“Collective liberation. That's sort of my phrase for what some may call the messianic era, is when we've achieved collective liberation.” - April N. Baskin
Read MoreSeveral years ago, I decided to move to a fully vegetarian (actually ovo-pescatarian) diet because of my empathy for animals. I saw too much of humans (and dogs) in the cattle and even the chickens whose bodies had formed my meals to continue to consume them. That backdrop of my life choices makes this week’s parsha particularly unpleasant for me to read. The Adonai of Va-Yikra is a big fan of barbeque. The scent of burning animal flesh is pleasing to this Adonai. Indeed, in Lev 3:16 we read “All the fat is Adonai’s.” The phrase “dash the blood against all sides of the altar,” or versions of it is repeated again and again in parsha Va-Yikra.
Read More“In that golden calf I see today’s hustle for worthiness. The things that are separate from us that seem precious are productivity, perfection, and pleasing. Instead of earrings melted into a calf, today we meld job titles and salaries into worth and worthiness. We bow down to our idol and serve it, even though the Divine is right here.”
Read More“I would wanna ask you what's one day's worth of oil in your life? What is one skill, one bit of knowledge you do have that it's easy to overlook?” - April N. Baskin
Read More“I think it's really important to contradict the notion that Native Americans are no more. Their numbers are much smaller, but Native Americans are still very much here and live in US society and are leading powerfully in all types of spaces.” - April N. Baskin
Read More“Even in the worst of circumstances, I need to hold and remember that the sun is still rising, and that babies are being born, and various people are having dreams come true.” - April N. Baskin
Read MoreThis year, as I enter #RoshHashana, I'm thinking about what I want to release during #tashlich. I'm thinking about it a bit differently this year for myself.
Read MoreSo, here’s to another Jewish trip around the sun, the changing of seasons, and Southern sweetness. May we always cherish the love, intention, and courage our living relatives and deceased ancestors gave us. They contributed to the abundant spiritual inheritance we carry forward today, with sugar on our tongues.
L’shana tova umetukah - May you have a good and sweet new year!
I'M EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE that in honor of the Jewish New Year and all the opportunity and sacred intention it ushers in, I will be rolling out a **free Jewish racial justice IG series!!** 🎉 😃⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Its purpose is to skillfully and kindly provide with you some of the core insights I know from my 15 years of experience leading Jewish diversity, equity, and inclusion work within the Jewish community.
Read More