Reflections on Juneteenth/Operation Understanding DC

 

Dear Friends,

Last weekend I had the opportunity to participate in a Juneteenth commemoration in Fairfax at Mt. Calvary Baptist Church.

The following two quotes were a major part of my participation and led to the following experience which I want to share with you.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial “outside agitator” idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.” 

― Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail

“Human Suffering Anywhere concerns men and women EVERYWHERE”

Elie Wiesel

The link between the struggle for freedom between Blacks and Jews is strong.  Each Passover and in every generation we are obligated to remember that we were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt.  Although progress has been made to alleviate oppression and bigotry, we are living in a world where racist and antisemitic actions are still present.

At the Passover Seder, we thank G-d for all G-d has done for us.  If G-d had only taken us  out of Egypt, had only given us the Torah, had only  given us Shabbat, that would  have been enough.  And yet...I believe that until all oppression has been eliminated, then we have a responsibility to say  "Lo dayenu"; we have not done enough.  I asked those who were present to join me in singing "Lo Dayenu"

May Juneteenth and our national commemoration of this important day in American history inspire us to not say Dayneu (enough) but rather act on Lo Dayenu (not enough) and continue to be social justice warriors.

In my own personal experience I am involved with a special program in the DC area called OUDC (Operation Understanding DC).  Please note the letter we sent to our mailing list below.   If you would like to help support this organization and the work we do, please send me an email with OUDC support in the subject line or follow the prompts in the note below.

Many thanks for joining me in the quest to make the freedom we celebrate on Juneteenth and our Seder, a reality for all.

B'shalom,

Rabbi Bruce Aft 

Dear Family, Friends and Colleagues:

On this second anniversary of the declaration of Juneteenth as a federal holiday, Operation Understanding DC is excited to announce that our Social Justice Fellowship Program has made a successful return following our pandemic-related hiatus.  Class 27 has just concluded its successful program, and we are currently recruiting students for Class 28, which will begin in the fall.

We now seek the support of our community to enable us to continue to provide the “life-changing experience” to high school juniors for which OUDC is well known.  OUDC selects a diverse group of students who have demonstrated their desire to become social justice leaders and provides them with the historical context and training to be able to recognize and address discrimination.  They learn from scholars and activists, visit important historical sites, develop public speaking and writing skills, and learn from each other, as they form close relationships.
 
To present the high-quality program for which OUDC has long been known, we require funds to pay for staff, speakers, transportation, meals, and many other expenses. Please donate at this link, or by mailing a check to Operation Understanding DC, 4005 Wisconsin Ave., Box 5705, Washington, DC  20016.