On December 1, we hosted a forum with Kary Moss, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, to discuss what we can expect from the first 100 days of Trump's presidency. We were energized by the determination of the ACLU to fight any affront to civil rights that the administration might bring. We saw great potential in the huge turnout and the deep thinking and passion of participants. In her comments at the event, Rabbi Alana urged attendees to join any grassroots organization that is struggling against injustice - as that's the only way we can protect our communities and move our country forward. Check out the blurb and event photos below and visit Detroit Jewish News to read the rest of the article.

If we asked you the current minimum wage in the state of Michigan, how confident would you be in your answer? On November 29th, we joined hundreds of protesters outside of a McDonalds on Detroit’s west side who know the answer all too well.  That shit is $8.50. 

Many of Detroit’s fast food and child care workers earn only the state’s required $8.50 an hour, hardly enough to support a family at a subsistence level. The D15 campaign seeks to raise the minimum wage for these workers to $15 an hour in the city of Detroit, joining related campaigns being waged in cities across the nation.  As we stood outside chanting and marching we were struck by the incredible turnout and the diversity of the group which included union workers, fast food employees, child care providers, and of course DJJers. We believe the D15 campaign is going places and we want to be there when it does. In fact, we want to be everywhere. Whether it’s raising money for Standing Rock, canvassing for water rights, or Schlepping for Transit, November 8th was a clear signal that it’s time to put our Netflix habit on hold and fight the good fight every day and every night. The end.

DJJ Leaders, Allie Zeff and Gabe Slabosky

On Tuesday November 15, DJJ held its first general meeting since the election. I didn’t know what to expect. After casting my ballot on November 8th, I applied the “I voted” sticker to the top of my left shoe and walked home, kicking dried leaves and watching the orange sun sink into the horizon. By Wednesday morning the benign orange glow seemed to have particularized and settled like a synthetic and vaguely cancerous mist. It felt like the sun had cut Earth loose from the solar system, and deposited it at the nearest interstellar tanning salon.

This Torah commentary was originally published in the Detroit Jewish News.

When God alerts him of plans to destroy the “sinful” cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham pushes back. Our ancestor proclaims “Will you sweep away the innocent along with the guilty? Far be it from you to do a thing like that!”. Famously, he negotiates God down: “what if there are 50 righteous people? 10?” I have always looked to this as the ultimate inspiration - our foundational example of speaking truth to power. My childhood rabbi Harold Schulweis (zt”l) called this chutzpah clappei shamayim - challenging the heavens.

I was recently startled by a Hasidic teaching that goes a step further....

In an article entitled, "What Next? Moving Forward After A Divisive Election," Rabbi Alana joined other Jewish leaders in discussing how we've processed the election results.

This is a guest post by DJJ'nik Harriet Saperstein.

Dear Friends, Members and Supporters of Detroit Jews for Justice:

Esther K. Shapiro, my good friend, and a “courageous crusader”, died comfortably at her Lafayette Park home in Detroit on October 14, 2016 at 98+ years. We are all safer consumers because of Esther. We are all better citizens because of Esther. We all have a more equal society because of Esther. Among her many positions, she was Director of Consumer Affairs in Detroit from 1974-1990, a Board member and official of many state and national consumer organizations, and an activist concerned with social justice throughout her long and well-lived life.

Check out Hayley Sakwa's piece on Vote Yes for Regional Transit in the Detroit Free Press -- the last of five incredible pieces from DJJ leaders on this critical ballot measure. Among readers offering their perspective on the upcoming election, Hayley offers this thoughtful take:

"It has been obvious for months: the outcome of this election will have vast implications on the future of our country. Yet no matter who wins, policies of a newly elected president will fall flat in Metro Detroit unless we vote yes to pass the regional transit millage."

Read the rest of Hayley's comments here.

Visit the blog to read other pieces on transit written by the DJJ community. 

Our leaders are working their tuchuses off to get out the word about Vote Yes for Regional Transit.

Check out this spot-on letter to the ed in the Detroit News from DJJ intern, Eli Zucker:

"Oakland Country is a bubble, and that’s not right. I grew up in West Bloomfield, and the commute by car to Detroit is only 45 minutes. But it is fair to say that like so many other folks who live in Oakland Country, Detroit feels like a world away."

Read the rest here. 

The word keeps spreading! Here's a piece from DJJ core leader Andy Levin in the Macomb Daily

Read the full article here, and check out a preview below.

"It seems like there’s a new headline every day about this or that automaker or tech firm making new investments, buying new companies, or opening new test facilities — all in the hopes of capturing a lucrative piece of the autonomous and connected transportation business. There is a consensus that the future of the auto and truck industries will depend on sensors, communications technology and intelligent infrastructure. But there is little agreement about where the work to create this new world of transportation will be centered."

Another awesome piece on "Schlep for Transit" in the Detroit Jewish News! Check out this pitch for the Schlep for Transit from our own Ben Falik.

"Let’s talk about the bottom of your ballot. (All I will say about the top is that I am just as excited for my son to have a female president as I am for my daughter; if neither sees a white guy deliver the State of the Union until they are teenagers, it will be too soon.) But back to the bottom. As much as I believe in the representative and federalist nature of our government — electing and engaging good people to act ethically on behalf of all their constituents — we have a decisive direct democratic decision to make next month." 

Read the rest here.