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. 

This week we will help prepare for a public hearing about Duke Energy's unjust carbon plan proposal -- and eat bagels. 

Examples of future actions might include:

• Text or phone banking on behalf of the New North Carolina Project
• Writing postcards to voters of color on behalf of the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters Foundation
• Strategizing about how to build relationships with local synagogues and other Jewish organizations
• Planning events for CJJ to co-host with partner orgs, like virtual or in-person town halls with local electeds, or party-to-the-poll events, or canned food drives.

See our policy regarding harm reduction and COVID transmission at this link. 

RSVP to see the location of this event!

Eat bagels, grow closer to your CJJ comrades, and help us to build power to protect and support ourselves and those we love!

THE ISSUE: Per NC House Bill 951, the NC Utility Commission (NCUC) has to come up with a plan to reduce its carbon emissions by 70% by 2030.  Rather than drafting a plan with climate experts, NCUC directed Duke Energy to write a plan - and instead of investing in clean energy, their proposed plans still substantially rely on fossil fuels and biomass, exacerbating the climate crisis and harming frontline communities (especially communities of color). In other words, Duke Energy's proposed carbon plans will make things worse. 

THE STRATEGY: The fate of this plan is in the hands of the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC), who can choose to reject Duke Energy's proposal. The NCUC has five scheduled public hearings this summer across the state.  The first one is in Durham on Monday, July 11. We need to show up to hold the utility commissioners accountable.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Show up at the hearing with our partners at the NC League of Conservation Voters and NC Interfaith Power & Light!  We'll be gathering at 5:30 on Monday, July 11 in front of the Durham County Courthouse for a joyful, family-friendly demonstration of community support - help us show to the media and the NC Utilities commissioners that we think we deserve an energy future that is based on justice for all North Carolinians, present and future!

Let's stand behind communities of color in demanding environmental justice for all North Carolinians!  RSVP below!

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, July 19th, 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.

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. 

This week we will support the Durham Tech Food Pantry in partnership with the New North Carolina Project and eat bagels. 

Examples of future actions might include:

• Text or phone banking on behalf of the New North Carolina Project
• Writing postcards to voters of color on behalf of the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters Foundation
• Strategizing about how to build relationships with local synagogues and other Jewish organizations
• Planning events for CJJ to co-host with partner orgs, like virtual or in-person town halls with local electeds, or party-to-the-poll events, or canned food drives.

See our policy regarding harm reduction and COVID transmission at this link. 

RSVP to see the location of this event!

Eat bagels, grow closer to your CJJ comrades, and help us to build power to protect and support ourselves and those we love!

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, July 12th, 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.

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. 

This week we will support the NC League of Conservation Voters Foundation's work and eat bagels. 

Examples of future actions might include:

• Text or phone banking on behalf of the New North Carolina Project
• Writing postcards to voters of color on behalf of the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters Foundation
• Strategizing about how to build relationships with local synagogues and other Jewish organizations
• Planning events for CJJ to co-host with partner orgs, like virtual or in-person town halls with local electeds, or party-to-the-poll events, or canned food drives.

See our policy regarding harm reduction and COVID transmission at this link. 

RSVP to see the location of this event!

Eat bagels, grow closer to your CJJ comrades, and help us to build power to protect and support ourselves and those we love!

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, July 12th, 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, July 12th, 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.

"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].