Jews for Racial and Economic Justice [JFREJ]

At this year's Mazals, we're honoring a trio of extraordinary leaders who have devoted themselves to supporting immigrants and refugees arriving in NYC. Last but not least, ✨Adama Bah✨

As the founder of Afrikana, Adama has worked tirelessly for years to advance equity and highlight the struggles and contributions of Black immigrants, rooted in her own experience growing up in East Harlem and immigrating from Guinea. Today, she greets every bus that arrives at Penn Station and migrants coming from all Ports of Entry into the city, welcoming new immigrants and directing them to available services.

Join us in honoring Adama's work to fill the gaps left by the city by offering care to everyone she can. Get your tickets to The Mazals on September 17th at jfrej.org/mazals. 🗽💛

At this year's Mazals, we're honoring a trio of extraordinary leaders who have devoted themselves to supporting immigrants and refugees arriving in NYC. Today, we're highlighting ✨Ruth Messinger✨

Ruth, a founding member of JFREJ, has worked tirelessly for nearly two years to ease the challenges of the city’s newest New Yorkers. Whether it was negotiating with the city for more humane responses that fully incorporate the support provided by community groups and houses of worship or visiting the Texas border to aid migrant families with T'ruah and HIAS, Ruth has demonstrated a true comittment to standing in solidarity with immigrant communities.

Join us in honoring Ruth's work, rooted in empathy, at The Mazals on September 17th. Get your tickets at jfrej.org/mazals.

At this year's Mazals, we're honoring a trio of extraordinary leaders who have devoted themselves to supporting immigrants and refugees arriving in NYC. First up, we have ✨Murad Awawdeh✨

Murad is a Palestinian-American Muslim, son of immigrants, and longtime JFREJ partner who has dedicated his life to fighting for low-income communities of color. As the current president of The New York Immigration Coalition, New York's oldest immigrant justice organization, Murad has led the fight to expand protections for immigrant communities in New York, oppose anti-immigrant policies, and advocate for grasroots progressive candidates.

Join us in honoring Murad and his work, both individually and in partnership with this amazing trio, to fulfill the promise of NYC as a welcoming home to all. Get your tickets to The Mazals on September 17th at jfrej.org/mazals. 🗽💛

This week, we're highlighting our next Mazals honoree, ✨Shelly Weiss ז״ל✨, who is being honored with the Member Bedrock Award.

Shelly was a longtime JFREJ member who passed away this past February. As an active member leader in the New York Caring Majority , the Poor & Working Class Caucus, and the Disability Caucus, she was beloved by so many people at JFREJ. A le***an feminist, Shelly was an activist for LGBTQ+ inclusion throughout her life, whether it was organizing the first citywide gathering of le***an and gay Jews in Manhattan or advocating for diverse public school curriculum with the Coalition for Inclusive Multicultural Education.

She is missed dearly by the JFREJ community, and was nominated for this award by representatives of all four of JFREJ’s identity-based caucuses.

Join us in celebrating Shelly's legacy at on September 17. Get your tickets today at jfrej.org/mazals. 💜

What does Diaporist mean anyway?

There's been a lot of excitement and confusion about our (gorgeous) new Diasporist t-shirts (designed by the wonderful Sarah Day Arts). So let's break it down: what is a diasporist, and what does it mean for us to be diasporists at JFREJ?

Have more questions about the meaning and roots of Radical Diasporism? Check out these further resources! And don't forget to order your Diasporist shirt today at shop.jfrej.org

Ten years ago today, (z"l) was murdered by the NYPD. He was 43 years old and had just broken up a fight in his neighborhood on Staten Island. Just like (z"l), murdered six years later by Minneapolis police, Eric cried out "I can't breathe" while Officer Pantaleo choked him. Ramsey Orta, who filmed the murder, was arrested, jailed, and harassed for years by the NYPD in retaliation. Pantaelo remained employed by the NYDP for five whole years after murdering Eric Garner.

Just weeks after Eric Garner's death, Ferguson police shot and killed (z"l), reigniting a national Movement for Black Lives. On August 26th, 2014, JFREJ members took to the streets of Staten Island with fellow New Yorkers to say BLACK LIVES MATTER and WE WILL NOT GO BACK, and to demand justice for Eric Garner, Mike Brown, (z"l) — shot and killed by the NYPD in 2012 — and all Black people killed by police.

In October, the NYC police accountability and Black Lives Matter movements organized 11 days of action — one day for each of the 11 times Eric Garner said . Led by Eric's daughter Erica Garner (z"l) we mobilized under the banner of THIS STOPS TODAY, in honor of Eric's demand for dignity in the face of constant police harassment and violence. Erica was tireless in her pursuit of justice for her father. She died of a heart attack in 2017 knowing that her father's killer was still employed by the NYPD.

The injustices are too many to name. The whole damn system remains guilty as hell. Remember Eric. Remember Erica. Remember Mike. Remember Ramarley. Remember George. May their memories be a blessing. May we build a world free from white supremacy and racist police violence.

Over the next few weeks, we'll be spotlighting our incredible 2024 Mazals honorees. Today, we're kicking it off with... ✨Rabbis for Ceasefire✨

A group of Rabbis and Rabbinical students from across denominations and political affiliations, Rabbis for Ceasefire has been demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza since October. From holding Chanukah for Ceasefire at Columbus Circle with JFREJ to staging actions on the Gaza border, Rabbis for Ceasefire has been a powerful moral and spiritual voice for the Jewish value of Pikuach Nefesh (or, saving a life).

Join us in celebrating their inspiring work (and the work of all our amazing honorees) at The Mazals on September 17. Grab your tickets today at jfrej.org/mazals.

┏┓
┃┃╱╲ In this
┃╱╱╲╲ house
╱╱╭╮╲╲ we are
▔▏┗┛▕▔anti-nationalist
╱▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔╲
down with racial capitalism
╱╱┏┳┓╭╮┏┳┓ ╲╲
▔▏┗┻┛┃┃┗┻┛▕▔

🎨

This year’s Mazals honorees are...
✨ Rabbis for Ceasefire, who are providing the moral & spiritual leadership our Jewish community desperately needs in this moment.
✨ A trio of hometown heroes: Ruth Messinger, Adama Bah, and Murad Awawdeh, who — as individuals & in partnership together — have devoted themselves to supporting immigrants & refugees arriving in NYC
✨ Beloved JFREJ member Shelly Weiss ז״ל, who passed away this past February, and who was a member leader in the New York Caring Majority, and JFREJ's Poor & Working Class caucus and Disability caucus.

Come celebrate them at on September 17! Tix: jfrej.org/mazals

SAVE THE DATE...for the 2024 Mazals!
🗓 Tuesday, September 17th, 2024 | 6:00-9:00PM
🌏 9 Bob Note (270 Meserole St, Brooklyn, NY 11206)

Thank you to Roan Boucher for making this gorgeous artwork. Go to jfrej.org/mazals to learn more about the party of the year and to buy tickets or sponsor the event!

JFREJ members have been deep canvassing for months, talking to our neighbors about prioritizing care over criminalization. Any bright spots and all restored funding for libraries, housing & education in the city budget passed yesterday are the result of the tireless efforts of everyday New Yorkers like our members, members of our partner orgs & coalitions, and the leadership of the Progressive Caucus. Together, we canvassed in our neighborhoods, wrote letters, called our council members, and protested at City Hall.

Join us Tuesday night for a budget debrief and campaign meeting: jfrej.org/debrief

They’re here!!! Pre-orders of these beautiful shirts, designed by Sarah Day are in the mail 📬 AND now available to purchase at shop.jfrej.org

We applaud the council members who voted NO on Mayor Adams’ attack on working families: Tiffany Cabán, Alexa Avilés, and Shahana Hanif for City Council. They voted their conscience, knowing they will likely face retaliation for doing so. We need more champions like them, who will push the Council to use its full powers to push back against the Mayor and fight for New Yorkers. Let's show these champions that we have their backs!

The city budget process is a rigged game, and the budget forced through today is unacceptable. Read our full statement:

“Unacceptable” - Jews For Racial & Economic Justice respond to FY25… “The city budget process is a rigged game, and the budget forced through today is unacceptable.”

LIVE: tune in to the Jewish Vote’s picnic and celebration of election season!

🚨 On top of a skyrocketing police budget, Mayor Adams is trying to spend $256 million on a Cop City in Queens, while making HUGE budget cuts to education, libraries, housing, childcare, and other essential city services. New Yorkers must take action NOW before it's too late. Go to jfrej.org/StopCopCity to contact your council member using this script:

Yesterday morning, JFREJ members joined 100+ New Yorkers on the steps of City Hall to demand City Councilmembers hold strong against the Adams administration’s harsh budget cuts and deliver a budget that restores critical services for working families in New York.

Mayor Adams' proposed budget would make drastic cuts to our essential social services, all while funneling money into policing and criminalization (including a new $250 million "Cop City" in Queens).

✂️ Restore millions of $$ in cuts to libraries, public education, and childcare
🏠 Invest in affordable housing with
🛑

We have just over a week to fight need a budget for all New Yorkers, not just the wealthy few. We demand a People's Budget in the People's House! Make your voice heard at bit.ly/NoCutsNYC 💸

Last 📸 by Zachary Schulman

These Jews For Racial & Economic Justice spent the evening of canvassing in Fort Greene to talk to fellow New Yorkers about why we need to and fund a . Take action with us: jfrej.org/stopcopcity

Governor Hochul’s proposal to ban masks is bad for New Yorkers! We reject this anti-public-health measure, and we reject her outrageous claim that this proposed ban is somehow in service of Jewish safety. This is an exact repeat of the effort to roll back bail reform: Using a handful of unrelated antisemitic incidents to criminalize New Yorkers — and in this case, to endanger our health. Stop scapegoating Jews as the excuse for locking people up and putting all of our health at risk — this, too, is antisemitism!

Take action now to tell Hochul: !

This Saturday, JFREJ families gathered in Prospect Park for another for Ceasefire. We sang songs and wrote messages to kids in Gaza on heart-shaped pieces of paper, and messages to our political leaders on pieces of paper shaped like stop signs.

Then we marched to Rep. Dan Goldman’s office to leave our messages outside his door. Congressman: Brooklyn Jews demand a permanent ceasefire, full hostage exchange — all for all — and an end to occupation and apartheid!

Look even cooler [if such a thing is even possible] than JFREJ member Katie Unger did at by buying the new t-shirt — now in pink! Go to shop.jfrej.org to get yours.

Join neighbors and families for bagels, coffee, snacks, crafts, singing, music, stories, and more at a Tot Shabbat this Saturday. We’ll be gathering as neighbors and families to call for a permanent ceasefire, a full hostage and prisoner exchange, and an end to the ongoing violence perpetrated against the Palestinian people.

Sign up to join us in community, grief, and love at jfrej.org/totshabbat.

Note: we will be photographing this event to increase our impact! We will hand out identifying lanyards for anyone who does not want their child’s face photographed or filmed.

Every life is an entire world, with equal value.

In the aftermath of this weekend, it is exceedingly clear that a permanent ceasefire is the only way to ensure the release of all hostages and people held in captivity. We must continue our calls for a ceasefire, for an end to occupation and apartheid, and for a future with freedom, dignity, and equality for all people.

At this moment, the Torah of freedom for all feels especially important. Starting this Tuesday night, we're partnering with Rabbis for Ceasefire on a global Shavuot teach-in to study what it means to truly answer the call to repair the world. Find the full schedule at rabbisforceasefire.org/shavuot.

The notoriously violent SRG has been endangering and injuring New Yorkers exercising their first amendment rights, and we need them off our streets. Let’s get each other educated on what the SRG is, how it’s been harming our movement, and how we can this total waste of NYC funds disbanded!

June 17, 5-6 PM on Zoom
bit.ly/FTT-SRG

Last week, NYC Jews gathered outside Sen. Schumer’s office in Manhattan to raise our voices & rend our garments in grief and cry out: !

Calling for a permanent ceasefire and full hostage exchange is the bare minimum. Courageous action is needed to put an end to the unspeakable violence — the slaughter of over 40,000 people, the forced starvation, the maiming, the torture of Palestinians in military prisons, the Israelis held hostage in Gaza.

But instead of taking real action, Senator Schumer and other elected officials have continued to defend the indefensible — and even worse, to fund it. We demand the U.S. stop arming the Israeli military as it bombs Gaza & terrorizes Palestinians in the West Bank.

Photos 1-5 by Gili Getz
Photos 6-10 by an anonymous JFREJer