Jewish Funds for Justice

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Jewish Funds for Justice was formed in 2006 when The Shefa Fund and Jewish Fund for Justice merged.[1]

About

Jewish Funds for Justice calls for better access to health care, a higher minimum wage, and more affordable housing. Their vision is an America where the Jewish community plays an important role in a revived justice movement – where Jews across the country bring to bear the full spectrum of their financial, institutional, and volunteer resources to support social change.[2]

History

The original Jewish Fund for Justice was created in 1984. Its first board chair was Si Kahn and its first executive director was Lois Roisman. Frank S. Goldberg then served on the Board of Directors.[3] Jewish Funds for Justice was created in its current form in 2006 when the Jewish Fund for Justice merged with The Shefa Fund (founded in 1990). JFJ then merged with Spark: The Partnership for Jewish Service in February, 2007.[4]

Funding

Jewish Funds for Justice is funded by George Soros' Open Society Institute. In 2009, the Open Society provided a $150,000 grant to the JFJ and its associated group, the Funder's Collaborative on Youth Organizing. In 2010, the Open Society provided a $200,000 grant to last a period of two years.[5]

Jewish Funds for Justice provides funds to AVODAH. AVODAH executive director is Marilyn Sneiderman, wife of SEIU Property director Stephen Lerner [6]

Personnel

Board

As at Jan. 18, 2011, the following worked for the organization:[7]

Staff

As at Jan. 18, 2011, the following worked for the organization:[8]

Speakers Bureau

The following are members of the JFJ speakers bureau:[9]

Community Organizing Residency

The Community Organizing Residency recruits young people from different faiths, including Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities across the United States in leading organizing groups in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay Area. They are given placements at organizations including congregations, community and issue-based groups, and unions. Residents gain on-the-ground experience while organizing full-time and being mentored by seasoned organizers. In September 2010, the following were members of the first cohort of COR residents:[10][11]

Chicago:

Los Angeles:

San Francisco:

New York:

Selah Leadership Program

Jewish Funds for Justice's Selah Leadership Program is designed for Jewish social justice leaders working in Jewish and secular organizations. "Selah provides unparalleled training for leaders, new tools to enhance your vision and facilitate organizational change, and the opportunity to learn among some of the nation's most innovative and inspiring Jewish social change leaders. After all, no social justice leader works alone."[12] The following have participated in the program:[13]

Cohort 1: East Coast:

Cohort 2: East Coast:

Cohort 3: Washington, D.C.:

Cohort 4: National:

Cohort 5: National:

Cohort 6: Los Angeles:

Cohort 7: Organizational:

Cohort 8: Boston:

Attacking Glenn Beck

Following Glenn Beck's three-day “Puppet Master” series on George Soros, Jewish Funds for Justice launched a campaign, "fighting back against Beck's outrageous accusations and insinuations with a multifaceted campaign to get Beck's poison off the air."[14]

On Jan. 13, 2011, JFJ president Simon Greer and approximately 5 others stood outside the News Corporation building in New York, where Greer announced their intention to deliver 10,000 signatures calling on Rupert Murdoch to remove Glenn Beck from Fox News Channel’s daily lineup. Greer attempted to deliver a pink slip for Mr. Beck, calling for the termination of his contract. Greer further listed Beck's "Ten Worst Quotes of 2011" - a collection of statements Beck has made - but stripped of their context. Greer was not allowed to enter the News Corporation building, or to leave our 10,000 letters for Mr. Murdoch.[15]

Progressive Leaders Sign Petition

On July 16, 2010, leaders of faith and progressive communities from across the United States put their name to a two-page feature in the Jewish Forward magazine which had been put together by Jewish Funds for Justice. The introduction to the feature reads,[16]

"On May 28, on his nationally syndicated radio show, Glenn Beck read an excerpt from a Washington Post column by Jewish Funds for Justice President Simon Greer. In it, Simon argued that we are at our best as a society when we put humankind and the common good first. Beck responded: "This leads to death camps. A Jew, of all people, should know that. This is exactly the kind of talk that led to the death camps in Germany: ‘put humankind and the common good first.’" In the wake of this attack on our shared values, we are grateful to so many leaders for standing with us. Because of your support, Jewish Funds for Justice can continue to speak out against this kind of demagoguery and advocate for real solutions to the pressing challenges facing millions of Americans."

A list of faith leaders who put their names to the feature follows:[16]

External Links

References

  1. ↑ JFJ website: History (accessed on Jan. 18, 2011)
  2. ↑ JFJ website: Our Vision (accessed on Jan. 18, 2011)
  3. ↑ Houston Chronicle: Texas native heads one-of-a-kind Jewish fund, August 24, 1985 (accessed on Jan. 18, 2011)
  4. ↑ JFJ website: Jewish Social Change Groups to Merge, Feb. 5, 2007 (accessed on Jan. 18, 2011)
  5. ↑ Soros website: Leadership Development & Youth Engagement Grantees - Jewish Funds for Justice / Funders' Collaborative for Youth Organizing, 2010 (accessed on Jan. 18, 2011)
  6. ↑ AVODAH Supporters(accessed on April 3, 2011
  7. ↑ JFJ website: Board (accessed on Jan. 18, 2011)
  8. ↑ JFJ website: Staff (accessed on Jan. 18, 2011)
  9. ↑ jspot website: Resources: Speakers Bureau (accessed on Jan. 18, 2011)
  10. ↑ JFJ website: Meet the COR Residents (accessed on Jan. 18, 2011)
  11. ↑ JFJ website: Community Organizing Residency (accessed on Jan. 18, 2011)
  12. ↑ JFJ website: Selah Leadership Program (accessed on Jan. 19, 2011)
  13. ↑ JFJ website: Selah Cohorts (accessed on Jan. 19, 2011)
  14. ↑ JFJ website: Special Fox News campaign (accessed on Jan. 18, 2011)
  15. ↑ JFJ website: 'Action @ Fox | 10,000 say fire Beck (accessed on Jan. 18, 2011)
  16. ↑ Jump up to: 16.0 16.1 Forward: Friday, July 16, 2010, pp 6-7
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