editors will insert a photograph of a handsome, smiling Yitzhak Rabin, the man in charge of that operation, known as Tochnit Dalet. The sound track will include the prophetic yet tinny voice of Ben-Gurion as he declares Israeli independence. The most painful image for refugees and their descendants might be the circles of people dancing in the squares in celebration of what was to come.

No, there is no comparing the Holocaust and the Naqba. None. Please do not think of the Holocaust and the Naqba in the same sentence. However, it is reasonable to think about how societies turn history into statist rituals, how they take the raw material of history and transform it into powerful myths. Some people will say that much like sausage, this is an ugly, indelicate process. Best to focus on the end result.

I’m watching, fascinated and hungry for the final product. How will it taste? As good as Zionist sausage? As satisfying? Or just as awful? I bet a lot of it will be as unpleasant and meaningless for a Palestinian kid home sick as the stuff I watched in the 70’s.

[I'm lifting this out of the ALEPH mailing list]

Time Magazine recently named Velveteen Rabbi, the blog of ALEPH rabbinic student Rachel Barenblat, one of its top 25 blogs in its first-ever annual blog index. Velveteen Rabbi is the only religion blog on the list, which includes The Huffington Post, Daily Kos, and Boing Boing, among others.

Rachel started blogging in 2003. “I wanted to write about Judaism,” she says, “and to share both my love of Judaism and my learning about Judaism with a wider audience than I figured I could find in my small Massachusetts town.” The blog’s name is a reference to the children’s book by Margery Williams, as is its tagline, “When can I run and play with the real rabbis?”

“Writing Velveteen Rabbi helped strengthen my relationship with Judaism,” she says now. “I blogged about the process of applying to rabbinic school, and my readers rejoiced with me when I was accepted into the ALEPH rabbinic smicha program.”

Torah, poetry, and creative festival observances are among the blog’s most frequent subjects. Rachel’s favorite posts include “Facing impermanence,” an essay about her first experience serving on her shul’s chevra kadisha, and “Being visible,” an essay about wearing a kippah (or not.)

Rachel’s background is in poetry. After completing ALEPH’s Davenen Leadership Training Institute she began writing and posting d’var Torah poems (one poem each week, arising out of the parashat hashavua). But she’s best known, on the internet, for her Velveteen Rabbi’s Haggadah for Pesach, “a creative and joyful haggadah” which is used by families around the world. This year (2008) she released version 6.0 — naturally, free for all, available on the blog.

Readers:

Apologies in advance for any glitches. We’re (playing with) changing themes to make the site more visually fabulous! Please bear with me! And of course give feedback. A whole new adventure!

Thanks…

h/t to The Telegraph:

Wow. Just found out that Rabbi David Seidenberg is in charge of the Kol-Chai listserv, which used to be run by COEJL (Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life). Someone posted in frustration over something minor, ‘who is in charge here’ and the answer came down - it’s Reb David, not us. Not anymore.

I must have missed all the transparent conversation about what was going on at COEJL. Is it growing or shrinking? Becoming more grassroots or less? How has the funding base changed? Any open hearted reflections on lessons learned? Any curious contrast between the rise of environmentalism and climate concerns in the US - and in the Jewish community, and the evolution of COEJL?

I remember talking to Barbara back in 2004 or 5 about a Philly chapter, and she told me - COEJL is not heavily invested in a grassroots strategy. Barbara works for Hazon now (and is probably doing an amazing job!).

Hadar, the wonderful DC COEJL staffer way back when is now the Washington Director of JCPA, which has done good things of late on climate change. Why aren’t staff people moving from Hazon and JCPA to COEJL?

Does it feel like not having a grassroots strategy worked out? I’d love to hear from COEJL board members from 2004-5 reflect on where we are today. But not the ‘we did the right thing at the time based on the information we had’ a-la Hillary Clinton on the Iraq war vote. I mean, has anyone who wielded power and influence learned anything and willing to share outside the boardroom?

COEJL made a decision to base itself organizationally on a coalition of large, mainstream Jewish organizations, rather than be owned by a chapter/member structure. Is there an evaluation of this? I wonder what old-timey Shomrei Adamahniks think. If I’m not mistaken, there were a few dissenters from that approach in real time. (Shomrei is one of the original Jewish environmental initiatives, established before the environment became part of Jewish continuity programs.)

My opinion is that top-down, unaccountable and undemocratic organizations can thrive by having deep pockets, powerful backers, or legions of forgiving donors. Tracing the rise of Hazon with the decline of COEJL is a powerful lesson for anyone who cares to listen.

Link: COEJL searches for new executive director

I’m off this weekend to attend the Righteous Indignation conference at Hebrew College. Dan asked me to present with him on online organizing, which is the bestest way ever to build a loyal friendship! When it’s my turn, I’ll talk about some of the things I love about the rise of online advocacy - the new ability of grassroots activists to grab hold of the steering wheel of social movements.

Hmm. Grab it away from who? Who are the leaders, if not the grassroots? How do things happen in the Jewish progressive world? Here’s a hint: the leaders are the social class that donates heavily during the primaries. The grassroots are the ones that ride on the bus to Iowa and New Hampshire when it’s freezing. We are younger, poorer and full of energy; they are older, wiser, and know how things work.

Not. The truth is, age is not a good marker. It’s more about the chain of influence. The insiders care what a famous political figure now running a Jewish nonprofit has to say. The grassroots just want to help Darfur. The insiders belong to the best synagogues, the better to network with. The grassroots can’t afford the dues. The grassroots have lots of opinions and enthusiasm. The insiders have meetings to decide who gets the grant.

And there you have it, grassroots: the grant makers up on the 23rd floor, making decisions about what groups should merge, who should die off, who should take off. Do they ask you? Are you significant in their calculations?

Yes and no. If you stay away from the oxygen sucking, tie wearing, PR savvy, self promoters that want to recruit you, they will probably die off or mutate. But if you get all enthusiastic, it feeds the beast and they raise more money on the basis of metrics you provide, just by showing up.

Personally, I’d rather have more power in the efforts I participate in. Ask me: do I approve? Can I vote for board members? Is there transparency about your strategic direction? The fresh scent of purity, having not allowed big donors to determine your agenda? Real data about impacts, on your website? If so, I like you. Where can I sign up?

Online organizing methods not only grant power to the grassroots, they take it away from the insiders - federation and foundation executives, congregational rabbis of large synagogues, Jewish Weekly columnists, Democratic donors and high priced, gateway consultants to the stars. Or rather, they could, if used properly. Used the wrong way, they create a false feeling of empowerment, the equivalent of astroturf for Avodah’niks.

C’mon fellow grasshoppers, let’s take the reins together. We know what we want, and we know - or should know - that being dependent on the wealthy is a recipe for being tamed. If the wealthy want to help - let them donate via credit card, and hit the anonymous checkbox if they want. I want their money, not their leadership, thank you very much.

Down with the gatekeepers - long live the grassroots!

PS: hey, progressive funders, I love you! Please don’t take this the wrong way. Do you need a consultant on online organizing by any chance?

Great article about the problems of the nonprofit industrial complex

Dan on Funding Revolution

How New Voices Got Silenced by Funders 

I’m excited to see what will come from the new partnership between Zeek and Jewcy. Mazel tov on this new venture and expansion in the Jewish media terrain!

In full disclosure, this past year I’ve had cursory conversations with folks at Jewcy about this kind of partnership, so I’m undoubtedly intrigued and energized to see what this change will bring for all parties involved.

JEWCY MEDIA STRIKES PARTNERSHIP WITH ZEEK

Joint venture brings together two leaders of independent Jewish media

New York, NY, May 1, 2008. Zeek, an online journal that has helped shape modern Jewish-American culture, today announced that it is joining forces with Jewcy.com, one of the web’s most innovative and rapidly-growing online communities. Beginning today, Zeek’s online content will be published at www.jewcy.com/zeek.

Zeek joins Jewcy as the first content partner in Jewcy’s initiative to create a publishing network of editorial sites serving the YoCo psychographic – young, culturally omnivorous Americans looking for meaning and community.

“We are joining strength with strength,” said Jo Ellen Green Kaiser, chief editor of Zeek and formerly the managing editor of Tikkun magazine. “We’re a leader in Jewish intellectual, cultural, artistic, and spiritual life, and Jewcy is the largest and most dynamic Jewish community on the internet.”

“Zeek is the first of many partnerships to come in our effort to assemble an all-star team of the nation’s most original, creative voices,” said Tahl Raz, CEO and founding editor with Joey Kurtzman. Kurtzman added: “Zeek consistently publishes daring, groundbreaking work. This had to happen.”

Zeek will retain its editorial independence and continue to publish its print journal. Its most recent issue, published last month, is a 120-page anthology of Russian-Jewish art, fiction, and poetry.

The venture is the first such merger among the publications and organizations collectively known as the ‘new Jewish culture,’ and represents a joining of two of the leading forces in independent Jewish media. Said Kaiser, “This is a natural evolution of the work all of us have been doing, and we’re thrilled to be joining forces.”