Detroit Jews For Justice

Our Host Committee consists of folks near and far who wish to support the 2021 Myra Wolfgang Awards. We are deeply grateful to this growing list for their generosity and belief in the long-term value of our work.

The fundraising auction for the Myra Wolfgang Awards will open online next Monday, April 26th at 8:00am! Make that Google Calendar appointment and secure your bid for some sweet deals!  The 2021 Myra Wolfgang Awards will be held virtually on Tuesday, May 4th from 7:30pm, and the online auction will close at the evening's end at 8:30pm.

Last week, DJJ and Repair the World Detroit held space to process the recent acts of white supremacy and anti-AAPI violence in Atlanta, New York, and elsewhere. Anti-Asian hate is not a new phenomenon; yet, many non-AAPI folks (myself included) even in progressive spaces lack an appropriate understanding of the issues Asian-Americans are facing in the world. As we came together to engage in collective learning during the week of Passover, we thus challenged ourselves to consider all the things that -- lo dayenu -- have not yet been enough.

As a member of DJJ I was able to attend a rally and march on Saturday Jan. 16th sponsored by Detroit Will Breathe and Detroit Eviction Defense. The protest was in support of Whitney Burney, a northwest Detroit woman and her children who were wrongfully evicted from their home on December 19, 2020 with the assistance of four officers from the Detroit Police Department.  The landlord contacted the police who claimed Ms. Burney was squatting in his property. These accusations were false and police did not look at evidence Ms. Burney tried to present and put many of the families belongings on the street and would not allow entrance into the house to retreat Christmas presents, personal belongings including the children’s laptops for school. She and her children had to go to a homeless shelter. 

This could have been the headline for last week’s announcement from the City of Detroit that it was extending the moratorium on water shutoffs through 2022 AND getting serious about finding a permanent solution to the issue of water insecurity that has plagued too many Detroit residents for at least 20 years.

But, as we contemplate this victory just as Chanukah begins, we know that miracles don’t “just happen”.  The arc doesn’t just bend.  Whether it’s the Maccabees or Detroit’s water warriors, collective strength is required for the bending and collective action creates the miracle.

It was Hanukkah 2016 -- DJJ’s 2nd Festival of Rights. Home visiting from college, I was delighted to find a growing progressive community dedicated to lifting up Jewish diversity. I was hooked.

As COVID-19 infections and deaths soar, nearly 800,000 Michiganders are at risk of not having access to water for handwashing and other purposes during the pandemic.

DJJniks, I’m writing to you today to shed light on how, right before our eyes, the remembrance of the November Pogromes is being undermined by German government officials. I recently joined DJJ as an organizing intern after graduating from the University of Michigan in the spring. I’m originally from Heidelberg, Germany -- a place I hold very dear to my heart -- and it should be noted that I’m not Jewish myself, as I’m of Turkish and German descent. Growing up in Germany, I learned in-depth about the atrocities my ancestors have committed to millions of people during the Nazi era, as most school children in Germany do. Simultaneously, I learned to understand that antisemitism is not a thing of the past, but alive and well, in Germany and abroad. I want to use this opportunity to share with you an example of lived antisemitism, perpetrated by the German state.