This is information from our 2019 Clergy Retreat, as a sample of how we bring our clergy network together.
We invite rabbis and cantors from across the country to join us for our JOIN for Justice Clergy Network Gathering! This event is open to clergy JOIN has trained, as well as others in our network (see more on our FAQ page).
In the last thirteen years, the 700 rabbis, cantors, and Jewish educators JOIN has trained in organizing have been doing amazing work standing for a more just world and building vibrant, relational Jewish communities. From our continued conversations with our program participants and alumni, we understand that the last year and a half has particularly challenged your leadership.
We have heard from many of you how much you could benefit from a little time away from your meetings and emails, to reflect on how the current moment in this country challenges you to lead, to learn from your fellow clergy’s ideas, successes, and struggles, and to get support grappling with the big questions that no one else is helping you answer.
At this retreat, we will:
- Share what you’ve been doing in your community, and learn from others about their work
- Build relationships with new potential colleagues and allies both through formal programming and informal time
- Learn with experienced trainers to address the questions you’ve been asking, such as: How do I work for justice in a politically diverse congregation while holding the community together?; What can the framework of collective liberation support my organizing work? How do I help my people understand and respond to growing anti-Semitism and white nationalism?; Our work has to be Jewish to be real – what’s the Jewish theology behind our work?; and, Looking at all of the challenges across the country, where and how can Jewish communities best contribute?
Mordechai told Esther, “who knows if you attained royalty for a moment like this one?” All of our talent, success, and resources – maybe one reason we have all that is to use it in this moment of national challenge. But, to do that, we need each other more than ever. Let’s come together to help each other lead the way we are called to.
Learn more about the retreat at our FAQ page.
