Jews in the Civil Rights Movement with Karen Raizen

Congregation Bonai Shalom’s first Friday in June will be about Jews in the Civil Rights Movement.  On Friday, June 1, 2015 beginning at 6:00 pm, there will be a Kabbalat Shabbat service followed by a delicious meal and then the evening’s talk with Karen Raizen.

It has been estimated that almost half of the volunteers/activists who participated in the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s were Jewish. They rode on the Freedom Buses, participated in Mississippi Freedom Summer as teachers and activists, marched with MLK, and stood by him at the March to Washington, as well as working in many other ways to pursue social justice. Looking at personal narratives and primary sources will give us an inside look at some of the reasons Jews participated in the movement, as well as their determination and fears.

Karen Raiz​en has been the Education Director of Bonai Shalom for the past 2​-1/2 years, coming from the Chicago area where she was a Jewish educator for more than 15 years. She has a BS from University of Wisconsin-Madison, and an MSE from University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She leads Bonai Shalom’s religious school with her passion for Jewish education, an inclusive heart and respect for all students and families.

Karen was part of the Jewish Women’s Archive Workshop where she met and worked with the people who extensively researched the topic of the Jews in the Civil Rights Movement, met with some of the activists who had been participants, and furthered her own knowledge of social justice through text study. She has traveled and learned from several southern Jewish communities including Jackson, MS, Memphis, TN, Shreveport, LA, Charleston, SC, and Dallas, TX.

Pre-registration is required for this event online or by calling 303-442-6605.  $15 for members, $18 for non-members.