Jews Talk Racial Justice - Ep 63: Proximity Alone is NOT Antiracism

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April and Tracie dig into and challenge the oft-repeated notion that proximity across a line of difference immunizes against bigotry or racism. In other words, the assertion “I can’t be racist, my (fill-in-the-blank) is Black." We discuss how the good/bad binary plays into this misconception about proximity and clarify the fact that power and privilege remain intact even in proximate relationships. Ultimately, we offer listeners thoughts on how to counter these normal impulses and ultimately move toward greater liberatory consciousness.

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

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Jews Talk Racial Justice - Ep 62: Support People Support Peace

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April and Tracie spend Veterans’ Day reflecting on their family connections to veterans and the ways in which our country has treated veterans throughout our history. The political conversations that happen around war and policy often employ either/or thinking that leads us to forget the human beings and all those connected to them, who are forever changed by these military policies.

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Jews Talk Racial Justice - Ep 61: Does April Hate America?

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In this week’s episode, April and Tracie unpack the false assumption that some folks have expressed--that April “hates America” since she has chosen to relocate out of the States, and to West Africa, no less. This question leads April and Tracie to think about the hierarchies and racism built into conventional assessments of different cultures both within and outside of America.

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Jews Talk Racial Justice - Ep 60: You Can’t Hire Your Way to Racial Justice

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In this week’s episode, April and Tracie discuss the dangers of making that “diversity hire” when the organization hasn’t done the necessary work of deconstructing dynamics of oppression, so that “diversity hire” needs to endure unhealthy and unsustainable microaggressions and worse. They discuss strategies for how to avoid this and set up new colleagues for success.

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Jews Talk Racial Justice - Ep 59: Jewface and Jewish Characters in the Media

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On this week’s episode, Tracie and April discuss the recent discussion on the concept of “Jewface” that followed a recent podcast by Sarah Silverman on the topic. They discuss a few different perspectives on the topic and reflect on the patterns within the portrayal of Jewish characters in media.

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Jews Talk Racial Justice - Ep 58: We are the Product of our Ancestor’s choices

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In this week’s episode, April shares more about her ongoing exploration around her Indigenous, Cherokee heritage and the impact a healing workshop had on her desire to live and embody this aspect of her identity. Tracie and April use this exploration to reflect on the ways in which we are the products of our ancestors’ choices to survive the oppressions they faced.

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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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Jews Talk Racial Justice - Ep 55: Sukkot, Shelter, and Sacrifice

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In this week’s episode, April and Tracie mark Sukkot and discuss themes around shelter, safety and security, and sacrifice, and the trade-offs that exist which this holiday helps to illuminate for us.

Content warning: descriptions of animal slaughter/sacrifice

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Jews Talk Racial Justice - Ep 54: Yom Kippur and the Importance of Process

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In this week’s episode, as we mark Yom Kippur, April and Tracie discuss the big concepts and ideas that can frame Yom Kippur and give some practical tips for how to work through our collective and individual yearly accounting of our souls by finding the joy in the process.

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