The Jewish Social Justice Roundtable (JSJR) is a network of nonprofit organizations that strengthens and aligns the Jewish social justice field in order to make justice a core expression of Jewish life and help create an equitable world.

Working on social justice issues today requires self-awareness and skills to navigate dynamics related to white privilege, racism, paternalism/sexism, antisemitism, Israel-Palestine, and more. The Roundtable approaches this work by putting relationship before task; grounding in Jewish tradition and values; and using community gatherings and support as core strengths. The goal of the racial justice work is to develop the capacities of staff at Roundtable organizations to embed racial equity practices.

The Shards of Light Foundation supports the Jews of Color Mentorship program of JSJR, offering confidential, supportive space for staff of color to address challenges they are facing in their professional and personal lives.

Jews United for Justice (JUFJ) is a grassroots community that seeks to repair the world by working locally in the Greater Washington DC area for social, racial, and economic justice.

JUFJ mobilizes the Jewish community to move closer to social, racial, and economic justice by advancing campaigns for immediate and concrete improvements in people’s lives. Through these campaigns they develop leaders, build their base, shift the consciousness of the community, and alter relations of power. In all cases, they seek to work in partnership with organizations made up of and/or accountable to those who have personal experience with the challenges they are working to address.

They continue to move resources and power into the hands of people of color who have been systematically blocked out of the political process. They are building a Jewish community that is dedicated to pursuing justice, understands the key issues in the region, and has the tools and skills to make change.

JOIN for Justice is the only institution dedicated to training, supporting, and connecting Jewish organizers and the organizations they serve. They identify, recruit, train, develop, place and mentor hundreds of top-quality Jewish organizers in lay and professional positions inside and outside of the Jewish community, transforming and strengthening individuals and institutions as they work for a more just, inclusive and compassionate society.

The Shards of Light Foundation supports JOIN’s Seminary Leadership Project and Jews of Color Organizing Fellowship.

The Seminary Leadership Project provides training for seminary students and mentoring for new clergy interested in applying organizing skills to increase community engagement. In training the next generation of religious Jewish leaders, JOIN intends to fill Jewish institutions across the country with clergy who understand how to build thriving communities based on relationships and common purpose. Clergy gain the skills to develop leadership teams, rather than leading on their own. They have the appetite to transform their institutions into healthy, vibrant, thriving institutions. They have the confidence to experiment and the talent to position themselves for success.

The Jews of Color Organizing Fellowship is a year-long paid community organizing fellowship with city hubs in New York City, Chicago, and the San Francisco Bay area that provides field experience and professional development for an intergenerational cohort Jews of Color looking to sharpen their change making skills and be trained as community organizers.

The Meyer-Gottesman Kol Koleinu Teen Feminist Fellowship, a project of Moving Traditions is a distinctive opportunity for young Jewish feminists (10th through 12th grade) to learn how to effectively speak their minds and create the change they want to see in the world.

Offered in collaboration with NFTY and with support from USY, this year-long fellowship invites teens of all genders to learn how to apply a Jewish feminist lens to the world, ask powerful questions, deepen their knowledge about social change, and amplify their voices to share their beliefs and express a call to action. Finally, fellows hone their skills by creating a tangible social change project.

Kumi: An Anti-Oppression Teen Leadership Experience

Kumi*, a project of Moving Traditions is a unique opportunity for Jewish teens (11th and 12th graders) to help prepare them for bold leadership and activism on college campuses, in social justice spaces, and wherever their passions take them. Participants learn the tools needed to interrupt racism, antisemitism, and other manifestations of oppression. Together, they will contribute to the building of more inclusive communities and movements for justice as Jews.

Through their experience in Kumi, participants will be challenged to explore their own Jewish identity and build the skills to turn their values into action. Participants are given training and support to engage in difficult conversations including how to talk and think about Israel, when so much of the current discourse is polarized and creates simplified binaries.

*Kumi (pronounced koo-me) means “Wake Up!” or “Stand Up!” in Hebrew. This name was chosen to represent the intertwined importance of learning deeply about ourselves and the world around us (“Wake up!”), and the need to use that knowledge to support justice in our community (“Stand up!”). 

Our mission is to enable families to move from homelessness to independence by providing safe and affordable housing, comprehensive social services and financial support.

Sinai House serves up to eight families at a time, four in residence at Sinai House and four alumni living in the community. Programs and professional services are tailored to help each member of the family reach individual goals in finance, education and employment. After living in Sinai House for two years, the family can choose to participate in a two-year post-residency program in which they receive a tapering rent subsidy, some social services, and help in connecting to the services available to them in their new neighborhoods. Sinai House also continues to offer services to all alumni on a less formal basis. The goal of Sinai House is to ensure that departing residents and their families maintain financial independence and thrive in future years.

Since its founding in 1992 by Temple Sinai members, Sinai House has served more than 50 families, including more than 100 children.