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About Us | Who We Are My New Jewish Home
By Joanna Lubkin
[from the Jewish Advocate, 2/25/10]
When I moved to Boston in 2008, I sought a Jewish community that would be spirited and progressive, but also craved traditional ritual observances. Having been brought up steeped in the Conservative movement, I had never thought to check out the Workmen’s Circle. I was glad that my friends were finding a meaningful experience through its secular Jewish community, but I figured that since I spent most of my week in the secular world of social justice work, I needed to infuse some traditional elements into the rest of my life.
Last spring, my friend Seth invited me to a meeting at his apartment on the economic crisis that was sponsored by the Workmen’s Circle. I sat with about 10 other young adults, most of whom worked in education, non-profits or in community organizing. One woman spoke of worries about her parents, who despite ill health had to keep working because they lost all their retirement savings. A friend sitting next to me said he had lost his job and was starting to feel hopeless. I had butterflies in my stomach as I told the group how at my graduate school commencement, I eventually stopped asking friends what they were doing next because I hated seeing how their faces fell.
As I listened to the stories, I felt a huge weight lifting from my chest. In these scary times, I was not alone. The economic crisis had jolted all of us in the room just as we were trying to get started in life. It was not just my story, which I’d have to bear alone; it was our collective story.
All of us felt that our safety nets had been yanked away, leaving us yearning for a community to back us up. As the conversation turned toward what we could do next, we began to talk so excitedly that it was hard to wait for my turn to speak. Several of the ideas we brainstormed about have blossomed into ongoing projects. One friend suggested that those who were unemployed could volunteer at organizations that address the root causes of the economic crisis. We’ve since matched up several unemployed and underemployed young adults with such volunteer gigs.
Another person suggested holding a series of free, peer-led workshops about ways to save money, have fun with friends and build a network that recognized the talents of all its members. We’ve organized three such workshops through the Workmen’s Circle, covering topics ranging from bike repair to challah baking to overcoming fear of dancing.
That initial meeting at my friend’s apartment turned out to be the genesis of a larger project. The skill-sharing workshops and volunteer efforts fit into the framework of a broader vision. This time of economic hardship has given us a chance to rethink what our ideal community would look like.
We envisioned gathering together progressive young people to share resources, address the causes of the economic crisis and provide support to people particularly hard hit by the turmoil. In short: a mutual aid society. A century ago, American Jews, like other immigrant groups, formed dozens of such societies to provide health benefits, funeral assistance and schooling. Some mutual aid societies, including the Workmen’s Circle, also teamed up with other vulnerable groups.
When I studied mutual aid societies and settlement houses in college, I saw them as tools of a bygone era. Through my experience with Workmen’s Circle, I’ve come to recognize how we can apply the same strategies of interdependence and mutual responsibility that our immigrant ancestors used to cope with troubling times.
Besides its practical benefits, the mutual aid concept has offered me a way to live out my Jewish values.
For the past several months, about 20 of us within the Workmen’s Circle have been working out the details of what we call the Mutual Aid and Solidarity Society. And, in the process, I find myself connecting with my Jewish values on a level that goes beyond platitudes.
When I think of the commandment in Leviticus to love my neighbor as myself, I think of standing beside laid off workers at a Hyatt Hotel. When I think of the highest rung of Maimonides’ ladder of tzedakah – helping others to learn to help themselves – I picture the partnerships we have built at skill sharing sessions.
Perhaps it’s ironic that I have gained a deeper understanding of traditional Jewish texts through my involvement with an avowedly secular organization. But, then again, the line between the secular and the religious may not be as sharp as I once thought. I am proud to count the Workmen’s Circle as one of my Jewish homes.
The Young Adult Organizing Project.Back
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