TEMPLE HIGHLIGHTS | RABBI'S MONTHLY COLUMN

Join the Conversation of Just Congregations

From the study of Rabbi Stern

“Tell me a story from your mouth.”
Those were the regular words of a sleepy Stern child who had lost the negotiation to read one more page from a chapter book at bedtime. It may have been time to close the book, but perhaps there was time, with lights out and eyes fluttering shut, for one more story.

“Tell me a story from your mouth.”
So speaks the wise child – of any age and every generation – at the Passover seders we will celebrate this month.

Tell me the story about slavery, about how its most insidious effect was that the people got used to it, that they lost sight of their own dignity and the dignity of others.

Tell me the story of a people who dared to hope for freedom. Tell me how they had to fight for it, and how none of them could do it alone.

Remind me that the Exodus story isn’t over, because tides of trouble still block the paths of too many of God’s children. Remind me that I stood at Mt. Sinai and entered into an agreement to be God’s partner in parting the next sea. Remind me that the stories of struggle are sometimes about the ones I love.

“Tell me a story from your mouth.”
Tell me the story of Just Congregations, an exhilarating new effort by Temple Emanu-El to enhance and magnify our already great tradition of commitment to social justice in Dallas, and to build a sense of community within our congregation at the same time. Just Congregations, a national project of the Union for Reform Judaism, begins with our own stories – the sharing with one another of our own concerns about the world and how we live in it. We identify shared concerns and then, through our affiliation with Dallas Area Interfaith, move into conversation with other faith groups outside our own walls to begin to build bridges of cooperation and coalition, bridges which then produce powerful and shared advocacy and action on the issues central to our lives and the well-being of our city and its citizens.

“Tell me a story from your mouth.”
Already, our Just Congregations leaders have had conversations with more than 100 members of Temple. Conversations and stories: of people who are concerned about our public schools, both because they have children attending those schools or because their family priorities are squeezed by the need to work even harder to fund private school tuition. Stories of congregants who can’t afford health care, or whose children are developing asthma because of the quality of our air. Stories of friends, co-workers, and household help who can’t earn a living wage or afford a mortgage or rent payment. Stories that remind us that no matter what part of Dallas we live in or in what stage of life we find ourselves, there are common issues affecting us all.

“Tell me a story from your mouth.”
Now we want to expand the conversation. We want to hear your stories. During April and May, Just Congregations leaders will host a series of small group meetings to hear your stories and learn what Social Justice issues are most on the minds of our members. These meetings will give us a chance to get to know each other a little better and make new connections. These meetings will also help us identify new leaders who feel passionately about social justice and who want to work to repair our world.

If one of our Just Congregations leaders calls you, I hope you will take the time to speak with them. If you would like to become part of this exciting new initiative at Temple Emanu-El, please contact Barbara Mensch in Rabbi Knight’s study. In this Passover season, I hope you will join in the conversation: telling a story from your mouth, and from your heart.