(Reposted as part of our staff picks from 2009, originally written by Laura Gilbert on 8/4/2009)
On Monday, August 3rd, there was a candlelight vigil for the victims of the shooting at a support group meeting for LGBT youth at the Agudah LGBT community center headquarters in Tel Aviv. Hundreds of people gathered in Dupont Circle in Washington, DC at sunset. You can download the event press release in pdf format.
One of the speakers was Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld, from the Orthodox Ohev Shalom-the National Synagogue in Washington, DC. While the shooter hasn’t been caught yet and they know nothing about his motives, some bloggers suspect that he was an Orthodox Jew fueled by religious motivations, to which the Rabbi stated, “Within the Orthodox community, it is time to do some internal accounting.” This statement garnered applause and agreement from the crowd. "What I think we need to do, in the Orthodox community, is to create a communal pledge for synangogues and schools to sign onto, to declare that we will not create a climate of gay-bashing, a climate of hatred, a climate that willingly or implicitly condones these types of murders. And once we create such a pledge, we need to enforce it and we need to live it." When we asked him why he felt obliged to attend this event, he told us that it is important to recognize that the shooter's actions are a desecration of God’s name, and in a proactive sense, make sure none of this happens again. The Rabbi ended our interview by saying, “Don’t get me wrong, I believe homosexuality is prohibited according to the Torah, but it is wrong to create an environment of belittling and fostering hatred… I challenge you to find me anyone who is one thousand percent pious.”
Alex Greenbaum, one of the organizers that helped plan the event and Vice Chair of DCJCC Gay and Lesbian Outreach and Engagement (GLOE), lived in Israel for a couple of years. When he found out about the shooting, he was moved to tears and felt that he needed to do something. He said that he wanted the event to be really personal, where people could show emotion. "Tel Aviv likes to think of itself as the Jewish, intellectual city. That’s why everyone is so shocked…I think we are especially shocked it happened to youth." He went on to say, “the Jewish community cares about queer youth and cares about any youth” . He is planning to set up a helpline for queer Orthodox youth through an organization based in New York City called Footsteps.
Zvi Bellin, another event organizer, is the Engagement Associate for Nehirim, an organization that "creates authentic spiritual community for GLBT Jews, partners, and allies." Zvi told us that he wasn’t able to come out in the US because he knew too many people and was "ingrained in the culture of living in the closet." In Israel he was more comfortable taking a personal look at himself. In search of support, Zvi went to Agudah, the place of the shooting. Agudah got him in touch with a group of religious gay men in their 20’s. It gave him a safe space. There he found a community who “would listen. Bear witness to my story.”
We asked Zvi what message he wanted people to take away from this vigil: "No matter what one’s opinion is, the way of dealing with it is not through violence... When it comes to our youth’s rights to explore, to not be certain, to weed out their identity, we support them.”
Jack Moline, the Director of Public Policy for the Rabbinical Assembly said, “Personally I take offense when anyone is persecuted for something that is part of their God-given nature. In the capacity of my job, it is important that people know that religious Jews are not only offended by tragedy but supportive of the diversity of human nature.”
Cheryl Saferstein, age 21, summed up the message of the vigil, simply saying, “Stay strong. Stay proud. And stand together.”
Photographs by Laura Gilbert
Monday, January 4, 2010
Free Iran Protest in Washignton DC, 6/20/2009
(Reposted as part of our staff picks from 2009, originally written by Will Urquhart 6/20/2009)
originally posted on June 20th, 2009
The District of Columbia awoke to storms this morning. Huddled under an overhang outside the Iranian Consulate’s office, were Americans and Iranian-Americans standing in solidarity with the people of Iran. Notwithstanding the rain, the crowd began its slow march, about two-and-a-half miles to the White House.
As they marched, the rain subsided, giving way to a gorgeous day, almost perfect for a demonstration. The crowd was loud and energetic,venting their anger, frustration, and concern. There was also a sense of hope, in light of an uprising in Iran on a scale not witnessed since the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Young and old alike, expressed their inspiration.
originally posted on June 20th, 2009
The District of Columbia awoke to storms this morning. Huddled under an overhang outside the Iranian Consulate’s office, were Americans and Iranian-Americans standing in solidarity with the people of Iran. Notwithstanding the rain, the crowd began its slow march, about two-and-a-half miles to the White House.
As they marched, the rain subsided, giving way to a gorgeous day, almost perfect for a demonstration. The crowd was loud and energetic,venting their anger, frustration, and concern. There was also a sense of hope, in light of an uprising in Iran on a scale not witnessed since the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Young and old alike, expressed their inspiration.
Creating Powerful Multiracial Alliances With Progressive Bloggers
(Reposted as part of our staff picks from 2009, originally written by Mitch Malasky on 8/21/2009)
These videos are from an excellent panel on Friday afternoon at Netroots Nation 09 in Pittsburgh called Stepping it Up: Creating Powerful Multiracial Alliances with Progressive Bloggers. Hosted by Will Coley, the co-founder of Aquifer Media, the panel featured Cheryl Contee, a partner at Fission Strategy and a co-founder of JackandJillPolitics.com, Jacki Esposito, the policy coordinator at the Detention Watch Network, Kyle de Beausset, an immigrant himself who runs the blog CitizenOrange.com, and Rinku Sen, the executive director of the Applied Research Center (ARC) and Publisher of ARC's ColorLines Magazine.
Together, these speakers are at the center of the pro-migrant blogosphere, which is small but slowly growing. Though most immigrant blogging so far has come out of the latino blogs, all of the members of this panel are working to develop an online network for immigrants, legal and illegal. The web is especially a great forum for illegal immigrants who are unable or afraid to speak out in public for fear of detention or deportation. Online they can speak out and share their stories anonymously to an audience who cares about what happens to them. The online strategizing also works to build a community, a collective voice, who jointly can speak for those individuals who have been silenced by pressure and by force. They are fighting an uphill battle which will only get tougher once immigration reform (finally) gets to congress. But by joining together online, they are developing a diverse unified front to counteract long established anti-migrant organizations.
Please keep checking http://www.SumofChange.com/NetrootsNation for more videos from Netroots Nation 2009 in Pittsburgh. We will have more videos from this panel up shortly. A don't forget to go to the recently redesigned www.SumofChange.com for all your socially, politically, and culturally conscious media.
These videos are from an excellent panel on Friday afternoon at Netroots Nation 09 in Pittsburgh called Stepping it Up: Creating Powerful Multiracial Alliances with Progressive Bloggers. Hosted by Will Coley, the co-founder of Aquifer Media, the panel featured Cheryl Contee, a partner at Fission Strategy and a co-founder of JackandJillPolitics.com, Jacki Esposito, the policy coordinator at the Detention Watch Network, Kyle de Beausset, an immigrant himself who runs the blog CitizenOrange.com, and Rinku Sen, the executive director of the Applied Research Center (ARC) and Publisher of ARC's ColorLines Magazine.
Together, these speakers are at the center of the pro-migrant blogosphere, which is small but slowly growing. Though most immigrant blogging so far has come out of the latino blogs, all of the members of this panel are working to develop an online network for immigrants, legal and illegal. The web is especially a great forum for illegal immigrants who are unable or afraid to speak out in public for fear of detention or deportation. Online they can speak out and share their stories anonymously to an audience who cares about what happens to them. The online strategizing also works to build a community, a collective voice, who jointly can speak for those individuals who have been silenced by pressure and by force. They are fighting an uphill battle which will only get tougher once immigration reform (finally) gets to congress. But by joining together online, they are developing a diverse unified front to counteract long established anti-migrant organizations.
Please keep checking http://www.SumofChange.com/NetrootsNation for more videos from Netroots Nation 2009 in Pittsburgh. We will have more videos from this panel up shortly. A don't forget to go to the recently redesigned www.SumofChange.com for all your socially, politically, and culturally conscious media.
Four Perspectives from the Social Change Blogosphere
(Reposted as part of our staff picks from 2009, originally written by Will Urquhart on 8/30/2009)
Recently, we posted some videos from the Netroots Nation panel 'Four Perspectives from the Social Change Blogosphere'. Today we would like to present a few more videos from this panel. So, without further ado, we present round 2...
We'll start with Edmundo Rocha, speaking briefly, yet passionately, on why the immigration issue is important and why bloggers should be involved:
Next up is David Bennion talking about the immigration battle on capitol hill over the last five years:
Last, but certainly not least, Prerna Lal shares her personal experience with the struggle of immigration:
I hope you enjoy these videos. We will release a round 3 shortly. Check back at our Netroots Nation page for new videos.
Recently, we posted some videos from the Netroots Nation panel 'Four Perspectives from the Social Change Blogosphere'. Today we would like to present a few more videos from this panel. So, without further ado, we present round 2...
We'll start with Edmundo Rocha, speaking briefly, yet passionately, on why the immigration issue is important and why bloggers should be involved:
Next up is David Bennion talking about the immigration battle on capitol hill over the last five years:
Last, but certainly not least, Prerna Lal shares her personal experience with the struggle of immigration:
I hope you enjoy these videos. We will release a round 3 shortly. Check back at our Netroots Nation page for new videos.
Grow the Hope's House Meeting with Betsy Hoover of OFA
(Reposted as part of our staff picks from 2009, originally written by Will Urquhart on 11/23/2009)
Yesterday, had you stopped by Sum Live Change between 2:00-4:00pm you would have stumbled upon our first ever live broadcast. We spend the afternoon in Bethesda, MD, at the home of David Hart, the founder of Grow the Hope (GTH). The guest speaker was Betsy Hoover, the Regional Director of Organizing for America (OFA 2.0).
I hope you enjoy the videos:
Yesterday, had you stopped by Sum Live Change between 2:00-4:00pm you would have stumbled upon our first ever live broadcast. We spend the afternoon in Bethesda, MD, at the home of David Hart, the founder of Grow the Hope (GTH). The guest speaker was Betsy Hoover, the Regional Director of Organizing for America (OFA 2.0).
I hope you enjoy the videos:
Dereje Tessema: How This Happened
(Reposted as part of our staff picks from 2009, originally written by Will Urquhart on 9/23/2009)
On Saturday, September 13th, Dereje Tessema sat down with a group of Grow the Hope volunteers to introduce them to his new book, How this Happened. In the book, Dereje discusses how the combination of emotional intelligence, transformational leadership, and sound project management propelled President Obama's 2008 campaign.
Dereje:
Dereje volunteered for the Obama campaign in Bethesda, where he developed the idea for this book. We all know, and knew at the time, that President Obama had done something different, something unique, and something important with his campaign. Dereje appears to be one of the early experts to define that "something different," and to explain it in an easy to digest manner.
On Saturday, September 13th, Dereje Tessema sat down with a group of Grow the Hope volunteers to introduce them to his new book, How this Happened. In the book, Dereje discusses how the combination of emotional intelligence, transformational leadership, and sound project management propelled President Obama's 2008 campaign.
Dereje:
Dereje B. Tessema is a Senior Project Manager working for the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC). He has extensive experience implementing, supporting and managing complex and critical enterprise systems at different capacities. He obtained his Bachelors degree from Ethiopia; Masters Degrees from Germany and the US; and various professional certifications including Master Certificate in Project Management, Certified Federal Enterprise Architect; and Certified Project Management Professional (PMP). He is working on his PhD. at Walden University with research focusing in the areas of Emotional Intelligence and Transformational Leadership in Project Management. He is also actively involved in community services and volunteer support and outreach programs. Dereje lives with his wife and three children in Rockville, Maryland.
Dereje volunteered for the Obama campaign in Bethesda, where he developed the idea for this book. We all know, and knew at the time, that President Obama had done something different, something unique, and something important with his campaign. Dereje appears to be one of the early experts to define that "something different," and to explain it in an easy to digest manner.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Mark Walsh Speaks to Grow the Hope About Messaging
(Reposted as part of our staff picks from 2009, originally written by Will Urquhart on 7/15/2009)
In May, Mark Walsh, founding CEO of Air America and a Democratic media strategist, accepted Grow the Hope's invitation to speak to the community about messaging and media. Many of the people in attendance had rallied behind Obama on his presidential campaign. Their work is not over, however. As David Hart, the founder of Grow the Hope (GTH), would say:
Grow the Hope (GTH) was founded by David Hart and other volunteers from Maryland's Bethesda Obama office. Their goal, is to "nurture the spark of creativity and hope that came alive during the Obama campaign." They have held numerous house meetings since the election, as well as direct actions to make concrete changes in their communities. Recently, we highlighted their efforts to fill food banks and their organizing around health care. Today, we chose to focus on their work to educate their community on messaging. We at Sum of Change have been following GTH, since shortly after the election, to document the work they are doing, and will continue to do so.
In May, Mark Walsh, founding CEO of Air America and a Democratic media strategist, accepted Grow the Hope's invitation to speak to the community about messaging and media. Many of the people in attendance had rallied behind Obama on his presidential campaign. Their work is not over, however. As David Hart, the founder of Grow the Hope (GTH), would say:
"Electing a smart and moral man as our President was an important step, but it's not enough... The challenges we face are far too massive for any one person to solve alone. The task is not his alone, it is ours together."Using the lessons they learned during the campaign, and new lessons like Mark Walsh's tips on messaging, members of Grow the Hope are rallying to make real the changes they want to see in the world.
Grow the Hope (GTH) was founded by David Hart and other volunteers from Maryland's Bethesda Obama office. Their goal, is to "nurture the spark of creativity and hope that came alive during the Obama campaign." They have held numerous house meetings since the election, as well as direct actions to make concrete changes in their communities. Recently, we highlighted their efforts to fill food banks and their organizing around health care. Today, we chose to focus on their work to educate their community on messaging. We at Sum of Change have been following GTH, since shortly after the election, to document the work they are doing, and will continue to do so.
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