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Dear Friend,
We’re halfway through Elul, a month that invites us to wake up our
souls ahead of the holiest part of the Jewish calendar.
Elul practices like blowing the shofar and selichot,
prayers for forgiveness, are designed to call our attention to how we
are taking care of each other. I am inspired by Elul as an acronym for
ani l'dodi ve' dodi li, a line from the Song
of Songs: “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is
mine.” Who are your beloveds and how do they experience love
from you? How can you deepen your love for your people? And how do you
expand who you love and care about, so it’s really all of us?
To help you reflect on these questions and wake up
your soul this Elul, I’m excited to share a new episode of Your Safety
is My Safety.
Victoria Raggs is the co-founding Executive Director for the
Atlanta Jews of Color Council. For over 15 years, she has worked as a
Jewish professional to affirm, elevate, and celebrate diversity. In
her video, she asks:
“How can we
spark conversation to make room for the people at the margins and
bring them into the center? … Safety for me is being able to give
feedback about how our community can do better without being
considered a nuisance or complainer. … What’s your vision for safety?
Can I take up space authentically with you?”
Is there space for feedback and diversity in your beloved
communities? The coming new year is a chance to reflect, account,
imagine, and then begin anew.
Watch now: Victoria’s vision of safety in the new
episode of Your Safety is My Safety.
Bend the Arc is organizing Jewish communities around the country to
broaden who our beloveds are and build institutions and policies that
create more community care and safety.
There are key opportunities coming up in September, including
lobbying for a federal budget that divests from the systems that harm
us and invests in care, health, and our collective future. Stay with
us for more details soon.
L’Shalom,
Graie Hagans
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