August 2025 Newsletter
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"My eyes are spent with tears, my heart is in tumult, my being melts away over the ruin of my poor people, as babes and sucklings languish in the squares of the city." - Lamentations 2:11 Dear Mark, This past weekend we commemorated Tisha B'av, the most mournful day on the Jewish calendar. On this day, we remember despair, and grieve over the destruction of the Temple, our spiritual home. We remember what it's like to be cast out. We recall what it's like to be unseen in our suffering. The lessons of Tisha B'av, however, are not found in the trauma of our past collective experiences. The lessons of this holiday call us to recognize our suffering of long ago in the anguish and immediate needs of those around us in the present moment. That's why this past Sunday Jewish communities around the country came together, responding to a call by Never Again Action, to declare solidarity and rebuild sanctuary for the most vulnerable members of our society. Authoritarians dehumanize people and claim that certain people, depending on where they were born and the color of their skin, do not deserve safety. We fight back through our collective grief. We transform that grief to rebuild sanctuary – doing everything we can do to make our communities safe for everyone. We can build communities of care and Sanctuary, not fear! - Never Again Action Here, in North Carolina, we are grateful to be able to reclaim one of our own to the safety of our sanctuary. Mohamed Naser, father of five and a member of the Greensboro immigrant community, was wrongfully detained by ICE in Greensboro on July 15. On Tuesday evening, he was on his way home from Steward Detention Center in Georgia, happy to reunite with his family after three harrowing weeks apart. Mr. Naser's release was hard won by a skilled legal team and fueled by a broad community fundraising and advocacy effort, including a press conference organized by the Interfaith Immigrant Coalition of Greensboro and NC State Senator Michael Garrett. CJJ is delighted to celebrate Mr. Naser, and proud to host his attorney, Helen Parsonage, this Saturday, August 9, at our NO ICE program in Greensboro (program flyer and RSVP link below in Upcoming Events). We'll leave you with these words from Rabbi Sandra: The ashes of Tisha B'Av call us not to despair but to hope, not to paralysis but to action, not to resignation but to the sacred work of tikkun — repair. In a world where people still cry out unseen, where innocents still languish, where systems still crush the vulnerable, the ancient call remains urgent: to turn our mourning into movement, our grief into the determination to build something better from the ruins of what has been destroyed. In solidarity, CJJ Staff
Good Trouble Events Celebrate John Lewis
On July 17, people across the country and across North Carolina took to the streets to create "good trouble," a term coined by civil rights hero John Lewis.
In dozens of events across the state, people gathered on this national day of action - the fifth anniversary of the passing of Congressman John Lewis - to respond to the attacks on our civil and human rights by the Trump administration. Jews for Food Aid for People in Gaza This July, Carolina Jews for Justice signed on to the Jews for Food Aid for People in Gaza campaign. This efforts calls on Jewish people to work for and support food aid for people in Gaza and an immediate end to the Israeli government's food aid blockade.
Several months ago, the Israeli government imposed a blockade on all food and medical aid into Gaza. There remains widespread starvation in Gaza. While the Israeli government has allowed a small handful of trucks to cross the still-enforced blockade, aid has still not reached those who need it urgently. Parents in Gaza cannot feed their children. The United Nations World Food Agency has reported that its food pantries in Gaza are empty; World Central Kitchen has had to cease operations in Gaza because it has run out of food. Jewish tradition teaches us: choose life, so that you and future generations may live. Jewish people are joining together now to support food aid for families in Gaza and an end to the Israeli government’s food aid blockade. Individuals and organizations can sign on to the Food Aid for Gaza campaign, or donate today. NC General Assembly Overrides Gov. Stein Vetoes On July 29, the North Carolina General Assembly overrode multiple vetoes from Governor Josh Stein—passing laws that force local sheriffs to detain immigrants for ICE, restrict transgender people's access to basic identity documents, allow concealed weapons in private schools, repeal environmental protections for Duke Energy, and expand government powers to interfere with public agencies.
The overrides passed with full support of North Carolina Republicans, helped by defection votes of NC Democrats Carla Cunningham, Shelly Wellingham, Nasif Majeed and Cecil Brockman. Cunningham's speech before casting the deciding vote on the immigration enforcement bill override drew wide criticism from other Democrats and members of her constituency. Wendy Mateo-Pascual, a Charlotte resident, said the representative "echoed racist, xenophobic rhetoric long used by white supremacist groups — this time weaponized against immigrant communities." Community Safety Campaign in Durham The Durham/Orange County Community Safety Working Group has signed onto the Community Safety Campaign, a national project led by a multiracial, cross-class, multi-denominational, and gender-diverse team of Jewish organizers, political educators, researchers, healers, and spiritual leaders.
The campaign aims to build "a Jewish future, and a future for all people, that relies on practices of solidarity to build safer communities, rather than systems of surveillance and criminalization." It's goals are:
Greensboro Teen Weighs In on Jewish Institutions in The Forward
Lahav Zaken, a CJJ-Triad member and progressive organizer, shared his perspective on the lack of responsiveness from legacy Jewish institutions to the man-made, humanitarian catastrophe caused by Israel's military campaign in Gaza. "While the federations may still be a hub of Jewish institutional power and influence, their perspectives on Israel and Gaza and continuing unconditional support of Israel’s actions do not represent many American Jews," writes Zaken in an opinion piece for The Forward. Asheville Welcomes Rabbi Sandra
Rabbi Sandra Lawson is excited for her first visit to Western North Carolina as Executive Director of CJJ. Join her at one of several stops August 14-15, during her swing through Asheville. Details below in Upcoming Events.
CJJ-WEST
Come schmooze and schmear with Rabbi Sandra Lawson, Carolina Justice's new executive director. Lisa Forehand, CJJ's WNC Organizer will also be there to share conversation, bagels, and coffee!
Thirsty to learn more about CJJ and meet Rabbi Sandra Lawson, CJJ's new Executive Director? Drop in for a beer (and cheer) at New Belgium Brewery. Look for Lisa, CJJ WNC Organizer and R'Sandra — we'll be wearing the signature blue CJJ t-shirts and will be hanging out on the patio (inside if inclement weather).
Come and meet Rabbi Sandra Lawson, Carolina Jews for Justice's new Executive Director! R'Sandra is eager to share conversation - both to hear about what you want CJJ-West to be and to share with you her vision for the future of our statewide organization.
Join members of JSCA (the Jewish Secular Community of Asheville) and CJJ-West in eight chapter-based discussions, once a month from July through February (folks can join at any time as the chapters are stand alone and not cumulative), about the book Safety through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism by Shane Burley and Ben Lorber.
CJJ-TRIAD
Join us on Shabbat afternoon for a discussion of Being Jewish after the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning. CJJ-TRIANGLE
Join a team of folks involved in writing the linked report in a workshop based on the Community Safety Campaign framework. Email Alanna to RSVP at: [email protected]. Want to strategize about community safety at your congregation's high holiday events? Tune into the campaign's office hours for ideas, thought partnership and more.
Your support is the cornerstone of our work. It fuels efforts like the community response to Mohamed Naser's detention, sustains vital relief in communities like Asheville, and powers our commitment to justice across North Carolina. As we embrace the work of sustaining our communities together, your gift is more than a donation; it’s a declaration that justice, compassion, and liberation must guide our state’s future. Make your contribution today and stand with us in building that future. L'tzedek, Carolina Jews for Justice Check out CJJ on our new social channels: Bluesky | Threads | Instagram
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It's time for us to come together and explore what it means for us to use our faith to guide us in justice in an authoritarian regime. We'll learn about autocracy, the "Big, Bad Bill" and take action together. We need each other now more than ever and are stronger together. All are welcome!
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