Choosing Justice: Bringing Tikkun Olam Home to Our Communities

Join Rabbi Dr. Tirzah Firestone in conversation with leaders at the forefront of racial justice, collective healing, and change-making in our communities. We will learn about opportunities for critical reflection on issues of race, religion, and identity. Most importantly, by participating in authentic and meaningful conversation, we will be prepared to approach our world with a greater capacity for sensitivity and compassion.

Four-Part Series | $10 Per session | $40 for all four sessions
REGISTER HERE

To make our programs accessible to all, we are happy to assist anyone with a financial need. Please contact Jodi Zicklin at jodi@boulderjcc.org

Moderator

Tirzah Firestone, Ph.D., is an author, Jungian psychotherapist, and Rabbi Emerita of Congregation Nevei Kodesh in Boulder, Colorado. Ordained by Rabbi Zalman Schachter Shalomi in 1992, she is a leader in the international Jewish Renewal Movement, a renowned Jewish scholar, and teaches internationally on the topic of intergenerational trauma healing. Her latest work, “Wounds into Wisdom: Healing Intergenerational Jewish Trauma” (Monkfish, 2019) is the recipient of the 2020 Nautilus Book Award Gold in Psychology and the Jewish Women’s Caucus of the Association for Women in Psychology 2020 book award.  To learn more about Rabbi Firestone, please visit her website and on Instagram. 

All sessions begin promptly at 4:30 PM MST.

October 10: Indigenous Wisdom for Healing Intergenerational Trauma
Dr. Anita Sanchez, Indigenous Educator, and award-winning author

We will discuss the indigenous wisdom that has historically been used to heal intergenerational trauma, and why it is especially important at this time of upheaval and transformation. Dr. Anita Sanchez, Nahua (Aztec), and Mexican American will share Indigenous perspectives on “good medicine” and “bad medicine”, the Eagle Hoop Prophecy,  and the promise of the four sacred gifts to support us as we strive to live in harmony with ourselves, each other, and the earth. The four sacred gifts are:

• The power to Forgive the Unforgivable
• The power of Healing
• The power of Unity
• The power of Hope in Action

Click here for additional information about the October 10 program.

October 24: To Bear Witness
Freedom Kimberly Cartwright, American Descendant of Slavery and Racial Justice Activist and Educator

Through her tour company, Freedom Rail Tours, Freedom Cartwright brings folks to Montgomery, Alabama, the Cradle of the Confederacy in the Heart of Dixie, to bear witness to the legacy of enslavement, lynching, segregation, and mass incarceration. In this program, we will tour Montgomery together virtually. Through story and imagery, voices that have been silenced and suppressed will be heard. Freedom will guide us through simple practices that can bring our awareness to the sensations and feelings that arise and will help us connect with our ancestors. Participants will need a journal, a pen, three blank pieces of paper, and a space that is conducive to contemplation.

Click here for additional information about the October 24 program.

November 9: Beyond the Count: Perspectives and Lived Experiences of Jews of Color
Ilana Kaufman, Executive Director, Jews of Color Initiative

Ilana will share findings from Beyond the Count, the latest research commissioned by the Jews of Color Initiative. This was a national study to dig deeper into the collective experiences and perspectives of Jews of Color, such as experiences of community building, racial discrimination, and Jewish identity. The Count Me In study was conducted by a multi-racial research team at Stanford University, and the findings will be used to implement change in Jewish communities.

Click here for additional information about the November 9 program.

November 14: Choosing Justice Despite our Fears: Uprooting Internalized Antisemitism & White Supremacy
Dr. Penny Rosenwasser, white Ashkenazi Jewish Social Justice Educator

Dr. Rosenwasser will share stories, experiential practices, and lessons learned from her ongoing journey as a white Ashkenazi, anti-racist Jew. It’s a path of unlearning patterns of racism and internalized Jewish oppression, of self-reflection, solidarity, and relationship-building. It’s the intertwining of Jewish self-love with social justice. She will cite the anti-racism work going on at the Kehilla Synagogue in Oakland, CA, as a model for social justice reform in the Jewish community.

Click here for additional information about the November 14 program.

This program is presented in partnership with the Boulder JCC, the Siegel JCC in Wilmington, the White Theatre at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City, the Jewish Community Center of the East Bay, the JCC Greater Boston, the Peninsula Jewish Community Center in Foster City, and the United Jewish Community of the Virginia Peninsula.  Our community partners are Boulder Haver, Congregation Bonai Shalom, and Congregation Nevei Kodesh.