In this unprecedented week in Wisconsin, I have been struggling to find the words about how heavy this has all felt- the police shooting of #JacobBlake, 2 protestors dying and the injury of a third and finally, graffiti on the Kenosha synagogue.  I am not Black, and can only imagine the extra weight being added after years, decades, and centuries of racism, something my family and I are unfamiliar with but not unaware of. 

With today's anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's 'I Have a Dream' speech, we are starkly aware that this nation still has a long way to go to achieving his vision. But we can't let this moment slip by. Rabbi Dena Feingold of Temple Beth Hillel in Kenosha shared her strong stance that in this moment, it is not about us, the white Jews. We must stand in unwavering support with the Black community- including Black Jews, and with the wider community, to declare that Black Lives Matter. In a louder echo, this incredible showing of solidarity came out today from over 600 Jewish organizations in the New York Times "We speak with one voice when we say, unequivocally: Black Lives Matter"

In conversation with one of the most well respected Black organizers in Milwaukee, Angela Lang, she shared the sentiment with me that "sometimes you need an ally, and sometimes you have to be one." Today is a day we must lean in to that. This is a moment to be in support, in solidarity, even when we may not agree on everything.  See below for a myriad of ways to be involved- show up in person, online, in petitions and in conversations.

Wishing for a moment of real peace to come speedily.

Shabbat Shalom,
Sami Stein Avner
Executive Director