Sign Up for CBI Tikkun Olam Action Alerts
Click on the link below to join our Jewish social justice action network. Each email alert outlines specific actions you can take to advance our priority issues, all grounded in our pursuit of social justice.
Tikkun Olam/Repair the World
Our Tikkun Olam Committee helps to lead our community in intensive engagement in the work of repairing the world. The full committee meets bi-monthly and then conducts its work largely organized by teams focused on priority issues. New teams can form around these priority issues at any time, with any small group of interested members. Our priority issue areas include:
Climate Change
Criminal Justice Reform
Economic Justice
Food Justice
Health Care Access
Immigration and Refugee Rights
Protecting Democracy
Want to join or have questions or ideas for the Tikkun Olam Committee? Contact Pamela Schwartz (pschwartz77@gmail.com) and Jen Wenz (jwenz12@gmail.com).
Get involved with the Tikkun Olam Teams
Legislative Advocacy Team
The Legislative Advocacy Team organizes the political advocacy work of the Tikkun Olam Committee, including:
- Tikkun Olam Action Alerts via an ever-growing email list (currently at 250 members), offering notice of national, state and local actions and events to advance our social justice priorities;
- CBI Tikkun Olam's annual Legislative Gathering with our region's state legislators to share and discuss our committee's legislative priorities; and
- Ongoing legislative engagement, e.g., targeted legislator meetings, public hearing testimony, or get-out-the-vote for ballot initiatives, determined first by our priorities and in conjunction with committee members' capacity.
To learn more or get involved, contact Pamela Schwartz at pschwartz77@gmail.com.
Racism/Antisemitism Team
The Racism/Antisemitism team of the Tikkun Olam Committee addresses racism and antisemitism in our community and beyond through educational programming and action-oriented efforts. Our goal is to bring our multiracial Jewish community and neighboring BIPOC communities and organizations together as mutual allies to resist the divide and conquer tactics of white supremacists. To learn more or get involved, contact Sara Weinberger at saraweinberger128@gmail.com.
Reparations Team
Since the murder of George Floyd in the summer of 2020, the Reparations Team has been studying reparations and engaging with community members about the possibility of CBI making reparations to Black community here in Western MA. As of winter 2022-23, the Reparations Team is putting together a detailed proposal for CBI to make this institutional commitment. To learn more or get involved, contact Judi Wisch at judiwisch@gmail.com.
Climate Action Team
The Climate Action Team of the Tikkun Olam Committee supports our congregation's efforts to reduce our carbon footprint and to advocate for effective climate legislation. We have also joined with national Dayenu--A Jewish Call to Climate Action to form a local Dayenu Circle in Western MA as a way to take effective action to confront the climate crisis with other Jews in our area on national Dayenu campaigns, and to engage with fellow Jews and other climate action allies on local/state concerns. We meet to coordinate and take actions monthly. To get involved, visit our FB page or email Joyce Samet at westernmassdayenucircle@gmail.com.
Healthcare Team
The Tikkun Olam Healthcare Team's work has been focused on the cost and availability of healthcare for Massachusetts residents, especially legislative policies and corporate practices that disproportionately disadvantage the health of minority groups or persons with particular illnesses such as diabetes. Over the last several years we have been active in the cost of pharmaceuticals and the preservation of reproductive rights, working with groups such as JALSA (Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action) and the Drug Affordability Coalition. Going forward we also hope to be active in improving public health services in response to the Covid pandemic. To learn more or get involved, contact Steve Arons (stephen.arons@gmail.com) and Norbert Goldfield (rin8312011@gmail.com).
