On July 18th at 7pm EST, join us for a community screening and discussion of 40 Days of Teshuvah, a film by The Inside Out Wisdom and Action (IOWA) Project and filmmaker Hannah Roodman. This short film weaves together a story of bringing Jewish spiritual practice into the fight for racial justice. Following the screening, we’ll join together in a discussion around the themes and spiritual tools present in the film, and share ideas around how Jewish spiritual practices can be integrated into our own efforts for repair and justice.

Last summer, Yehudah Webster and Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ) protested for 40 days culminating with Tisha B'Av. This protest came to being after the murder of George Floyd and the racial justice uprising in 2020. For 40 Days, organizers cried out to the heavens, blew the shofar, and mourned the destruction of black and brown bodies at the hands of the racist systems that exist today.

This screening is co-presented by The JOC Mishpacha Project, Hinenu: The Baltimore Justice Shtiebl, Hinenu JOC and Not Free to Desist.

@The IOWA Project is a network of activists, educators, and spiritual leaders in the Jewish community supporting social justice leaders in exploring Jewish spiritual wisdom and developing Jewish spiritual practice. We are driven by the belief that integrating deep spiritual wisdom into our justice work allows activists to lead from a place that is more visionary, creative, sustainable, and grounded. The IOWA Project aims to help community members build bridges between their spiritual lives and their activist lives through study groups and leadership and facilitators cohorts to learn, practice, and grow into deeper Jewish spiritual practice through Mussar and Chassidut. Learn more about their work at InsideOutWisdomAndAction.org and follow them at @insideoutwisdomandaction

Passover is one of the oldest rituals in the world. In every generation, we are commanded to tell the story of liberation and freedom, but far too often our Seder tables can be void of a meaningful discussion on how that the story of Exodus teaches us to continue to work towards Justice. This year the Not Free to Desist team created resources to help you, your friends, and your family have conversations about anti-racism and racial justice. We know that this can be a scary thing to bring up, even after four glasses of wine, so come prepare and plan with our team. We will go over the resources the NFD team created, teach you how to use them to inform meaningful connections at your Seders and talk about ways to overcome our own fear of freedom. We are not walking alone towards freedom, we need each other to leave Egypt together.

Facilitators: NFD team members Lindsey Newman and Adam Segal

Zoom link provided after registration.

Join us for the final night of Hanukkah on 12/17 as Not Free to Desist brings together our community to celebrate our survival and joyful resistance in the face of this challenging year. We’ll be joined by 11 of our favorite JOC artists and leaders for candle lighting, laughter, visioning and storytelling.

Our Program

8:30pm ET / 5:30pm PT: Welcome, Candle-lighting

Ritual led by Danielle Natelson and meditation led by Kimberly Dueñas of Jewtina y. Co

9:00pm ET / 6:00pm PT: Conversation with the founders of Not Free to Desist: Reigniting our collective-liberation and anti-racism work in the year ahead. 9:30pm ET / 6:30pm PT - JOC artists, activists, and storytellers share!

featuring Emily McDonnell, Dee Senae of Mosaic Visions, Jordan Daniels, Hannah Sachs, Rabbi Isaiah Rothstein, Ingrid Gumpert, the Jewish Liberation Fund and more!

The festival of lights comes at the darkest time of the year, when the nights are long and the days are cold. We can look to this Jewish tradition as a source of inspiration and a reminder that even in the darkest times, there is light to be found.