When I think back to all the work we did in Brit Tzedek, one of the things that stands out for me was the human caring and connections we shared with one another, understanding that effective advocacy and organizing work involved treating one another with caring and respect. The commitment to honor birthdays, send celebratory notes when anyone achieved a victory, set aside time for board dinners without a work agenda—all of this was fundamental to the successful work in Brit Tzedek. We were determined to model an organization where Jewish peace activists cared about what happened within our organization as well as with the political outside work. In addition, we designed our training programs to incorporate a lot of skill practice in listening and not just learning information about the conflict. It was understood that it wasn’t just correct information that would win people over, but creating safe places for Jews to be deeply listened to –and a place to air the fears that were underneath ‘scared politics’.
Cherie Brown
former Vice President
former Chair–training committee