July 10, 2020
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It’s hurricane season, and for Dorothy Maples that means she’s usually anywhere but Minnesota. As the operations director for NECHAMA: The Jewish Response To Disaster, She had spent two years in Puerto Rico, and months at a time in Texas. In her four years as a Minnesota resident, little of it was spent here. But […]
Continue readingJune 19, 2020
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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 […]
Continue readingJune 17, 2020
June 17, 2020
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Juneteenth should be far more well-known than it is, especially among Jews – I wrote about just as much already one year ago. On June 19, 1865, then-commander of the District of Texas, Gen. Gordon Granger, publicized General Order No. 3 to enslaved African-Americans in Texas. Invoking the then two-and-a-half-year-old Emancipation Proclamation, this order began […]
Continue readingJune 15, 2020
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The memorial in downtown Duluth calls us to remember the murder of those three young black men, reflect on our nation’s ongoing struggle with racism and white supremacy, and to speak out against injustice.
Continue readingJune 12, 2020
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History repeats. Happy that tye dye is back in style. The 60’s are back? But this time, it’s takeout movies only and living room concerts. Our resistance is not “Make Love Not War” It’s, “Black Lives Matter,” “We Can’t Breathe” and “Stay Home, Save Lives.” Two deadly viruses- Systemic Racism & White Supremacy and COVID-19. […]
Continue readingJune 10, 2020
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Enzi Tanner makes a very important distinction in how he identifies. Sometimes he’s OK with being identified more broadly as a Jew of Color. But right now, he prefers to reference himself as a black Jew. “Oftentimes you’re talking about Jews of Color, and for me, when we’re talking in a broad sense, that’s important,” […]
Continue readingJune 9, 2020
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Abolishing the Minneapolis Police Department isn’t as radical as it sounds to most people. If you’re like many Twin Cities residents, you may be thinking “alright, it’s obvious the system is rigged. MPD has a history of abuse that isn’t ending with continued protests and attention.” Perhaps you recognize that, with the overwhelming power of […]
Continue readingJune 5, 2020
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(Editor’s note: This piece contains strong language) My father is the most peaceful man I know. A few years ago, he came home from the watch store, and told us that the owner had said to him, “What would people think if they walked in and saw a nigger working here?” after my father had […]
Continue readingJune 3, 2020
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Over the course of seven blocks on Tuesday afternoon, nearly 1,000 clergy members of all faiths made the slow — and silent — walk from the Sabatini Community Center, along East 38th Street to the site where George Floyd died. Among that group were at least 10 Twin Cities rabbis and cantors who came to […]
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