Jews Talk Racial Justice - Ep 71: Tu B’Shvat and MLK Day: Deepening the Roots of Racial Justice

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As MLK Day and Tu B'Shvat overlap this coming week, April and Tracie unpack the lessons we can learn from trees and their growth in our racial justice journeys. They get into the nuances and differences between treating the symptoms of oppression and injustice – often addressed through “service” – and diagnosing and healing the root causes. And, they think about what we can do to genuinely honor Dr. King’s legacy.

Tune into this episode and read the full shownotes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!

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Jews Talk Racial Justice - Ep 65: Chanukkah: Light and Darkness

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In this week’s episode, April and Tracie use the Talmudic debate on how to light the Chanukkah menorah to reflect on light, darkness, and what this holiday can teach us about navigating the difficult times in our lives.

Tune into this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!

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Jews Talk Racial Justice - Ep 57: The Shmita Year, the Year of Release

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In our current pandemic-, racism-, and climate-change-ravaged times, April and Tracie talk about the Shmita Year, or Sabbatical Year, which we just began at Rosh Hashanah. How does one live out the values of the Shmita year when most of us are no longer working as farmers in the fields? They discuss how we can use this particular moment to lean into its themes, reconnect with the Earth, and find greater balance in what we endeavor to control and what we allow to happen organically.

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Jews Talk Racial Justice - Ep 56: Simchat Torah, Essential Letters, and Why ALL of Our Life Curricula is Needed

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In this week’s episode Tracie and April discuss some of the traditions related to the holiday of Simchat Torah (lit. “Joy of Torah”). The symbolism of the holiday--appreciating the totality of the Torah and starting the cycle anew--illuminates for ways we can do the same with our own life and racial justice curricula.

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Reflections from April: What We Can Learn from the Sukkah This Year

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Sukkot is one of the sweetest times of year because it possesses so much wisdom. We could fill a lifetime fully unpacking, living into, and savoring the profundity and power of Sukkot’s insight! (and, that’s certainly what we are doing!).

As I mentioned in my latest conversation with Tracie, I haven’t built a sukkah of my own yet. And while I won’t likely be building nor spending time in a traditional sukkah this year 😔, I’m thinking a lot about the lessons we can take from the physicality of the Sukkot experience, especially as we’re moving forward into this shmita year of release.

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