Protesters at the July 27 rally at Agriprocessors' Postville, IA plant (photo from Shalom Rav, the blog of Rabbi Brant Rosen)JRF calls on the members of its affiliated communities to join together in dialogue and action in response to human rights and social justice infringements at Agriprocessors, Inc, the nation’s largest kosher slaughterhouse.

To these ends, the JRF Update on Agriprocessors: Background and Action Steps, attached to this story, was compiled to assist you in your local communal and personal decision making.

Alternative Kosher Cooperatives
Here are three alternative kosher distributors, all using the csa
(cooperative) model:
Kolfoods.com
Mitzvahmeat.com
Kosherconscience.com
As an extension of our Tuv Ha'aretz CSA program, RSNS has just partnered with Mitzvah Meat, so our members can order grass-fed, free- range kosher meat from a local NY farm, delivered to our synagogue in time for Rosh Hashanah!

If you're not in the DC or NY area, you may be out of luck for now, but if you go to the Kol Foods site, there might be some information about how to start your own supply chain, based on this model!

best,
Cantor Eric Schulmiller
The Reconstructionist Synagogue of the North Shore Plandome, NY

Rabbi Brant Rosen in RwandaRabbi Brant Rosen of JRF's Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston, IL is currently in Africa. And he's blogging from there. Here is an excerpt:

We talked about the ways the Rwandan experience is both similar and markedly different than the Jewish one. Obviously the wounds here are very fresh; and unlike the Jews of Europe, the goverment is committed to bringing all aspects of Rwandan society back together in one extremely small country.

Whether this will succeed over the long term or not is an open question. One woman who joined our conversation expressed her doubts - saying that while the political reconciliation is important, much of the underlying pain and hatred continues to simmer under the surface. How many generations does it take for this kind of pain to dissipate in a community? The Jewish people hav been learning this for some time - Rwanda is struggling with the tragic question as well.

Our final visit was a heartbreaking tour of Kigali’s Public Hospital. More on this in my next post…

Read more on Brant's blog.

Read more about JRF Service Learning Resources

The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) on the ground in Chad providing trauma counseling and social services to Darfuri refugees

HIAS is the only Jewish organization with staff on the ground in Chad, where we provide services in five of that country’s camps for refugees from the Darfur region of Sudan. At the request of the United Nations, we are providing counseling and community services programs for some 90,000 refugees, including conflict resolution training, sexual and gender-based violence education and sensitization, and trauma counseling. One of the most successful activities has been HIAS-organized playgroups, which allow children to express the traumatic events of their young lives through art, music, and sports therapy.

In addition, HIAS has created a cadre of refugees in each camp to serve as community mobilizers. Participants are trained to identify and intervene appropriately so they can provide help to their fellow refugees. HIAS’ refugee peer groups empower community members and allow them to help others deal with sensitive issues in a culturally acceptable format.

To support HIAS’ activities on the ground in Chad with Darfuri refugees, please call HIAS at: (866) 871-9681 or online.

The following article from the Toronto Star features Rabbi Shawn Zevit.

Defining Poverty: What does it mean to be poor in Ontario today? As the province grapples with that question, the Star asked dozens of local experts. Here are their answers ...

The United Jewish Federation has joined with federations throughout North America to launch a relief effort for victims of the natural disasters, including floods and tornadoes, that have wreaked havoc in the central United States since mid-May.

The effort, to be coordinated through the UJF's national organization, United Jewish Communities, will raise funds to help victims in the Jewish and general populations, with funds going to local communities that have been affected by natural disasters. No administrative costs will be deducted from funds raised.

Donations can be made payable to the UJF/Central U.S. Disaster Relief Fund by check to the United Jewish Federation, 234 McKee Place, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15213 or by clicking the "Click to Give" image above.  read more »

This week, as we prepare ourselves for receiving the Torah anew on Shavuot, we travel across the congregational system, from schools to shuls, and then back again...

Included in this week's omer teachings, among other things, we learn the importance of reflection while you pursue social justice, potential suggested ingredients for successful synagogue tikkun olam programs, and discover many education related tikkun olam resources.

In Brachot 63b, the Babylonian Talmud states that the Torah can only be acquired in partnership, while in community with others.

Therefore, this week's omer packet features some of JRF's many collaborative partnerships and formal external affiliations with other organizations, including The Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life, The Conference of Presidents of American Jewish Organizations, The Informed Meetings Exchange (INMEX), The International Association for Religious Freedom, The International Jewish Social Justice Network, The Jewish Coalition Responding to HIV/AIDS in Africa , The Jewish Council on Public Affairs (JCPA), The Jewish Coalition for Disaster Relief, Mazon – A Jewish Response to Hunger , The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Secure Community Network (SCN), and The World Union for Progressive Judaism.

Members of JRC-Evanston volunteering in New OrleansThis week's omer study packet, on service-learning, features the upcoming JRF Teen-Parent Week of Service, happening in August 2008, reflections from service-learning trips taken by congregations Havurah Shalom and JRC-Evanston to Africa, and RRC students to Central America, with the American Jewish World Service, as well as domestic trips to New Orleans with the Jewish Funds for Justice.  read more »

Please also save the date for the exciting National Educators’ Institute for Jewish Service-Learning, being held twice this summer, in June and August.

This week's omer study packet, on advocacy, features articles on how to make our synagogues into vessels of tikkun olam, and how to make decisions on controversial issues, as well as tachlis policy documents formulated by JRF congregations: Adat Shalom, Mishkan Shalom, and Tzedek v'Shalom.  read more »

This topic will also be featured on the last of our tikkun-olam-themed PEARL tele-conference calls, on Wednesday May 14. To register, click here.

Donate to Myanmar Disaster Fund here.JRF is an ongoing coalition member of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee's (JDC) Jewish Coalition for Disaster Relief (JCDR) during times of natural disaster and human suffering in the world.

AS UJC's overseas partner, the JDC has opened an emergency mailbox to raise relief funds for victims of Cyclone Nargis, which devastated portions of Myanmar (formerly Burma) on May 3.

Read the JCDR Myanmar Cyclone Situation Report.  read more »