Things I like: HOUSING JUSTICE!

Woo victory!

East Harlem Residents and Movement for Justice in El Barrio have managed to fight off Dawnay Day, a London-based real-estate corporation that tried to take over 47 apartment buildings from low-income and immigrant renters.

Dawnay Day’s profit-driven intentions were no secret. Phil Blakeley, Dawnay Day’s director, boasted publicly to The Times in London about his scheme on how he would maneuver through New York City’s real-estate loopholes to eventually lay claim to the rentals:

“A typical two-bedroom flat taking $150 per month in rent can see the rents rise 3 percent to 4 percent each year without doing anything. As soon as you take vacant possession, the rents will typically rise 17 percent when re-let without doing anything. But with renovation, a flat could well take $1,700 a month once re-let on the open market.”

For the full article as I saw it on Racewire read here.

Movement for Justice in El Barrio (MJB), an East Harlem-based organization of immigrants and low-income people of color, has been fighting gentrification in Manhattan’s “last frontier” for over three years now. Being majority Mexican and sharing an affinity for the zapatistas’ way of organizing, MJB decided less than a year after forming to join the Other Campaign as an essential component of their work for self-determination.

Things We Like

Sorry for posting about Honor Killings right after Things We Like, I honestly didn't see Hannah's post. I'll be at home this Shabbat but thought it was worth posting!

Anyway, something I like is fun free Shabbat!
EVENT: Friendly (FREE) Friday night service and meal
DATE: Fri Oct 23
TIME: 6:45 pm to 9:30 p.m.
PLACE: 317 E 50 St., Common Room of First Reformed Episcopal Church
COST: Free

Need more details? Go to the Ohel Ayalah website, www.ohelayalah.org.

Questions? Write to Rabbi Judith Hauptman at juhauptman@jtsa.edu.

things we like!

so i am taking the ball from hannah and running with it. some things to like:

-dragonflies
-tiger lilies
-fimo clay
-sun showers
-the smell of books
-fluffy pillows
-squelching mud between your toes
-the word "nugget"
-baked goods
-trampolines
-water slides
-oobleck
-shrinky dinks
-getting lost with friends

Honor Killings

We talked a bit about honor killings during orientation but I thought this interview was interesting.

I've been thinking a lot about gender inequality and how that affects my life as a white woman in the United States - I'm sure it does in some ways, but for the most part I feel pretty safe and powerful... How do the honor killings affect us as women, as American citizens, as folks with power and privilege...?

Things we love

Inspired by a blog I heard about at the Brooklyn Skillshare last week and an exercise described by Lauren's friend Hallie, I thought it would be fun to each post about a few things we love. Whenever the mood strikes, we can share some of the things we love with each other on this blog!


1. Honeycrisp apples from the Fort Greene farmers' market: Though crunchy and somewhat awkward to eat in a quiet office, these are most delicious.

2. Great Info packets: Alana put together a great one on Wednesday for her site visit at GMHC.

3. Garlic.

4. BIRTHDAYS! I just THE BEST birthday thanks to lots of thoughtful housemates...
Festivities included surprise chocolate chip pancakes in the morning, an awesome dinner at an ethically kosher, vegan restaurant, the singing of happy birthday multiple times, ginger-chocolate cupcakes, and lots of cards and love, as well. THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU!

New Jewish Words

My father sent me a hilarious email that very much embodies how we speak in our house - with ridiculous made-up words that attempt to approximate our experiences.

(I'm a little ashamed that my first blog post is literally copy-and-pasted from a forwarded email - I promise to actually write something soon!)

Here it is - start using these in your daily vocab!

Jewbilation (n.) Pride in finding out that one's favorite celebrity is Jewish or that your offspring is marrying a Jewish person.

Torahfied (n.) Inability to remember one's lines when called to read from the Torah at one's Bar or Bat Mitzvah. (OR from the Hagadah at Passover)

Matzilation (v.) Smashing a piece of matzo to bits while trying to butter it.

Bubbegum (n.) Candy one's mother gives to her grandchildren that she never gave to her own children.

Chutzpapa (n.) A father who wakes his wife at 4:00 a.m. so she can change the baby's diaper.

Deja Nu ( n.) Having the feeling you've seen the same exasperated look on your mother's face, but not knowing exactly when.

Disoriyenta (n.) When Aunt Linda gets lost in a department store and strikes up a conversation with everyone she passes.

Hebort (v.) To forget all the Hebrew one ever learned immediately after one's Bar or Bat Mitzvah.

Jewdo (n.) A traditional form of self-defense based on talking one's way out of a tight spot.

Mamatzah Balls (n.) Matzo balls that are as good as your mother used to make ..

Meinstein (slang.) "My son, the genius!"

Mishpochadots (n.) The assorted lipstick and make-up stains found on one's face and collar after kissing all one's aunts and cousins at a reception.

Re-shtetlement (n.) Moving from Brooklyn to Miami and finding all your old neighbors live in the same condo building as you.

Rosh Hashana-na-na ( n.) A rock 'n roll band from Brooklyn .

Yidentify (v.) To be able to determine Jewish origins of celebrities, even though their names might be St. John , Curtis, Davis, or Taylor.

Minyastics (n.) Going to incredible lengths and troubles to find a tenth person to complete a Minyan.

Feelawful (n.) Indigestion from eating Israeli street food, especially falafel.

Dis-kvellified (v.) To drop out of law school, med. school or business school as seen through the eyes of parents, grandparents and Uncle Sid. In extreme cases, simply choosing to major in art history when Irv's son David is majoring in biology is sufficient grounds for diskvellification.

Impasta ( n.) A Jew who starts eating leavened foods before the end of Passover.

Kinders Shlep (v.) To transport other kids besides yours in your car.

Schmuckluck (n.) Finding out one's wife became pregnant after one had a vasectomy.

Shofarsogut (n.) The relief you feel when, after many attempts, the shofar is finally blown at the end of Yom Kippur.

Trayffic Accident (n.) An appetizer one finds out has pork.

Jewish Exponent Running Gay Union Announcements

Just wanted to share some of this article, also about Sukkot (although the holiday has unfortunately ended) that the Jewish Exponent, a Philly Jewish newspaper, put out regarding its new policy on running gay union announcements:

The holiday of Sukkot is rich with many rituals, but none is more symbolic than the sukkah itself, the makeshift hut we build to welcome our family, friends and other guests. Exposed to both the elements and the stars, it reminds us simultaneously of the fragile nature of our existence and the joy we find when we join together to celebrate Jewish tradition.

So perhaps it's fitting that as we approach this most welcoming of holidays, the board of directors of the Jewish Publishing Group, which oversees the Jewish Exponent, has voted unanimously to include notices of gay and lesbian unions in the publication's life-cycles section. [...]

As Bennett L. Aaron, chairman of the Jewish Publishing Group board, has said: The newspaper's new policy reflects the "evolutionary process" of both the Exponent and society as a whole with regard to these issues. [...]

At a time when Jews are opting out of Jewish life in alarming numbers, the Jewish Exponent must reaffirm its commitment to be the venue where all Jews -- regardless of political, religious or sexual orientation -- feel welcome.

As the area's only Jewish newspaper, the role is to encourage communal conversation on issues that matter. By extension, it must also be the place where we embrace all who feel so committed to their Jewish identity that they want to share their simchas with the wider community.

Another important Sukkot tradition is to read Kohelet, which includes these eternal words of Ecclesiastes: "To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heavens." This holiday season, the time has come to take one more step to widen our communal hut, to create a place where all who wish to share in the Jewish enterprise feel welcome and validated.

I want to keep working towards a more inclusive model of Judaism not just on issues of sexuality but also on defining who or what is "Jewish", etc. How do we try to make our communities open and welcoming to anyone interested in being there? How do we hold the Jewish value of welcoming the stranger a part of our daily Jewish practice? I think we're up to the challenge this year in AVODAH!

Eating Living Sukka-ing

Laura's post really got me thinking about how food is such a basic need but how it is also so crucial because it is so much a part of our socialization process. Growing, buying, cooking, and eating food together is totally bonding and group-forming/socializing. It seems like a really appropriate time to be thinking and reflecting on this also because of the holiday Sukkot which, other than traditionally being a harvest festival, also has commandments about spending time in the Sukka - a specific dwelling. I always loved Sukkot because it was a time where my family would come together to build and decorate our Sukka (full disclosure: I often complained about the process) and then spend entire evenings in it together. Instead of eating dinner and rushing off to our own lives for some reason at Sukkot we would spend hours outside together. Maybe it was the thought that the weather was changing and we'd soon not be able to spend time outside, or maybe it was the consequence of the enormous and delicious meals my mother would make in honor of the chag, but it felt special.

Recently the Wesleyan rabbi sent me this posting from the Jewish Museum's blog about Sukkot. He sent it out because it mentions (and links to an article about) the new Wesleyan Sukka which is the result of an architecture class's design! Thought it was worth sharing.

Eat it

http://www.citypaper.com//news/story.asp?id=19079

The problem with our food system is such a conundrum, sometimes I just feel so stuck! Can we talk about this??

Lots of sustainable and ethical foods are expensive, inaccessible, and unappealing to most people in our country. I'm glad this writer took on the task of measuring the affortablilty of these products, but she didn't really examine the whole problem with changing our food system. The writer didn't address the fact that most underpriviledged people are working all the damn time so they can support their families and don't have time to prepare slow-cooking foods or garden vegetables at home.

And she's right, it takes a LONG time and a LOT of consciousness to choose sustainable, ethical foods. My brother thinks that we'll have to force this way of eating on the public by making "SOLE" foods more affordable and bad foods less affordable. Unfortunately, our industrial and capitalist system is so deeply embedded in the culture at this point, I feel like the changes will be so difficult to make.
______________________

I tried to bring up the topic of food in one of my groups at school. Given that I work with young, urban kids who eat mostly fast food or sugary, processed snack food, I figured it would be worth it to try to talk to them about the problems in our food system--maybe open their eyes a little bit. They are the ideal people to educate on this issue!

But the conversation fell flat. It came down to comments such as: "I like the way fast food tastes and I don't give a shit about anything else" and "healthy food tastes bad." Even the kids that knew more about processed food and the health problems that come from eating it in the end didn't care enough to consider changing their habits. Frustrating.

But still, the group was loud and boisterous that day. They're not used to talking about something as basic as food in their psychoeducational groups. And sometimes they are oppositional on purpose for the sake of impressing their peers. Oftentimes things that we talk about in group seem to sink into their consciousness a while after group has ended. I even noticed that one student started to bring her homemade lunch to school this week--coincidence? Maybe.

Either way, I'm hoping that food--and more importantly the connections between food, our bodies and our environment--can be something we work into the curriculum at my school. I'm just not sure how to get the kids interested or invested in this subject. Post comments if you have ideas for me! And let's keep thinking about how SOLE food can be part of social justice. Thoughts?
________________

On a (not entirely) different note:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/07/opinion/07friedman.html?emc=eta1

This is why I'm an anxious mess. Anyone else?

welfare Queens - possible program? Interesting project!

I read this on RaceWire (original link http://www.racewire.org/archives/2009/10/flipping_the_script_on_poverty.html) and immediately thought of AVODAH. We certainly have plenty of kitchen table conversations about poverty and privilege and I thought it might be really interesting to get to learn about these New York womens' experiences maybe by trying to attend a performance or bringing them in for a program. Thoughts? Feelings?

Like many innovative ideas, welfareQueens, a multi-media performance project, was born over a series of kitchen table conversations between a group of poor women in anti-poverty organizing sharing their personal stories with poverty, racism and sexism. Jessica Hoffman for ColorLines.com writes:

One recalled how the welfare system had invaded her family’s life in the 1970s, and how the same struggles against poverty and racism persist today. Another had been told she made a few dollars too many to qualify for public assistance while struggling to care for a disabled elder. A third described the hardships she experienced in seeking health care through the Medi-Cal system.

They met monthly in that kitchen for almost two years. To facilitate the gatherings, they provided each other with food, childcare, and other supports. Over time, they started calling themselves the welfareQueens, a name coined by founder Tiny, aka Lisa Gray-Garcia, and turned their stories into a scripted play. Today, they perform in settings ranging from street protests to classrooms. Since their debut stage performance in summer 2007, they’ve expanded to become a multimedia art, education, and advocacy project. Their mission is to radically alter the public discourse around poverty.

fun around town

from the fastest approaching dates to those farthest into october...

Oct. 7. this wednesday. transgender hate crimes: victims, their families & advocates speak out. transgender legal defense & education fund event @ the brooklyn law school (Jay St stop on the AC). free dinner.

Oct. 10. this saturday. brooklyn skillshare. i'm envisioning picking up some massage techniques, bike repair skillz, maybe making a jazzy new pair of earings... and starting simcha torah with some brooklyn brews. mmm. (( travel = 40min walk, 20min bike ride, 20min subway ))

Oct. 16. next friday. fotografia. courtesy of hannah weinstein. hw. :)

Oct. 18. next sunday. making strides against breast cancer. central park.

Oct. 24. two saturdays from now. bowling party to support FIERCE ((an awesome LGBTQ of color organizing powerhouse)). they work for access to public space, protest policy brutality and are creating lgbt youth resources. AND they just won a seat on the hudson river trust, which is HUGE! JFREJ has a team we might be able join... i'll look into it if there's interest!

much love- akk.

Let's Make Newsletter!

A friend of mine (went to Vassar, in NOLA AVODAH) sent the following letter out but I wanted to post it here for posterity's sake:
Hi New YOrk Avodahniks!

This is Michal, from Avodah New Orleans. I hope y'all are enjoying the Avodah program and your jobs and houses so far! I'm having an awesome time in New Orleans, as are all my housemates.

One thing I wish there could be more of in the Avodah program is cross-city communication. I think it would be really beneficial--and cool and interesting--for all of us if we could see what was going on in the other cities, from home life to city life, and from work life and Jewish life to news about the social justice sectors in each city. I've been thinking--and talking to Josh, the New Orleans program director, and Jevera, the national program director, and to my housemates and friends in other cities--about the possibility of starting up a newsletter.

In the beginning at least, the newsletter will probably no more than a pdf that we can send as an attachment through email.

I really want to get this on the ground by the end of October!

My vision is to have this newsletter be a medium for communication for Avodah participants in all 4 cities, but also as a way to connect the many and diverse communities that contribute to or are relevant to the Avodah program. This includes ourselves as corps members, but also our families, friends, co-workers, and supervisors, community organizers in the four cities, people who work in the "social justice" sector in the four cities, community members, members of the Jewish community, Avodah donors, and of course, the national Avodah staff.

How you can help me get this off the ground:
--send me stuff to include in the newsletter!!! I asked the New Orleans folks for about 3 articles from corps members, plus one from the program director. We're also going to include a recipe section, so send in all the recipes from the yummy food you have made for communal meals! Pictures are great too, and any interesting video clips. And be creative! Interview somebody you work with or somebody in the community and send that in. Or think of a new idea!
--send me email address of people you think would be interested in this newsletter!! As I mentioned above, I think it would be a great thing to have a solid, diverse audience for this newsletter. Send me all of YOUR email addresses, and those of your parents, families, friends, co-workers, neighbors, rabbis, etc., etc., etc. Spread the word!
--deadlines for the above 2 things are October 15th. PLEASE help me get this out by the end of the month!
--share this email with the above people! ask them if they want to get involved or write an article or publish an interview or send in photos!
--let me know if you want to get involved, help me out, be a liason for New York, have new/creative/interesting/innovative ideas, etc.

GREAT! Thanks for getting to the bottom of this email, I really appreciate it! I'm looking forward to working with y'all to create an AWESOME newsletter!

love,
MICHAL

Her email address is marielmichal@gmail.com if anyone is interested in contributing! Alison and Alana KK I know you definitely have some great recipes to include!!

Throwback! Goals, Socialism and Yeast.

Here goes... a random assemblage of thoughts and encounters from the past few weeks.  I am attempting to avoid the pressure I feel to contexualize, theorize and thoroughly situate them through describing and deconstructing the past few weeks.  Suffice to say that this, my second Bayit (Jewish communal living experience) has been unimaginably rewarding so far, my job has been challenging, and beginning to live out the commitment I made for the year has pushed me to really value myself and what I'm doing.  (I write long sentences. Bad for blogging. I will try. to. change.)

1) "Having goals means you have to say no, multiple times", 

says David Rosen, AVODAH founder in his words of wisdom to us last night.  I currently have two letters from incarcerated people sitting on my desk, one asking for legal intervention to make sure he isn't deported to Cuba on release in 2015, another asking for job placement resources for his release in 2012.  I don't have enough time to prep for my client organizing, my department shrunk by a full time staffer right before I came, and it isn't part of my job to provide those resources... but there are two letters from incarcerated people needing legal advice and training sitting on my desk.  It is very hard to say no.

2) "There's a difference between real socialism, and angry young men."

Last Thursday, I ended up at the 60th anniversary of the Monthly Review, an independent socialist magazine, along with the rest of the AVODAH crew, thanks to Hannah Selma's info-networks, Shira's passion, and Sarra's flexibility.  After I concluded a long winded monologue on the woes of Columbia campus politics, ending up quite bewildered in the middle of a socialist conference chanting "support the antifada", how the ISO ruins everything, and my love/hate relationship with an activist friend, Hannah Selma gave a nod, and said, "There's a difference between real socialism, and angry young men."  Brilliant point.  My physical interactions with socialism have all come through angry young men, as opposed to my intellectual interactions, which have been much friendlier.

3) "Poor People have Worth"

My main take away from the Monthly Review event was that Reverend Jeremiah Wright, who was one of about 6 speakers, is a brilliant communicator.  He combines passion with lyricism, theological thought with moving political ideology, and figures with situational realities.  He also uses repetition really well.  He kept saying (more eloquently) "if we remember that poor people are people with worth", it would shift our priorities. Well made point.  Brilliant persuasive communication is a powerful tool, and I am hoping to develop it, but trying to find my medium.  I hope this year we can share and work on possibilities in AVODAH!

4) re:bread for the economic crisis, "No Yeast for the Weary"

Bread is cheap.  As Elana Stevie demonstrated in a previous post, it is quite economical to bake.  After returning from a program at around 11pm I wanted to make challah for Rosh Hashanah.  I went to 4 corner stores/gas stations in our neighborhood searching for yeast, but alas, there were plenty of chips and ho-hos but no yeast.  

We have impressive produce access, especially compared to where I lived two summers ago in Harlem.  Literally, within walking distance there were only dried up onions and potatoes, that was it.  But there are still large inequalities in food access by neighborhood, and if you only have time late at night, which is the case for lots of people with little control over their schedules, there's no yeast around! Which means no cheap bread!

Communal Living

Found this interesting article about communal living. Makes me feel like our little 'experiment' of 18 people all together in one house isn't an isolated phenomenon:

Living Together

So far, I am totally loving living with the other AVODAHniks. It's nice be surrounded by women who feel similarly passionate about social justice work and who understand the stress, frustrations (and joys) of new jobs like ours. It is equally lovely to come home to cooked meals and the company of these fabulous people!