We are THRILLED to announce that starting in July, Rabbi Salem Pearce will be joining CJJ as our first ever Executive Director! 

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are working harder than ever before to build a powerful and united progressive Jewish movement in North Carolina capable of advancing real and lasting justice. Rabbi Pearce's leadership will tremendously enhance our capacity for doing this essential work as we navigate the unprecedented challenges — and opportunities — of this time. 

Will you help welcome Rabbi Pearce by making a meaningful gift to CJJ today?

Your gift will go directly towards organizing to win the protections and policies our communities need most during this pandemic, and it will strengthen our ability to make strategic impact in the months to come.

Rabbi Pearce was ordained by Hebrew College Rabbinical School in 2018 and for the past three years has served as Director of Organizing at T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. She is a noted speaker and writer on immigration and the Jewish community, and her writing has appeared in JTA, Ha'aretz, Sojourners, and Sh'ma. While in school, Rabbi Pearce was a student fellow with Rabbis Without Borders, American Jewish World Service, and T'ruah. She also completed an internship at the Institute for Southern Jewish Life, in Jackson, Mississippi. Before rabbinical school, she lived and worked in Washington, D.C., as a fundraiser for several nonprofit organizations, and volunteered for and served on the board of the DC Rape Crisis Center. 

Originally from Texas, Rabbi Pearce previously spent a year living in Raleigh, and as we all know, once the South claims your heart, you always return!

As a CJJ Board Member and as the chair of our hiring committee, I've had the tremendous privilege of getting to know Rabbi Pearce throughout this process, and I anticipate that you will be equally impressed and inspired by her knowledge, experience, wisdom, thoughtfulness, and deep commitment to the work and mission of CJJ. Be on the lookout for opportunities to connect with her (hopefully in person!) later this summer.

Sincerely,

Julia Barnard
CJJ Board Member