Congregation Mishkan Israel
Confronting Racism Series & Special Events
The Confronting Racism Series was first initiated on Yom Kippur 2020 by a planning group of CMI congregants with support from CMI’s former Rabbi, Brian Immerman. The series has been offering ongoing opportunities for our congregation to learn and discuss issues and topics aimed at increasing our understanding of systemic racism both historically and in current times. An important aspect of many of the discussions is uncovering and reflecting on our own implicit biases. Throughout the series participants reflect upon how Jewish teaching and ethics compel us to confront racism in its many forms. Challenging conversations are often guided by this doctrine “You are not obligated to complete the task, but neither are you free to desist from it” (Pirke Avot 2:21).
The series has included regularly scheduled meetings for CMI members featuring presentations by the planning group with facilitated small group discussions, suggested readings, videos, podcasts and other resource materials. Hosted events with guest speakers and invited community members have also been a feature of the series.
In spring of 2022 regular sessions called “Eidot: Active witnesses to our past and participants in our future.” were added to the series based on the requests by participants to make time for deeper discussions amongst CMI members on what greater knowledge of the effects of racism leads us to do to combat racism.
A listing of the sessions and special events to date follows below. Future programming for our congregation and additional community events and collaborations are in the planning stages. All Sessions are on Zoom, unless otherwise noted.
To learn more about the series and to offer your feedback and ideas, contact the planning committee members:
Karen Baar karen.baar@gmail.com, Nancy Moss Racusin nancymr@snet.net, Beth Stenger beth.stenger@comcast.net, Nancy Yedlin nyedlin@aol.com
2020
Sep 27: Yom Kippur: White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack (P. Mcintosh)
2021
Jan 7: Further Reflections on Race and Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
Feb 4: Shifting Our Perspective: Listening to the Voices of People of Color
March 4: Historical Origins of “Race” & Racism: Power, Politics & Economics
Apr 1: Jews Come in all Colors: Jewish Identity &intersectionality
May 6: Cross-Race Relationships: Friendships, Families& Allies
June 3: Housing: How Structural Racism Works
June 24: Where Are We Now & What’s Next? Personal Reflections & Calls to
Action
Oct 21: 60th Anniversary of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King’s visit to CMI. This featured archival material about Dr. King’s historic visit and interviews by Diane Orson, CT Public, with members who were there. In-person and livestreamed. Open to the community.
Dec 9: Feedback session -Participant input for the next round of the series
2022
Jan 15: Dr. King’s Life and Legacy in CT: Reflections and Challenges for Our Time Guest speaker: Hugh Bailey, Opinion Editor CT Post and New Haven Register.
March 24: How African Americans Confronted Germany’s Persecution of the Jews in the 1930s Guest speaker: Glenda Gilmore, Professor of History and African American Studies, Yale University. Members of Greater New Haven African American Historical Society and Jewish Historical Society invited. In person & livestreamed
Apr 7: Eidot: “Active witnesses to our past and participants in our future.” Kickoff Discussion Group
May 3: Migrations of the Soul: Stories from Exodus to the Great Migration Collaboration with the Greater New Haven African American Historical Society. Guest speaker: Carolyn Baker, co-president GNHAAHS. Both CMI and GNHAAHS members invited.
May 5: Eidot: Discussion Topic: The Power of Language: Intent and Impact
June 2: Eidot: Discussion Topic: Critical Race Theory: Meaning and Misappropriation
June 23: Juneteenth and Shavuot: Receiving the News Guest speaker: State Representative Robyn Porter. In person and livestreamed. Open to the community.
Oct 5: Yom Kippur discussion: Is There a Connection between Atonement and Reparations? In person and on Zoom for CMI members.
Nov 17: Eidot: Discussion Topic: Post Election: Reflections and Directions: What do the election results look like through the lens of confronting racism?
2023
Jan 8: CMI Religious School Program for 7-8th Grade Students and Parents: School leaders and Confronting Racism planners presented materials highlighting the shared legacies of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and their experiences with discrimination, injustice, civil rights, and social action. Guest presenter: Lauren Anderson, Founder, Possible Futures Books, recommended educational resources for parents and children. In person
Jan 14: Hosted a Sabbath lunch and discussion with Dr. Deitra Reiser, CMI’s MLK service guest speaker, for CMI members with multiracial families. Dr. Reiser plays a key role in the Union of Reform Judaism’s initiatives to promote diversity, racial equity and belonging in the wider Jewish community. In person
Jan 24: Models for Reparations: Redressing the Continuing Legacy of Slavery
Feb 23: Eidot: Discussion Topic: What We’ve learned about Reparations - Taking the Next Steps
Mar 30: Intersectionality - Seeing All of Us on the Road to Equity
May 4: Eidot: Discussion Topic: What Does it Take to be an UpStander: Confronting Racism in Everyday Life
June 16: 2nd Annual Juneteenth Sabbath Service: Our special guest speaker was Reverend Bonita Grubbs, who has been Executive Director of Christian Community Action since December 1988. Reverend Grubs shared her reflections on fai.th and community. In person and open to the community
Aug 30: Confronting Racism Dinner and Conversation: On the CMI patio with special guest Rabbi Joshua Pernick, Director of Jewish Life and Community Relations at the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, Leader of JEDI (Jewish Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) of Greater New Haven. In person.
Sep 25: Yom Kippur reading and discussion: The Confronting Racism planning group facilitated a reading of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.’s “A letter from the Birmingham Jail” and a discussion of its continued relevance for our congregation’s ongoing work in confronting racism. In person and on zoom.
Dec 19: Eidot: Discussion Topic: Confronting Racism During the Current Conflict. This discussion allowed us as a group to share our current thoughts, feelings, and questions about the current Israel/Gaza conflict. We reflected together on how to address the connections and intersections of anti-Black racism and anti-Semitism in this fraught time and on how we will structure programming going forward.
2024
Mar 7: Debrief of CMI Civil Rights Journey: The Confronting Racism planning team hosted and facilitated a discussion for members who, as a congregation, had recently returned from a three-day trip to Atlanta, Montgomery, Selma, and Birmingham. The group shared their reflections on the trip and talked about how to build on this civil rights journey, both in learning and in taking actions.
Mar 14: Eidot: Discussion Topic: Allyship and Intersectionality in Tense Times: Still Confronting Racism. This session reintroduced the concepts of allyship and intersectionality to the group and asked participants to reflect on the identities which are most salient in light of the current world conflict(s). Feelings about and ways to engage, reengage, or repair relationships with allies and organizations doing social and racial justice work were discussed.
Mar 18: Black-Jewish Relations: A History for our Times. Guest speaker Cheryl Greenberg, Trinity College History Professor Emerita, relayed the history of how these groups’ perspectives and experiences have come together and diverged, conflicted, and aligned in the movements for civil rights for African-Americans and Jewish-Americans. How understanding this history may help enable us to further our mutual interests in building community and “repairing the world” was discussed. In person & livestreamed.
May 2: A follow up discussion with Professor Cheryl Greenberg on Zoom about the current state of Black-Jewish relations. Much of the conversation between Professor Greenberg and participants focused on the Israel/Gaza war and its effect on the relations and alliances between Blacks and Jews on racism, discrimination, and social justice issues.
June 19: 3rd Annual Juneteenth celebration at its Peace and Justice Shabbat service. CMI welcomed Mr. Tubyes Cropper, Community Engagement Program Manager at Beinecke Library as its guest speaker. Mr. Cropper, part of the Yale & Slavery Working Group, wrote and directed the documentary What Could Have Been about the 1831 HBCU proposed by educators and activists of the time but defeated by the White establishment in New Haven. This service included readings and music selected to commemorate Juneteenth. Rabbi Emeritus Herbert Brockman offered remarks on the history of the Peace and Justice service at CMI. In person and on livestream, open to the community.
Aug 28: Confronting Racism Dinner and Conversation: On the CMI patio with special guest Michael Dimenstein, President of Jewish Historical Society and Nicole Zador, the Society’s archivist. In person.
Sept 25: Eidot: Discussion topic: A Deeper Look at Systemic Racism: Examples in Healthcare. The discussion focused on disparities in health care delivery and outcomes. Resources were assigned which looked at Black maternal mortality, “race-based” treatment and testing recommendations and other effects of racism in health care.
Oct 12: Yom Kippur reading and discussion: The Confronting Racism planning group facilitated a reading from the writings of Robert E. Goldburg, who served as CMI’s rabbi from 1948 to 1982. Rabbi Goldburg inspired our congregation to work for civil rights and racial justice and was responsible for Dr. King’s visit to CMI in 1961. We reflected on Rabbi Goldburg’s legacy at CMI and discussed his writings in light of the challenges to achieving a more racially just society today. In person.
Oct 17: Special Event: New Haven's Untold Stories: Enslavement and Beyond. Guest panel of historians, educators and storytellers Adrienne Joy Burns, Frank Mitchell, Denise Page, and Jill Snyder moderated by Diane Orson, Special Correspondent for CT Public and Frank Mitchell. The Music Haven string quartet performed the music of Mr. Sawney Freeman, one of America’s earliest Black composers. In person and live-streamed, co-hosted with the Greater New Haven African American Historical Society. In person and open to the community.
Dec 17: A Deeper Look at Systemic Racism, Part 2: Dismantling Structural Racism in Health. As a follow-up to the Sept session, this session featured a panel discussion of innovative approaches to improving medical education and health care delivery with experts in the field. Our panelists: Oni Muhammed, CNM, clinical practitioner in women’s healthcare; Meshie Knight, MBA, philanthropic leader in racial justice and healthy equity and Nancy Angoff, MD, physician and medical education leader offered examples of progress aimed at reducing disparities and spoke as well to the challenges.
2025
Jan 20: Eidot: Discussion Topic: Staying the Course: The Body Politic documentary film discussion. To honor Dr. King on the MLK holiday participants were asked to watch, in advance, the PBS POV film The Body Politic, an inspiring movie which follows Baltimore's idealistic young mayor, Brandon Scott into office. Mayor Scott puts his personal and political future on the line to save his beloved city from chronic violence. CMI members talked about the leadership and perseverance demonstrated and required by the Mayor and other activists to continue to fight for racial justice.
Mar 9: Special Event: Relics of Systemic Racism: The Ongoing Impact of Racially Restrictive Covenants and Redlining in Our Community. In collaboration with housing activists from CONECT and the Hamden Newhall Neighborhood Association (HNNA). Focused on Hamden's history of segregation, environmental racism, and its current repercussions. Research was presented on restrictive covenants in local deeds, and the process to formally renounce these. Additional speakers reported on and illustrated the contamination of the Newhall neighborhood, ongoing structural problems and flooding since earlier remediation, community organizing to seek justice from the town and allocation of funds to resolve residents’ crumbling foundations. Activists offered opportunities to be allies. In person and open to the community.