COMMUNITY NEWS
The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia
mobilizes fi nancial and volunteer resources to
address the communities’ most critical priorities
locally, in Israel and around the world.

From Pittsburgh to Selma: Civil Rights
Through a Jewish Lens
“WHEN THE SHOOTING in Pittsburgh happened, it was a wakeup call for me as
a Jew,” Jan Kushner, 33, said. “It brought up an aspect of being Jewish in America
I hadn’t thought about before” — revealing how her Judaism connected her to the
larger struggles against American bigotry. She wanted to know more.

And so this past February, she headed south on National Young Leadership Cabinet’s
Civil Rights Mission: a four-day trip to Birmingham, Selma and Montgomery.

“Th is was an easy trip to say yes to,” Kushner said.

National Young Leadership Cabinet (NYLC), or Cabinet, is Th e Jewish
Federations of North America’s fl agship leadership program. Its members are
philanthropic-minded 30- and 40-somethings intent on building strong local and
global Jewish communities, and are ready to be groomed into leaders. Cabinet
members from across the country volunteer together; gather at retreats, confer-
ences and social events; network with 4,000 alumni; and embark on travel for
learning experiences through a Jewish lens.

Th e Civil Rights Mission was powerful for Kushner, a fi rst-year Cabinet member.

Joined by half of the Philadelphia delegation and a large group of Cabinet
members and alumni from across the country, she walked across the Edmund
Pettus Bridge — where in 1965 a peaceful march for voting rights was attacked
by state troopers with batons and tear gas — and met with activist Joanne Bland,
who survived that “Bloody Sunday.”
She visited the 16th Street Baptist Church, where four young girls were
killed in a 1963 bombing. She also had Shabbat dinner at Birmingham’s Temple
Beth El, whose members’ support of desegregation had targeted the shul for an
attempted dynamite bombing in 1954. In learning about Jews’ long alliance in the
African-American struggle, Kushner was moved to hear a rabbi speak of our own
experience as Egyptian slaves, and of the subsequent obligation to treat others
fairly and to protect the vulnerable.

“Th e trip was very timely, very present, very sobering,” she said. “I feel very
lucky to have participated.” And she’s looking forward to more.

Applications for Young Leadership Cabinet are now open. To learn more
or apply, visit jewishphilly.org/national-young-leadership-cabinet. Questions?
Contact ssolomon@jewishphilly.org or 215-832-0894.

In Search of the Perfect Kosher Hamburger, and
Other #MyIsraelStories
HAVE YOU BEEN abandoned by a camel in the Negev? Found love in Israel
via a jellyfi sh sting? Served as the IDF’s offi cial gardener?
Did your cousin become president of Israel?
Last year, when the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia hosted sto-
rytelling workshops in celebration of Israel70, we discovered our community
members had experienced all of these — and much more.

At our workshops, hosted in partnership with First Person Arts, partici-
pants from across Greater Philadelphia came out to master the art of story-
telling, and then penned their own stories about their personal connections
to Israel, which they shared during a fi lmed session.

We are proud to now release a selection of “My Israel Story” vid-
eos. Sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, always thought-provoking,
these stories reveal the incredible range of experiences that join Greater
Philadelphians to Israel.

Visit our youtube page at youtube.com/user/philafederation to hear from
Susan as she searches out the fi nest kosher McDonald’s hamburger in all
of Israel. Aft er the fi rst video fi nishes, the rest of our playlist will continue
automatically. Enjoy.

JEWISHEXPONENT.COM JEWISH EXPONENT
MARCH 14, 2019
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