PURELY COMMENTARY
10 | MARCH 4 • 2021
guest column
How to Build Bridges in a Divided World
T
he students in the Jewish
Communal Leadership Program
(JCLP) have the opportunity to
explore a myriad of issues connected to
Jewish communal life and beyond. Once
per year, the students have
an opportunity to bring an
issue close to their hearts to
the broader community.
The past year has been
shaped by a global pandem-
ic, protests for racial justice,
extreme political polariza-
tion and more. So many in
and outside the Jewish com-
munity faced personal crises
and family tragedies.
Through it all, we have
seen communities rally to
respond to those in need
by forming and expanding
mutual aid networks, advo-
cating for comprehensive
safety protocols and transparency, high-
lighting inequalities and finding ways to
stay connected in the midst of so much
physical isolation.
Faith-based and interfaith organizations
have been uniquely positioned to offer sup-
port in this time. This year’s JCLP students
would love to explore why and how this
is in their upcoming program, “Building
Bridges in a Divided World: The Role of
Interfaith Collaboration in Justice Work.
”
The event will take place over Zoom
on Thursday March 18, from 6:30-9 p.m.
Panelists involved in interfaith work across
the country will discuss how they’ve been
able to use their platforms and commu-
nity infrastructure to give voice to soci-
etal issues, respond to community needs
during COVID-19 and promote under-
standing among diversity through dia-
logue. Panelists include Aziza Hazan, Rev.
Amanda Henderson, Pastor Aramis Hinds
and Rabbi Samuel L. Spector.
Hazan is the executive director
of NewGround: A Muslim Jewish
Partnership for Change in Los Angeles.
Rev. Henderson is the director of the
Institute of Religion, Politics & Culture
at Iliff School of Theology in Colorado.
Pastor Hinds is the lead pastor at Breakers
Covenant Church International in Detroit.
Rabbi Spector is the rabbi at Congregation
Kol Ami in Salt Lake City.
COOPERATION AMONG FAITHS
More panelists will be announced in the
coming weeks. JCLP students are proud
to lift these voices up and learn together
about how interfaith work and relation-
ships can help build a more just and joy-
ful world. The event will feature both the
panel discussion as well as smaller group
conversation in breakout rooms, to allow
for more engaging and intimate dialogue.
The second-year cohort is thrilled and
honored to invite the public to learn about
the experiences of interfaith professionals
and how this important work can lead to jus-
tice and better support for all communities.
Register using the link ssw.umich.edu/r/
jclpcc21. If you have questions, email Paige
Walker at vpwalker@umich.edu.
Rebecca Belkin and Kayla Kapen are second-year
students in the Jewish Communal Leadership
Program at the University of Michigan School of
Social Work studying Community Organizing and
Management of Human Services, respectively.
Rebecca
Belkin
Kayla Kapen
RSVP and register for this Zoom event at
http://ssw.umich.edu/r/jclpcc21
To Every Thing
There Is a Season
Since the article about my
departure from pulpit life was
published (Feb. 4, page 18), I
have received some feedback
from individuals questioning
my commitment to feminism
and egalitarian Judaism. To
clarify what may not have
been obvious in the article,
I am 100% committed to a
world in which women have
the opportunities and the
support to work in whatever
realms we choose.
Having worked as a pulpit
rabbi for nearly 17 years, I
can say, unequivocally, that it
is possible for a woman to be
an excellent pulpit rabbi, wife
and mother. Female pulpit
rabbis add a great deal to the
profession, and I look forward
to seeing many more women
take on important leadership
roles in society as a whole.
That said, we each have a
variety of different issues to
take into consideration when
determining what work/
life balance looks like in our
individual lives at any given
time. Kohelet wisely wrote, “To
every thing there is a season”
,
and continuing to work as a
pulpit rabbi is simply not right
for me at this particular life
juncture.
I appreciate this opportuni-
ty to clarify my decision and
to demonstrate my ongoing
support for everyone working
to balance all that is precious.
L’shalom.
— Rabbi Rachel Shere
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