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“And God said:  What have you done?!  Your brother’s blood cries out from the ground.” (Genesis 4:10)

The Talmud teaches us that anyone who destroys a life has destroyed an entire world (Sanhedrin 37a). For hundreds of years, systemic racism has brought on the murder of enumerable Black Americans. It is time to demand that our institutions recognize that Black lives matter and act accordingly. Indeed, each Black life means the world.

Our brothers’ and sisters’ blood cry out from the ground. As a Havurah, we must stand with our Black community members and the Black leaders around our country who are working towards justice and tikkun olam, the repair of our broken world. We will not be silent -- rather, we will support Black-led justice movements with our voices, our money, and our time.

For many of us, there is so much work to be done to learn how to support this movement. For me, a big part of that learning will be acquainting myself better with the many Black-led organizations that have been doing this work for years. Resource Generation has put together a large (though not exhaustive) map and spreadsheet of such organizations, and the Minnesota Freedom Fund is directing folks to donate to other local organizations that share their vision. Join me in reading up on the important Black liberation organizing going on in our city and around the country, and then throwing wholehearted support toward that liberation.

We hear the call from the ground, and we answer with the call of a shofar, arousing each one of us from our slumber and renewing us to unapologetically pursue justice.

Rabbi Hannah Spiro

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