Our Racial Equity and Action Delegation Update

Dear Lab/Shul,

In 2021, a group of Lab/Shul staff and community members met under the leadership of consultants Dr. Imani Romney-Rosa Chapman and Franny Silverman (also a Lab/Shul Board member!) to explore how we as a community could work more cohesively toward a vision of racial equity and justice at Lab/Shul. Out of this, Lab/Shul’s Racial Equity and Action Delegation, or READ, was born. Lab/Shul’s Board, community, and staff came together to form this group in early 2022 and we’ve been meeting monthly ever since.

Over the past two years, READ has made an impact. From leading ritual programs like Hanukkah candle lightings and others, to making recommendations for racial equity trainings for the Board and staff members, and developing ideas for a five year security plan, we celebrate our achievements thus far while recognizing the meaningful work still ahead of us.

As we embark on the two-year transition point set forth when we launched, we want to express gratitude to some of the original READ members who are making way for new faces and voices. We honor Jordanna Gisser, Jon Adam Ross and Aliza Mazor as well as our dear Lia Lynn Rosen (z’’l; may her memory be a blessing) for making incredible strides in our efforts. Recognizing the road ahead of us, we warmly welcome Jesi Kelley (Lab/Shul Partner), Ava Schlesinger (Board member), and Ben Freeman (Associate Clergy) as new members of READ. To shed a little light on what READ means to those involved, Jesi had this to say about this new role:

“For years and years, I looked for a spiritual home but nothing felt comfortable. I first came upon Lab/Shul sort of by accident, as a documenter—through a sister organization I was asked to photograph Lab/Shul’s Freedom Feast at BAM in Brooklyn, way back in 2014. I remember thinking, “hey I LIKE these people!” But somehow I didn’t follow through to find out more. Luckily, smack dab in the middle of the pandemic, Lab/Shul remembered me and asked me to document a ritual in front of Judson Memorial Church, and then later that year again in Harlem. By then, I started to think “this feels really comfortable.” After a few more stints as a photographer, Lab/Shul began to feel like home and I started coming to gatherings on my own—without a camera.
In late 2021 when Lab/Shul introduced Pass/Age – one of Lab/Shul’s rite of passage programs for adults – I jumped at the chance to be in the inaugural cohort. Then I became a Lab/Shul Partner. Part of the Pass/Age experience is to continue to participate in curated actions, activities and social gatherings focused on giving back to the community once the program is finished, but it kind of took me a while to figure out how I felt most comfortable—and useful–doing that. And I’m happy to say that I figured it out; I am now one of the new members of Lab/Shul’s READ (Racial Equity and Action Delegation). I am excited to be in community with people who have become extraordinarily dear to me, and who are also extraordinarily committed to making our community—and our world—a more diverse and vibrant home for everyone.”

~ Jesi Kelley

Curious to learn more, or to join READ in the future? Feel free to send me a note!

If you are interested in getting a spark from our magical ritual community experiences – like Jesi did – consider joining us for any of our upcoming programs:

On June 7th we will have our next and final Sabbath Queen of the season!
On June 9th the Tribeca Film Festival will debut the World Premiere of Sabbath Queen, the film that chronicles the last 21 years of our beloved Rabbi Amichai’s life
On June 18th we celebrate our storytellers at our fabulous annual Gala and After Party