The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022 reverses 50 years of constitutional rights and protections afforded to people seeking abortions and control over their reproductive freedom.  Thankfully, North Carolina is not one of the 13 states that has a "trigger law" where abortion ban is now automatically going into effect. It is still legal to get an abortion in North Carolina. Healthcare professionals are preparing for a massive influx of people coming to NC to seek an abortion from neighboring states - as we will now be one of the only places in the south with legal abortion clinics. Our faith calls us to have their backs.   Abortion rights are fundamental to Jewish values. 

Register below for the Zoom link for our next meeting during which we will:

• Vote to adopt the Black Reproductive Justice Pledge
• Review upcoming events from our partners at Pro-Choice NC, Planned Parenthood Votes! South Atlantic, and National Council of Jewish Women
• Hear report backs on the Communications team projects

Join with Jewish folks from across the state to brainstorm ways that we can organize to make a difference.  This is a chance to guide CJJ’s work in fighting for reproductive justice and a way for you to contribute and take action in this challenging time.

Join your fellow D/OC CJJniks for biweekly bagels and action hour!

We are excited to invite you to join us every other Sunday for a civic engagement-related action hour over bagels. We've seen some incredible challenges come at our community lately, and sometimes it's hard to see how anything we do to push back can have an effect.  But as Jews, we have a tradition that values communal responsibility, and as organizers, we know that victories are often achieved by many small efforts adding up to something big.

Let's take some time this summer to do lots of little things that add up to something big.  At each action hour, we'll spend a little time getting to know each other better over bagels, and then we'll work on an activity that helps us and our coalition partners to build power, especially when it comes to supporting the enfranchisement of communities of color. We have provided our care and support to partners including the New North Carolina Project, Durham Tech, and NC League of Conservation Voters so far this summer. 

This hybrid event will be held in person and on Zoom. Register below to receive location information and link to the Zoom. See our policy regarding harm reduction and COVID transmission at this link. 

Our friends at 7 Directions of Service have invited the CJJ community into continued learning and relationship building with the Indigenous community in North Carolina. 7 Directions of Service is an indigenous cultural heritage management and consulting firm serving clients for projects of all sizes. Crystal and Jason Keck are indigenous perspective historians, cultural practitioners, and preservationists. 7 Directions of Service has consulted at several Department of Defense locations, museums and organizations across the United States notably including the Fort Riley Historical and Archeological Society, Fort Stewart 3rd ID Museum, and the 82nd Airborne Historical Society.

Their monthly Indigenous History Teach-In Series is in collaboration with local Indigenous scholars and historians, namely the brilliant Beverly Scarlett, founder of the nonprofit Indigenous Memories. We are inspired by these free, outdoor educational events in popular public spaces across The Triangle to bring to light the true and often untold history of the land we are on, and to center Indigenous perspectives. Bring your lawn chairs! Click on this link here to RSVP for this event. 

Some of you may remember learning from Beverly Scarlett in May 2022 at Down Yonder Farm featuring Batya Levine, Aly Halpert, & Arielle Korman in concert. Watch below for footage from the evening of music and community. 

Want to make a difference in WNC around voting and democracy rights? CJJ-West’s Democracy Rights work group is poised to offer opportunities for you to learn, be inspired, and take that action.

Be part of a team that is working locally, regionally, statewide and even nationally to promote voter registration, education, turnout and advocacy. You can make a difference!

The next meeting of the work group is on Tuesday, September 6th, starting at 7:30 pm. Future meetings will be the first Tuesday of the month, same starting time, through October.

Come hear the possibilities for action, offer your own thoughts, and determine how you would like to be involved through CJJ-West and our partners here in the west and statewide. 

If you have questions, call (828-768-4559) or email Ron Katz.

Want to make a difference in WNC around voting and democracy rights? CJJ-West’s Democracy Rights work group is poised to offer opportunities for you to learn, be inspired, and take that action.

Be part of a team that is working locally, regionally, statewide and even nationally to promote voter registration, education, turnout and advocacy. You can make a difference!

The next meeting of the work group is on Tuesday, October 4th, starting at 7:30 pm. Come hear the possibilities for action, offer your own thoughts, and determine how you would like to be involved through CJJ-West and our partners here in the west and statewide. 

If you have questions, call (828-768-4559) or email Ron Katz.

"Why Reparations?"  Watching this series of films helps participants (white identifying, please) understand why we should be providing reparations to Black people in this country.  In group discussions to be held on Zoom, we will consider what each film has to offer in understanding the ways in which Black people have been denied opportunities that make advancement difficult.  As Asheville has passed a decision to provide reparations locally and a commission has been created to figure out what this might look like, it is helpful for citizens to become more educated on what there is that needs repair.  Please join us for these lively discussions to be led by Kathryn Liss, long time volunteer with Building Bridges and active in anti-racism education for more than 30 years.  All discussions start at 7pm and last one hour and we ask participants to commit to the entire four-part series.

September 14 at 7 pm - Week One:   Dr Jacqueline Battalora- Birth of a White Nation (37 minutes)

September 28 at 7 pm - Week Two:  Movie: 13th:  An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality. (1 hr. 40 mins)

October 12 at 7 pm - Week Three:  Slavery By Another Name :  About the end of reconstruction and the prison system (1 hr. 25 mins)

October 26 at 7 pm - Week Four: RACE: The Power of an Illusion (links to a transcript, looking into video link to be provided later).  

Our right to vote — and our ability to exercise that right — is at the heart of democracy. Our GOTV (Get Out The Vote) Shabbat provides us with a moment to celebrate this cherished and hard-fought-for right; reflect on our responsibility to protect and promote it; and recommit ourselves to the critical work of getting out the vote for the 2022 midterm elections. 

CJJ invites congregations and individuals across North Carolina to join us for our first annual GOTV Shabbat on Friday, October 21, 2022. 

We'll host a virtual gathering from 5:00-6:00pm, and we hope you'll join us! If you are a member of a congregation or would like to host an in-person event in your home, we'll gladly provide you with additional materials and resources, including talking points, discussion questions, and a list of ways that people can take action on their own or as a group. 

Your synagogue's GOTV Shabbat could be the culmination of a week-long voter registration drive, a moment to learn more about the ongoing struggle for voting rights in North Carolina, or an opportunity to convene Jewish (or interfaith) congregations to gear up for GOTV efforts between now and November 1. The choice is yours! If you would like to be connected with a local voting rights organizer to join your congregation as a guest speaker, please email [email protected].