Rabbi Marla J. Feldman

This is the Bread of Affliction our foremothers baked as they fled the land of slavery. Gathering their children and their possessions, they embarked upon a journey in the wilderness, leading us to freedom. This is the Bread of Affliction eaten by Hannah, a courageous mother who gave faith and comfort to her seven sons as they were tortured by Antiochus, a mother martyred along with her children, a heroine of the Maccabbean revolt against oppressors.

Today is the commemoration of Bloody Sunday – that day in Selma, AL 50 years ago that is seared into our visual memory, even for those who were not there or not even alive at that time. Hundreds of civil rights activists standing toe to toe with hostile state troopers wielding billy clubs and an angry mob ready to attack. Like Moses standing before Pharoah, they choked down their fears and dared to ‘speak truth to power.’ Many heroes joined Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the Edmund Pettus Bridge that day and throughout the struggle for civil rights. Our nation’s soul owes them a debt of gratitude: the freedom riders who risked their lives in the cause of justice; the students who faced gauntlets of hatred for the right to go to school; the men and women who sat together at lunch counters; the lawyers who defended them and challenged unjust laws; the clergy who spoke truth from the pulpits of churches and synagogues despite bomb threats and arson; and the politicians who, finally, heard their pleas and changed their hearts.

Over the past six months I have been privileged to participate in the American Jewish World Service (AJWS) Global Justice Fellowship program for rabbis. This program brings together a diverse trans-denominational cohort of rabbis to educate them about global issues of concern and equip them (us) to become effective advocates. As part of this program I will participate in AJWS’s Wellstone Organizing Training in February as well as the AJWS Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C. in May. The program will culminate with a trip to Guatemala next summer to learn from AJWS partners in that country. In addition to the personal fulfillment I derive from learning with my colleagues in the program, my understanding of, and commitment to, global justice has deepened. It is my hope to identify ways WRJ can partner more closely with AJWS to pursue this work. WRJ has always advocated for the rights of women and girls around the world. We endorsed the Millennium Development Goals and are working with others as an NGO at the United Nations on issues of global concern. But there is so much more we could do to advance this work, and I call on you to join me in these efforts.

This week, the WRJ Blog is featuring a series of articles on the newest URJ Camp: URJ 6 Points Sci-Tech Academy. In particular, we are focusing on WRJ's involvement in increasing the presence of girls at the camp and, by extension, supporting women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Anyone who has been to a URJ camp on Shabbat knows that it is a very special moment. The youth don their Shabbat whites, gather together for inspiring words by their camp leaders, and are ushered into the dining hall with guitar-playing songleaders leading Kabbalat Shabbat melodies. The highlight of my summer was spending such a Shabbat at URJ 6 Points Sci-Tech Academy, the newest of our 14 URJ summer camps. Sci-Tech is a camp like none other. In addition to the typical activities, song sessions, and Jewish experiences that are enjoyed at all of our camps, this summer program is designed for youth with a particular interest in science and technology. The kids who attend are more likely to watch "The Big Bang Theory" on TV and play Minecraft than play sports. At home, they are more likely to join the math or robotics club than the soccer team or youth group. At this camp, instead of making lanyards or having color wars, they find themselves creating a video game, building a robot, editing a horror film, or blowing things up–and that suits them just fine.