Dear Friends,
As the pain of George Floyd’s (z”l) murder still reverberates throughout the Twin Cities, America, and the World, we particularly want to express our love to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous People of Color) Jews within our community. You matter to us. As rabbis we want both those affiliated and those not affiliated with congregations in Minnesota to know that we see you, we hear you, and we are here for you. The Jewish people are, and always have been, multicultural, multiracial, and multiethnic, from the people who made the Exodus from Egypt throughout our history until today. We know that being Jewish in the world can be isolating and that being a person of color in the Jewish community can be isolating as well. We commit to doing better. We commit to taking it upon ourselves and asking our communities to do serious cheshbon hanefesh (reflective work) on ourselves to change these realities, so that our shuls may truly be places of belonging, comfort, and refute, providing support in difficult times like these, as well as a place to learn together and work towards justice. We commit to fighting for a safer world for you, your children, and you children’s children, a world where all agree that your lives matter.
