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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