Help JUFJ and local congregations put the "labor" back in Labor Day over the holiday weekend!  Visit the Labor on the Bimah  page for more information.

Jews United for Justice invites you to join us for a special event during Labor Day weekend!

We will gather together for a Havdalah service and dessert reception to celebrate Labor on the Bimah, an annual event that brings local worker-justice issues to the forefront of synagogue services. If you are interested in getting more involved in social action efforts in our community or learning more about JUFJ's day laborer justice campaign, please join us for dessert, singing, and fun!

To RSVP, please contact Shira Dickler, JUFJ’s Labor on the Bimah Coordinator, at 202-408-1423 or shira@jufj.org.

Save the date for Labor on the Bimah 2009! So far, the following congregations are already signed up to participate:

Join Jews United for Justice and Interfaith Worker Justice of Greater Washington for a creative, interactive discussion about the problem of wage theft and how our religious communities can stand in solidarity with day laborers and other workers in DC. You will:

• Join local faith leaders in exploring our faiths' traditional responses to wage theft
• Create art and stories that help to illustrate those connections
• Meet others from a variety of faith traditions who are committeed to social and economic justice
  

To learn more, or to RSVP, please contact shira@jufj.org.

Join Labor on the Bimah coordinator Shira and JUFJ volunteers as we begin to plan a weekend of Labor Day programs. Develop a resource packet for rabbis and congregations, plan an interfaith evening of workers' rights, or help get the word out to congregations and members of the Jewish community. All are welcome, but please RSVP to shira@jufj.org.

Do you have a bubbe or zayde in a ManorCare nursing home? Do you know someone who does?

ManorCare, one of the largest nursing home chains in the country, was bought out by the Carlyle Group, whose management has made working conditions for nursing home staff undignified and unacceptable.

As part of this year's Labor on the Bimah campaign, JUFJ joined with the Service Employers International Union (SEIU) to demand better treament of workers from Carlyle.

Come out to support those who take care of the most vulnerable members of our community on a daily basis, and tell Carlyle they must change their labor practices!

RSVP to Darya at Darya@jufj.org to tell us you will be there.

Volunteering for Labor on the Bimah?

Come to our mandatory (but fun) volunteer training where you will hear all you need to know to successfully represent JUFJ at Labor on the Bimah.

We will be handing out brochures and materials for you to take with you - so please don't miss this important evening even if you are a seasoned volunteer with the organization!

In appreciation we will, of course, feed you pizza.

RSVP to Sonya@jufj.org to let Sonya know you will attend.

 

Labor on the Bimah helps dozens of congregations in DC, VA, and MD reflect on workers rights during Labor Day weekend. The program is part of a national interfaith effort to infuse Labor Day with meaning and spread awareness of labor issues from the pulpit, the bimah, and the minbar.

The 2008 theme for Labor on the Bimah is "Caring for Caregivers". Dignified working conditions in nursing homes, assisted living communities and home healthcare setting enable caregivers to provide the highest quality of care. Congregations will learn about how they can take action to improve conditions for people doing this critical work.

To be a volunteer or join a congregation near you for Labor on the Bimah, contact Sonya Weisburd at sonya@jufj.org or 202-408-1423.

We invite you for dessert, singing, community, and action!

As we say goodbye to the Sabbath with the dancing light of the Havdalah candle, we look together towards the week ahead and how we can help build social justice in our local community.

The Labor Day Havdalah is an opportunity to celebrate Labor on the Bimah, support nursing home workers in the region, and learn about more ways you can get involved with social justice efforts in the DC metro area through JUFJ.

The program is free and open to the community.

To RSVP or with questions contact Sonya Weisburd at sonya@jufj.org or 202-408-1423.

Come together for an Interfaith Text Study with DC Jobs with Justice, Jews United for Justice, and the Washington DC JCC. The evening will bring together leaders of the Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu faiths to discuss the topic of workers' rights. In particular, the texts and discussion will focus on the rights and challenges of workers in care-giving facilities such as nursing homes, assisted living, and group homes. Hear what the panelists have to say and then join your neighbors in a thought-provoking discussion on the topic.

The event is free and open to the community, and we hope participants of all faiths will join us in learning and discussion on what each tradition says about social justice, as well as how we can further it in our local community this summer.

The Interfaith Text Study is a prelude to Labor on the Bimah - and we hope to see you there!