Other items in today’s column include:
*Political bytes
*Recommended reading
SAN DIEGO — “Intentional Jewish communities” are groups of Jews who not only want to worship and learn together, but who also want to live in close proximity to each other, fostering a sense of shared destiny similar to that found on the kibbutzim of Israel. There is at least one such group in San Diego known as the Urban Kibbutz.
On its website, the Urban Kibbutz lays out its goals: “We are building a sustainable multi-generational community grounded in the Jewish calendar and in Jewish values. Singles, couples, and families of all ages and backgrounds are welcome. We envision a community that feels like home: warm, familiar and heimische (Yiddish for warm, homey and down-to-earth). As a community, we will eat dinner together nightly, celebrate Shabbat and Jewish holidays and take these opportunities to gather together with our friends, families, and neighbors; provide creative Jewish programming and education with opportunities for learning for our Cohousing community and the greater Jewish San Diego community.”
The website goes on to say that as envisioned, the community will have a large common area including an industrial kitchen and eating area that can accommodate 2-3 times the number of all occupants; a large outdoor area for flexible use: gatherings, picnics, etc.; Yoga Studio; Music room with piano and recording studio; Arts and crafts room with kiln and pottery wheel; edible garden; and 30 “family” units, ie. 25-60 adults.”
It goes on to say that each unit “has 1-6 people [with] their own private living space, with their own sleeping, living and cooking areas.” Urban kibbutz members are “expected to pay for their living space plus ‘maintenance’ fees that will cover food, cleaning, and more.
“We believe that a balance between communal time and private time is very important. That is why each home has a full kitchen, living room, clothes washing room and other features that allow individuals or families to enjoy time away from the community.”
The group’s executive director, Aviva Angel, recently was quoted in a news release from Hakhel, described as the Jewish Communities Incubator, about it being awarded the Jerusalem Unity Prize on June 2 in a ceremony held at the official residence of Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin.
“Hakhel has been a big supporter from the very beginning,” said Angel. “Through Hakhel, we have received valuable mentorship. Annually, Hakhel hosts a Jewish intentional communities conference. At the conference, we have met other communities that are doing exactly what we are. Together, we have formed a Hakhel subnetwork that allows us to share ideas and work together to create Jewish intentional communities in our respective cities. In addition, Hakhel has provided us with grants that allow us to host monthly and sometimes bi-weekly events to help our community grow and bring us closer together.”
The news release continued with a quote from Nir Barkat, the former mayor of Jerusalem who is a cofounder of the Jerusalem Unity Prize, and who serves today as a member of the Knesset.
“This year, we chose the winners in the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic, during which we felt the need to care for each other more, and make sure we all get through this time safelym” he said. “As a result of these sentiments, we selected this year’s winners which inspire us all with their daily work for the unity of our people, in Israel and around the world.”
Founded in 2014, Hakhel, which operates in partnership with Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, is the first and largest global incubator for Jewish intentional communities, comprising over 130 communities in 30 different countries. Its mission is to spark and support new expressions of Jewish life around the world by nurturing the growth of intentional communities with the help of advisors, seed funding and network building.
The Jerusalem Unity Prize is given to individuals, organizations, and initiatives in Israel and throughout the Jewish world whose actions are instrumental in advancing mutual respect for others among the Jewish people, during crises and in daily life.”
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Political bytes
*By a 6-3 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that constitutional protections against discrimination by sex also includes discrimination against people in the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) community. Commenting on the decision, Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego) said “This ruling is a massive victory for equality, freedom, and the values on which our nation was founded. I’m glad to see that a majority of the court still believes in the Constitution. No one should lose their job based on who they are or who they love. In May of last year, the House passed the Equality Act to end LGBTQ discrimination not only at work but everywhere. This bill sits in the Senate. Leader McConnell should take a lesson from the Court and bring the Equality Act up for a vote in the Senate.” The three Jewish justices — Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer, and Elena Kagen — all voted in the majority.
Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, said: ““Judaism teaches that we are all made in the image of the Divine, deserving of dignity and just treatment. It is our responsibility to ensure that we live up to that ideal. The US government has previously failed to adequately protect vulnerable members of the LGBTQ community. We are hopeful that this landmark decision represents a new chapter of tolerance, acceptance, and justice.”
Sheila Katz, chief executive officer of the National Conference of Jewish Women, commented: “As we celebrate Pride Month and continue the ongoing battle for LGBTQ justice, we mark today as an important moment for equality. In Judaism, we believe in B’tzelem Elohim, that we are all made in the image of the divine — we all have inherent dignity and worth. Today’s historic ruling reflects this value by confirming that LGBTQ people are protected from employment discrimination under federal law. We must remember that today’s victory is thanks to the bravery and perseverance of transgender individuals including ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio, who argued the case, and Aimee Stephens, who brought the suit after she was discriminated against at work. While Stephens is not alive today to see this win, her memory will be uplifted with the generations of queer and trans Americans who will be protected under law. As joyous as today’s decision is, our work is not over. It is critical that Congress fully protect people based on sexual orientation and gender identity by passing the Equality Act (HR 5). We must also remember that to achieve full equality, we must continue to uplift the voices of Black LGBTQ individuals and work to dismantle systemic racism, whose pernicious grip on our nation harms LGBTQ individuals, Black people, and ultimately all of us. Our liberation is bound together and our pursuit of equality is far from done.”
Rabbi Denise Eger, an LGBTQ trailblazer and board member of Zioness, said: “Before this ruling, there were no federal protections in employment for LGBTQ people––in fact, in more than 23 states, you could get married on Sunday and be fired for being gay or trans on Monday. But today, on this Monday, there is a new reality, and 8.1 million LGBTQ American workers are protected for the first time. Activism on the streets, in the halls of power, and in the courts has fundamentally changed our country and advanced the fight for civil and human rights for our beautiful, diverse, LGBTQ community. When I was ordained as a rabbi in 1988, it was two years after the Supreme Court had ruled in Lawrence v. Texas that gay sex was an “infamous crime against nature.” It took 17 years to overturn that decision — in that time, I founded Congregation Kol Ami, helped the Reform Movement speak out in support of same-sex marriage, and became the first LGBTQ President of the Central Conference of American Rabbis. It was another 15 years until the Supreme Court upheld my right to marry my wife, nationally, with Obergefell v. Hodges. While there is much work left to do, so much progress has been made.”
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*In the race for San Diego Mayor, Assemblyman Todd Gloria garnered the endorsement of San Diego City Councilwoman Dr. Jennifer Campbell, which might cause a little awkwardness at City Council meetings. Campbell sits right next to City Councilwoman Barbara Bry, who is Gloria’s opponent. Bry represents the city’s First District, and Campbell represents the Second District.
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Recommended reading
*The Parliament of the Baelaric Islands, which are off the coast of Spain and include the city of Palma on the island of Majorca, has adopted anti-BDS legislation, according to Brooke Goldstein, executive director of the New York City-based Lawfare Project.
*Seth Frantzman, a writer for The Jerusalem Post, expresses concern that President Trump’s recent speech at West Point signifies a further trend toward U.S. isolationism, an unwelcome development for Israel.
*Sheila Katz, chief executive officer of the National Council of Jewish Women, spoke recently at a roundtable discussion sponsored by the Congressional Caucus on Black Jewish Relations about racial justice.
*David Suissa, editor in chief of the Tribe Media Corporation, writes that the “Summer of 2020” is not about us Jews; it is about racial justice.
*San Diego Police Officer Jonathan Wiese, who distinguished himself in the arrest of Chabad of Poway shooting suspect John Earnest, made a daring rescue of two small children and their father, who drove his car off Sunset Cliffs after being reported to the sheriff’s dispatcher as being suicidal. The San Diego Union-Tribune reporter David Hernandez wrote the remarkable story.
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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com