Deeper Look at Our Approach
Our approach to Jewish teen activism is rooted in the principles of youth empowerment, and youth's ability to shape the world around them. To better understand how we connect traditional and contemporary Jewish ideas of justice, and provide a transformative experience for teens, please read -
"Don't Sell Them Short: From Understanding Injustice to Activism," by JCUA's Asaf Bar-Tura and Irene Lehrer Sandalow.
This article appeared in the popular Journal of Jewish Communal Service (a journal of the Jewish Communal Service Association) and is disseminated with JCSA's permission.
Here is a short except:
"This discussion of ancient and modern-day prophets highlights the courage it takes to support unpopular ideas. When people have strongly rooted values and commitment, such as did Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights movement, they can overcome the most difficult of hurdles. Thus, Or Tzedek participants are asked to share how their own experiences of anger, isolation, and unpopularity can be channeled for positive change. Such discussions bring the intimidating ideas of prophetic action down to earth. Through sharing their own experiences, participants recognize that they too can be, and may already be, powerful leaders for social change. They are the leaders they have been waiting for.
Furthermore, discussions of “otherness,” of experiences of exclusion, and of possibilities for empowerment give participants confidence to explore unresolved issues in their own lives. They may feel “other” due to their sexual orientation, ethnicity, or religious views, or simply because they are (being told that they are) too fat, too skinny, too quiet, too verbose, too ugly, too awkward, and the list goes on. Or Tzedek provides teens with the space in which to explore their “otherness” and to take pride in what makes them unique. Engaging teens with issues of social injustice brings to the surface the quest for authenticity, dignity, and respect. Abbie Hoffman, a Jewish political and social activist in the 1960s and 1970s, said it best: “I see Judaism as a way of life. Sticking up for the underdog. Being an outsider. A critic of society. The kid on the corner who says the emperor has no clothes on. The Prophet” (Avni,1989).
(Download full text here)
"Don't Sell Them Short: From Understanding Injustice to Activism," by JCUA's Asaf Bar-Tura and Irene Lehrer Sandalow.
This article appeared in the popular Journal of Jewish Communal Service (a journal of the Jewish Communal Service Association) and is disseminated with JCSA's permission.
Here is a short except:
"This discussion of ancient and modern-day prophets highlights the courage it takes to support unpopular ideas. When people have strongly rooted values and commitment, such as did Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights movement, they can overcome the most difficult of hurdles. Thus, Or Tzedek participants are asked to share how their own experiences of anger, isolation, and unpopularity can be channeled for positive change. Such discussions bring the intimidating ideas of prophetic action down to earth. Through sharing their own experiences, participants recognize that they too can be, and may already be, powerful leaders for social change. They are the leaders they have been waiting for.
Furthermore, discussions of “otherness,” of experiences of exclusion, and of possibilities for empowerment give participants confidence to explore unresolved issues in their own lives. They may feel “other” due to their sexual orientation, ethnicity, or religious views, or simply because they are (being told that they are) too fat, too skinny, too quiet, too verbose, too ugly, too awkward, and the list goes on. Or Tzedek provides teens with the space in which to explore their “otherness” and to take pride in what makes them unique. Engaging teens with issues of social injustice brings to the surface the quest for authenticity, dignity, and respect. Abbie Hoffman, a Jewish political and social activist in the 1960s and 1970s, said it best: “I see Judaism as a way of life. Sticking up for the underdog. Being an outsider. A critic of society. The kid on the corner who says the emperor has no clothes on. The Prophet” (Avni,1989).
(Download full text here)
