Syma Echeandia

Syma Echeandia

Syma sits on DJJ's Steering Committee.

As you know Lou and I have been members of Congregation T’chiyah.  The rabbi we hired three years ago, Alana Alpert, who is also a trained community organizer, started an organization, Detroit Jews For Justice (DJJ).  This organization has been a beacon of hope for us all who want to bring back a Jewish presence to assist the struggle to bring equity and justice to Detroit.  Detroit can be a beacon of hope for Michigan and the entire country.

Under the auspices of DJJ, I was delighted to participate in a course “Don’t Kvetch – Organize!” given by Join for Justice.   I learned so much about how one tackles social justice issues, to respect the thoughtful process and careful use of resources.  It enhanced my ability to understand and contribute to DJJ and other social justice organizations.

Chanuka has arrived, Christmas follows soon and my 75th birthday follows shortly.  As you may know my birthday is January 15th, the very same as Martin Luther King and in 2018 we get to celebrate MLK Day and my 75th birthday on the same day. 

I want to ask you for a Chanuka gift, Christmas gift and an early birthday present.  I would like to ask you to make a contribution in my name to Detroit Jews for Justice, so I can continue working with these amazing people, Jews and those to like to hang with Jews who are dedicated to make a difference in Detroit and the country.

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Syma Echeandia's latest activity
donated via 2024-02-26 21:01:04 -0500

2024 Purim Tickets

Thank you for visiting the DJJ Purim 2024 donation page! While there is no required fee to attend, your contribution helps us make this event a reality.

$0-36 sliding scale tickets! 

 

 

 

Donate
donated via 2023-07-26 17:12:07 -0400

Help us DJJ- Do Justice Jewishly!

To buy your Purim 2024 tickets, please click here!

To become a monthly donor to DJJ, please click here!

Donate online here or send a check addressed to "Detroit Jews for Justice" to the following address:


Detroit Jews for Justice

440 Burroughs, Suite 625

Detroit, MI

48202

 

DJJ is building Jewish political communities we can be proud of—communities based on local and intergenerational relationships, that practice solidarity with all oppressed people, and that embody the world we want to live in. We are building Jewish spaces that center the young, queer, non-white, and disabled among us, spaces that people won’t run away from. We are following the lead of movements of other marginalized groups, and building deep coalitions that will protect each other from the far-right. But in order to do all of this well, we need resources.

DJJ relies on its extended community for a substantial portion of our budget because we need to, but also because it reflects DJJ's commitment to letting our volunteer leaders guide the organization.  If you value the work of local, progressive, Jewish political organizing, donate today to celebrate a breakthrough 2022!

Thank you so much for your generous gift! Your support makes this work possible.

If you would like to become a monthly sustaining donor to DJJ, please click here

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donated via 2023-07-26 16:17:18 -0400

Buy Your Tickets to Wolfgang 2023!

Update: This event has SOLD OUT and we currently have a waitlist! We also have a few volunteer roles open, please contact us if you'd like to claim one.

Thank you for visiting the ticket sales page for Wolfgang 2023! We are so excited to celebrate the social justice work of metro Detroit Jews and non-Jews who are fighting for a better world. Please either join our host committee or purchase individual tickets. You may choose whichever level feels right for you! 

Individual Tickets

(A range of payment levels to make everyone in our community welcome)

 

 Chai Roller……………………… $180

 Bohneh/Builder………………… $36

 Ohed/Supporter………………… $72

 Magen/Protector………………… $18

 

Join our Host Committee

All hosts will be listed online and on invitations, are invited to a private reception with the honorees before the event, and will receive a bundle of DJJ merchandise. In addition, hosts sponsoring at various levels will receive recognition as follows:

 

Sponsor Level

Gift of…

Recognition

Ro’eh

Visionary

$5,400 or more

  • Five (5) Wolfgang Awards tickets
  • Acknowledgment from the stage at event
  • Program Listing as a Ro’eh 
  • Original work of art by a local artist

Macher

Mover & Shaker

$3,600-5,399

  • Four (4) Wolfgang Awards tickets
  • Program Listing as a Macher
  • Original work of art by a local artist

Tzadik

Righteous One

$1,800-3,599

  • Four (4) tickets to Wolfgang Awards 2023
  • Program listing as a Tzadik

Ozer

Helper 

$720-1,799

  • Three (3) tickets to Wolfgang Awards 2023
  • Program listing as an Ozer

Amud

Pillar

$360-719

  • Two (2) tickets to Wolfgang Awards 2023
  • Program listing as an Amud

 

Donate
donated via 2024-03-18 07:03:39 -0400

Monthly Donation

Monthly donations are the best way to sustain our work! If you would like to make a recurring gift, enter the amount here. 
To celebrate this exciting moment for DJJ, a group of generous donors have pledged to donate a combined $15,000 if we can get 18 new monthly donors of $18 or more. Will you pledge to become a monthly donor to DJJ to support us in our continued growth?
If instead you'd like to make a one-time donation, please click here.

Donate online here or send a check addressed to "Detroit Jews for Justice" to the following address:

Detroit Jews for Justice
440 Burroughs, Suite 625
Detroit, MI
48202

Thank you so much for your generous gift! Your support makes this work possible.
Donate

📯 Did you hear the call? The work ahead in the new year

L’Shana Tovah Umetukah! 

Hey folks, Syma here. I’m a proud DJJ Steering Committee member, mother, grandmother, and Macomb County Jew. I hope this email finds you safe, well, and nourished by the holiday season. We will certainly need to stay nourished as we navigate the next few months together.

In my studies leading up to Rosh Hashanah, I was confronted by the concept of Teshuvah, often defined as repentance. Rabbi Shefa Gold says:

“Looking inward and looking outward: that's what we do on Rosh Hashanah. We stop long enough to look at the world and the year that has passed. But we also take the time to look at ourselves. If we can understand who we are and what's expected of us, then we can begin to change, to return. Every change begins within; it must start deep within our hearts. [...] This is the true meaning of Teshuvah.”

Several months ago, I began a personal journey into a deeper understanding of systemic racism.

Read more
commented on Susannah Goodman joins DJJ as Deputy Director! 2019-10-11 15:29:06 -0400
Welcome, Susannah! It is always wonderful to work (and play) with you. DJJ is blessed to have you join its admin team in this new role. I have always admired your organizational skill and am delighted that you will be continuing to use them for us all. I join the happy dance.
commented on Why I'm Here 2018-12-14 11:03:17 -0500
Delighted to have you with us.
signed up on 8 Days of Water Justice 2018-11-15 14:18:36 -0500

8 Days of Water Justice

DJJ leaders are developing a social media campaign that will tie the story of Hanukkah to our struggle for water justice.

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Subscribe below to receive daily emails throughout Hanukkah, with educational content on local water issues and clear 

actions you can take to advocate for clean and affordable water. Or, keep checking this page and our Facebook page for daily updates!

Learn more about our work in partnership with People's Water Board Coalition at detroitjewsforjustice.org/water

 

 


Day #1: GET YOUR MACCABEES!

Click the picture above or this link to access Day #1's video, hosted on our Facebook page.

You can find a transcript of this video here.

ACTION ITEM: GET YOUR MACCABEES!

  • Like and share this post on Facebook & Instagram -- tag your friends in it with you. (Make sure to “tag friends” instead of just @-ing them, so it appears on their timelines!)
  • Not on social media? We’ve got you covered. Visit detroitjewsforjustice.org/water and click on the “8 Days of Water Justice” tab to subscribe and receive daily emails that you can easily forward to your network.
  • CAN YOU RECRUIT 5 MACCABEES OF YOUR OWN, like the 5 sons of Mattathias to do this work with you? Share it with your folks, your family, your congregation, your bubbie… let’s get started!

 


Day #2: SHEDDING LIGHT ON THE SHUT-OFFS!

Click the picture above or follow this link to access today's video, hosted on our Facebook page.

You can find a transcript of this video here.

ACTION ITEM: CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES! STOP THE SHUT-OFFS!

  • Implore your representatives to co-sponsor and push forward House Bills 4393 and 4389/4390!
  • If your representatives are on the House Local Government Committee, you are in a position to make these bills go through! Demand that they recognize the sanctity of water as a human right, and push them support legislation to decriminalize shut-offs and implement a water affordability plan. 
    • Chair: State Rep. James Lower, 70th District (R) - Montcalm County and Gratiot County
    • Julie Alexander, 64th District (R) - Jackson County
    • Roger Hauck, 99th District (R) - Isabella County and Midland County.
    • Ben Frederick, 85th District (R) - Shiawassee County and Saginaw County.
    • Gary Howell, 82th District (R) - Lapeer County
    • Jim Runestad, 44th District (R) - Highland, White Lake, Springfield, Milford, Waterford
    • Kathy Crawford, 38th District (R) - Lyon, Northville, Novi, South Lyon, Walled Lake
    • Sara Cambensy, 109th District (D) - Alger, Luce, Schoolcraft, Marquette (Upper Peninsula)
    • Jim Ellison, 26th District (D) - Royal Oak and Madison Heights
    • Patrick Green, 28th District (D) - Center Line and city of Warren
    • Jeremy Moss, 35th District (D) - Southfield, Lathrup Village, Beverly Hills, Bingham Farms, Franklin
  • Like and share this post on Facebook & Instagram -- tag your friends in it with you. (Make sure to “tag friends” instead of just @-ing them, so it appears on their timelines!)
  • For more information, talking points and resources, visit https://www.detroitjewsforjustice.org/water

Day #3: OIL FOR LATKES, NOT THE STRAITS OF MACKINAC!

Click the picture above or follow this link to access today's video, hosted on our Facebook page.

You can find a transcript of this video here.

ACTION ITEM: HOLD OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS ACCOUNTABLE! #SHUTDOWNLINE5!


Day #4: REDEDICATING OUR SANCTUARY!

Monica Lewis Patrick

Click the picture above or follow this link to access today's video, hosted on our Facebook page.

You can find a transcript of this video here.

ACTION ITEM: DONATE TO WE THE PEOPLE OF DETROIT'S YOUTH-LED WATER TESTING

  • We The People of Detroit is stepping up to do the direct work of water testing in places that the government has overlooked. Click HERE to give directly to the We the People of Detroit!
  • Like and share this post on Facebook & Instagram -- tag your friends in it with you. (Make sure to “tag friends” instead of just @-ing them, so it appears on their timelines!)
  • For more information, talking points and resources, visit https://www.detroitjewsforjustice.org/water and https://wethepeopleofdetroit.com/

Day #5: SCARCITY, ABUNDANCE & WATER PRIVATIZATION!

Click the picture above or follow this link to access today's video, hosted on our Facebook page.

You can find a transcript of this video here.

ACTION ITEM: INTERROGATE YOUR OWN SENSE OF SCARCITY AND ABUNDANCE! 

  • Instead of advocacy or donations, today's action item involves self-reflection - an essential part of engaging in activist work that is grounded in empathy and solidarity. 
  • Take a look at your own water bill. Calculate how much of your monthly income goes to paying for water. Is it within the EPA-recommended 4.5% guideline? Is it upwards of 10%, the average water bill for low-income residents as reported by researchers at the University of Michigan?  What trade-offs would you make if you had to pay such high rates? What trade-offs do you make?
  • Consider: Do you see scarcity where there is actually abundance, or vice versa? Why? How might corporate interests affect this perception?
  • Like and share this post on Facebook & Instagram -- tag your friends in it with you. (Make sure to “tag friends” instead of just @-ing them, so it appears on their timelines!)
  • For more information, talking points and resources, visit https://www.detroitjewsforjustice.org/water 

Day #6: PUBLICIZING THE MIRACLE!

Click the picture above or follow this link to access today's video, hosted on our Facebook page.

You can find a transcript of this video here.

ACTION ITEM: PUBLICIZE THE MIRACLES & THE INJUSTICES! CALL AND TAG @MAYORMIKEDUGGAN WITH YOUR MESSAGE! BUILD THE NARRATIVE THAT METRO DETROIT JEWS STAND FOR WATER JUSTICE!

  • STUDY "America's Secret Water Crisis," the groundbreaking report from Food & Water Watch that shows the depth and breadth of the water crisis across the country. 
  • PUBLICIZE the media from Sunday night's Illuminating Water Justice action, available on our Facebook page, the Detroit Jewish News, and more. We need to build the awareness that Metro Detroit Jews stand up for water justice!
  • CALL & TAG  Mayor Duggan (@MayorMikeDuggan) with the following message, or a heartfelt message of your own:
    • "Mayor Duggan, 70 Metro Detroit Jews gathered on Hanukkah to voice our support for ending water shut-offs, implementing a water affordability plan, and restoring water to shut-off households. We know these solutions are critical to protect the health of our neighbors and the moral conscience of our region and we ask for your commitment to these policies in 2019.”
  • Like and share this post on Facebook & Instagram -- tag your friends in it with you. (Make sure to “tag friends” instead of just @-ing them, so it appears on their timelines!)
  • For more information, talking points and resources, visit https://www.detroitjewsforjustice.org/water 

Day #7: REBELLING AGAINST IDOLATRY

 

Click the picture above or follow this link to access today's video, hosted on our Facebook page.

You can find a transcript of this video here.

ACTION ITEM: LINK UP WITH THE POOR PEOPLE'S CAMPAIGN! SUPPORT THE #GILBERT7!


Day #8: INCREASING THE LIGHT!

Click the picture above or follow this link to access today's video, hosted on our Facebook page.

You can find a transcript of this video here.

ACTION ITEM: RSVP FOR DECEMBER'S DJJ ORIENTATION & GENERAL MEETING! GIVE A DONATION TO DJJ!

  • Keep increasing the light by staying involved with DJJ: RSVP for the upcoming orientation or general meeting!
  • Become a monthly sustaining donor to DJJ to sustain our efforts to mobilize the Metro Detroit Jewish community to work for racial and economic justice, or give a one-time donation before the end-of-the-year!
  • Like and share this post on Facebook & Instagram -- tag your friends in it with you. (Make sure to “tag friends” instead of just @-ing them, so it appears on their timelines!)
  • For more information, talking points and resources, visit https://www.detroitjewsforjustice.org/water 
Sign up
commented on The Poor People's Campaign 2017-09-07 00:45:14 -0400
Very inspiring words!
donated 2017-08-25 11:44:39 -0400

Tickets: Practicing Resistance

Purchase your ticket below for "Practicing Resistance: Jewish Solidarity in Action and Community" with M. Dove Kent and Baruch Koach Frazier on September 10th. For more details on the event, click here.

Ticket rates:

$36 - Scholarship

$76 - Regular rate

$118 - Regular rate & sponsor a participant

In the "additional comments" field below, please indicate how many tickets you are buying and/or if you are donating a sponsorship.

 

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posted about '67 Haggadah Supplement on Facebook 2017-04-04 14:56:13 -0400
I downloaded the '67 Passover Torah Supplement

'67 Haggadah Supplement

haggadah_pic.jpg

 

DJJ leaders Jake Ehrlich and Zak Rosen developed a Passover Torah supplement inspired by the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Detroit Rebellion, with art by Julia Loman.

Sign up below to receive an email download of the supplement to use at your seder.

Click here to learn more about DJJ's event series exploring the legacy of '67. 

 

 

 

Add form
posted about Michigan Jews Pledge Solidarity with Immigrant, Arab & Muslim Communities on Facebook 2017-03-08 16:11:26 -0500
Sign the petition: Michigan Jews Pledge Solidarity with Immigrant, Arab & Muslim Communities

Michigan Jews Pledge Solidarity with Immigrant, Arab & Muslim Communities

266

of a 300 signature goal

16406431_687445314770715_1604070015064209923_n.jpg

We will not stand idly by while the administration escalates its attacks on Muslims, Arabs, refugees and immigrants. We pledge to show up: in the streets, at the airport, in our decision-makers’ offices and inboxes. Compelled by Jewish values, history and self-interest, we commit to the struggle against white supremacy and bigotry in all its forms.

Sign below and share widely to help us meet our goal of 300 signatures.

Add signature
commented on The Wheels on the Bus 2016-06-14 11:28:34 -0400
From the mouths of babes……