I want to begin by sharing with you a question that has been keeping me up at night for weeks:  how is it possible that the 1st ever Wolfgang Awards was scheduled one week before the High Holidays?!

My name is Kendra (they/them) and I am so excited to be working with DJJ as part of my fellowship with Repair the World Detroit! I’m originally from Pontiac, MI and have spent the last four years living across North Carolina. I recently graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in Jewish Studies and Sociology. While at UNC, I focused my research on the racialization of Jews and the experiences of Jews of color in Jewish institutions. In North Carolina, I was an active member of Carolina Jews for Justice (CJJ), and it seems fitting that in returning to Michigan, I can build on that experience and expand my community through DJJ. 

Hello DJJ!

My name is Becca (she/her) and I am very excited to be joining this community as the DJJ intern for the next eight months.

Last week, I spent 5 days in the Chicago Teacher’s Union building learning about direct action organizing from true veterans in this work.  The experience was packed with new information, relationship building, and detailed reflection on best practices in organizing.  

"When we do the hard work of community organizing, we build the world we need. That’s Trump’s worst nightmare. That's why he's tweeting so hard to divide us from our neighbors. But we’re not falling for it. We have each other’s backs, and together we will create a just world."

Photo by Asha Noor

Rally to End Dearborn Police Cooperation with ICE 8 13 19

Last night I attended the rally to end Dearborn police cooperation with ICE.  It was diverse racially, ethnically, religiously. Muslim leaders spoke prayers in Arabic, Rabbis spoke some in Hebrew.  Some women wore hijabs, some men and women wore tallit and kepas. But the vast majority wore some black garment, responded to speakers’ invitations to chant or shout in response, and shouted “Shame” when the speaker explained inhumane practices. 

The program featured about a dozen speakers who explained, exhorted, chanted, lamented and called for responses from the crowd of about 200.   Among them were about 15 DJJniks. The assembled opposed deportations, lock-ups, cages, arrests, and incarceration of immigrants. Some told heart-wrenching stories about those they knew who were so unjustly treated by our government’s agents, usually ending in deportation.  One African-American daughter told of her father who immigrated from Africa only to be deported. Congressman Levin bemoaned the story of a constituent who was sent to Iraq, where he’d never lived, only to die.  

On Tuesday, we came together as a community in an incredible display of solidarity and power. 

Outside of the Dearborn Police Department, we gathered over 200 people to declare that cooperation with ICE is not in the interest of the people, and that we will not accept DPD's complacency while immigration policies become increasingly oppressive. 

Together, we expressed our grief and disbelief in the shameful practices of those in power.  We gathered faith leaders, activists, congresspeople, and people directly impacted by deportation and detention to demand that DPD stop doing ICE's dirty work. 

And we got attention. Thank you for being a part of of that.  Let's use the energy and momentum from yesterday to take further action.  

This Fall, shortly after the Wolfgang Awards, my time on staff will come to a close.

Shavua Tov!  Here's a quick note from Rabbi Alana: 

I was recently quoted in an article about local Jewish leaders’ alleged united opposition to our 13th District Rep. Rashida Tlaib. While a white supremacist sits in the White House, our fellow Jews are tearing down a beloved progressive leader and one of the first Muslim-American Congresswomen. I was shocked.