Reform Movement in Global Conversation on Social Justice
Pam Goldsmith, Director of Community Development recently attended the first Siach conference on social action on behalf of the Movement for Reform Judaism. Pam explains more about the event and why it is so important for the Movement to be engaged in this work.
In my second week of working at the Movement I found myself sitting on the banks of a serene lake in a forest, surrounded by incredibly devoted and passionate (in the ideological sense) individuals all with one thing on their minds – to make the world a better place.
I was attending the first major global conference on Jewish social action - Siach - with more than 120 Jewish environmentalists, social justice leaders and activists from the United States, Israel and Europe. The four-day conference’s aim was to establish 'a global network of experienced Jewish environment and social justice professionals, as well as highly dedicated lay leaders, to connect and collaborate on a shared passion and commitment to tzedek and tikkun olam.'
It was a privilege to be included in the vibrant and truly cross-communal European cohort, organised by JHub which leads the UK's Jewish Social Action Forum. Over 20 organisations were represented, including the Board of Deputies, United Synagogue, ResponseAbility, Noam, UJIA, Tzedek, René Cassin, JCC, UJS and of course the Reform Movement. What really made an impression on me was that excluding three of us, the average age of the European participants was in the mid-20s. Maybe this how we connect to our missing generation?
The key to the conference was sharing ideas and finding ways to collaborate across continents. The discussions ranged over international development, refugees and foreign workers, community and synagogue organising, sustainability and consumerism, while at the same time grappling with the Jewish element of social action, linking Jewish values with innovative ideas.
Being so new in my job, I was on a massive networking and fact-finding mission, and the area I focussed on was community organising, where there is considerable activity in America, although this concept is not yet well understood in the UK. From a synagogue’s perspective, I see this as a way of getting to know our members in a different way – more than a casual conversation over a glass of wine and piece of challah after a service; it’s a conversation about what issues really concern us. It can help identify and train leaders and, in the long run, can generate collaboration on projects and advocacy in the political arena. We have much to learn in this field, which we will only do through experimentation.
The huge benefit of the Siach conference was that it gave the participants the opportunity to learn from each other, inspire each other and share creative ideas. Taking this on board within the Movement, after initially feeling we weren’t doing as much as others were, I recognised that many of our synagogues were highly effective do-ers in the wider community; it’s just that we aren’t always telling the world about it.
By collaborating with others, whether within the Reform Movement, across faith boundaries, or internationally, the work can be made even more effective, thereby increasing the impact on society in a far greater way. We have a long way to go on this journey but I am confident that we will make substantial progress by working with others.
Find out more at the Siach website.
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