Social Justice at Temple Sinai
Temple Sinai has a long history and tradition of making social justice an integral part of the life of the congregation. That storied history continues with the founding of The Davis Center for Social Justice, which provides an umbrella for the many different social justice activities at Temple Sinai.
The mission of the Davis Center is to repair the world through bold action, learning, and advocacy and strengthen the sense of community and purpose among Temple Sinai’s members, its partners and the wider community. Our work spans a wide variety of issues including reproductive rights, environmental justice and sustainability, support for refugees and migrants, racial justice, protecting democracy, and engaging in interfaith efforts to promote affordable housing and violence prevention. A sampling of our programs over the past year include:
Providing direct support by:
- Delivering 158 Thanksgiving baskets to families in need at Temple Sinai’s partners including Sinai House, local schools, and community organizations
- Offering intensive support in the form of housing, employment coaching, and life skills development to newcomers from Afghanistan so that they can build a new life here
- Raising funds to support access to abortion and other reproductive health services
- Providing $35,000 in Lipman grants to local organizations working on issues as varied as education, food security, gun violence prevention, and legal assistance
- Ensuring that children at Wheatley Education Campus received eye exams and glasses so that they can succeed in school
- Participating in clean-ups of local parks and waterways
- Creating 100 activity bags for Ayuda, a local legal support organization serving immigrants so that kids would be entertained while their parents have their legal consultations.
Educating our community by:
- Sponsoring themed Shabbat services on reproductive rights, racial equity, LGBTQ+ rights, and refugees to connect our social justice activities to Jewish texts and teachings
- Taking 18 members to El Paso, Texas and to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico to learn about the effects of US immigration policy on those communities, leading to reinvigoration of Temple Sinai’s work to support refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants locally
- Providing forums for youth and parents to discuss strategies for combating anti-semitism
- Hosting a screening of the film “Join or Die” featuring a discussion with the film’s director about how getting involved in your community contributes to the health of our democracy
- Hosting a live taping of the “Outlawed” podcast featuring two OBGYNs / abortion care providers from North Carolina. The episode, titled “A Rabbi, A Reverend, and an Abortionist Walk into a Podcast”, explored how faith communities, health care providers, and advocates can stand together for reproductive rights.
- Starting the “WTF” (“Washington’s Totally Fine”) program series featuring a panel of Sinai members with significant policy expertise, reflecting on the significance of our current times, how it is impacting our community and our city, and ways to be resilient and take action.
Advocating for systemic change by:
- Writing over 27,000 postcards to voters in Georgia, Florida, Wisconsin and other states to encourage them to make their voices heard in state and federal elections
- Introducing composting at all Temple Sinai events
- Working with interfaith partners to secure zoning and other policy changes that will increase the stock of affordable housing in Upper Northwest DC
For additional information on The Davis Center and to be added to mailing lists for specific initiatives, please email Jenny Cohen, Social Justice Coordinator.
