Related Blog Posts on Advocacy and Social Justice

Four photos of people we met during the Civil Rights Journey trip

We Are, We Are, We Are, WRJ

Shari Carruthers
Lillian Burkenheim Silver
In October 2022, 88 of us traveled from across North America to Atlanta to join other sisters on the WRJ Civil Rights Journey. Armed with articles, movies, books, and memories about the fight for racial equality in the 1950s and 1960s, we visited historical landmarks in Atlanta, Montgomery, Selma, and Birmingham. We found what we knew intellectually was no match for walking in the footsteps of those who were there and have continued to advocate and advance racial equality. As we kick off WRJ’s end-of-year campaign, we reflect on the impact of this trip and the work still to be done.
woman with yellow jacket and glasses talking at table in group

"Maybe It Is Just For This Moment"

Rachel Ciraldo

Maybe it is just for this moment that you find yourself in a position of leadership. Maybe?

With the generous support of a microgrant from WRJ, in September 2024, Temple B’nai Israel’s Sisterhood in Hattiesburg, MS, presented a concert of works by composers

WRJ attendees smiling at Consultation on Conscience in Washington DC

"When Everything Looks Dark, You Are the Shard of Light"

Emma Aaronson
Shayna Dollinger

The Jewish mystical tradition, Kabbalah, teaches us that when the world was created, God’s presence filled the Earth. When God’s divine beings came into the world, God made room for us by contracting the divine light into vessels, but the vessels were too

a hanukkiah with all nine candles lit

When the Universal Becomes Personal

Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch

I never imagined I would be mourning two communities that shaped my life in the same weekend. Spaces that I once valued as shelters of learning and sanctuary changed instantly into scenes of deadly gun violence.  

At Brown University, my alma mater, students

hands holding a teal ribbon in front of a pink background

WRJ Fights Erasure and Abuse

Trish Joseph
Shoshana Dweck

In 2022, WRJ launched “WRJ says STOP: An Initiative against Sexual Harassment and Assault.” The initiative’s goal was two-fold: (1) to help our sacred communities and congregations be proactive in reducing and even preventing the scourges of power dynamic

text: Life is Sacred: A Journey of Hope, Healing and Advocacy by Lillian Silver; four people smiling in front of a bimah, the father and son holding the Torah

Life is Sacred

Lillian Silver

This piece includes details about abortion and loss of life.

 

Life is Sacred: Our Pathway to Parenthood and Community Care

When my husband, Bruce, and I married, our vows reflected a dream: to share the journey of parenthood. We embraced the hope and joy that

a group of women sitting outside at a park on some benches

Tikkun Olam in Action

Simona Seiderman
Liz McOsker

“If a person sits in their home and says to themselves,
‘What have the affairs of society to do with me?... Why
Should I trouble myself with the people’s voices of
protest? Let my soul dwell in peace!‘ - If one does this,
they overthrow the world.”
(Midrash Tanhuma

WRJ members smiling at SCOTUS

The U.S. Supreme Court 2025: A Recap

Jessica Cadmus

The U.S. Supreme Court just wrapped up its 2024-2025 term. In decisions related to health care, LGBTQ+ rights, and more, the Court continues to significantly impact policies affecting individuals nationwide. Keep reading to learn more about a few key decisions

PP rally

Affording Human Dignity

Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch

On Thursday afternoon, the day the U.S. Supreme Court released their opinion on Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, I arrived at its steps with WRJ President Karen Sim, URJ Board Chair Shelley Niceley Groff, our partners at NCJW, and other fellow