Justice and Equity Organizer

Justice and Equity Organizer

Kolot Chayeinu/Voices of Our Lives is a 30-year-strong independent, progressive Jewish congregation in Brooklyn, NY with over 540 members. We are seeking a 75% time Justice and Equity Organizer to join our team beginning in May/June of 2025.

ABOUT KOLOT CHAYEINU

Kolot Chayeinu/Voices of Our Lives is a Jewish congregation in Brooklyn, where doubt can be an act of faith and all hands are needed to build our community. We are creative, serious seekers who pray joyfully, wrestle with tradition, pursue justice, and refuse to be satisfied with the world as it is. We share a commitment to ending structural racism and becoming an antiracist congregation. And, as individuals of varying sexual orientations, gender identities, races, family arrangements, and Jewish identities and backgrounds, we search for meaningful and just expressions of our Judaism in today’s uncertain world.

ABOUT THE JOB

The Justice and Equity Organizer (JEO) will work primarily within the Kolot community to help organize and connect with our members, supporting and strengthening

• our on-going anti-racist journey;
• our range of views on Israel/Palestine - which we’ve historically referred to as the “open tent”;
• our work for justice and equity at Kolot and beyond, as we grapple with differences.

Many Kolot members are activists or work professionally for social change, and bring their passionate commitments with them to synagogue. Kolotniks also regularly connect with one another at social justice based actions, on their own or as a community. We seek a JEO who will work to uphold and integrate Kolot’s mission and values across our congregational life; develop, support, and oversee programming; and engage members via education, cultural programs, and actions. The JEO will connect different cohorts and groups in the congregation, and promote conversation and activities across generations. They will develop and help maintain relationships with other organizations, both faith-based/religious (including Jewish) and secular, whose missions are aligned with ours.

This 75% time position will report to the Rabbi and work closely with staff, clergy, Board, lay leaders, and congregants, collaborating particularly closely with current, and potentially new, working groups and task forces.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Organize and engage members in learning, discussions, restorative justice practices, and social justice actions, and serve as liaison between staff and social justice and social identity-based task forces and working groups:

• Support a variety of Kolot’s working groups and committees by helping to plan, organize, create, and implement programs. Depending on the group, tasks may include:
  • Attending, participating in and facilitating meetings;
  • Organizing the congregation in actions and learning activities;
  • Developing new programs;
  • Assisting with recruitment;
  • Administrative, organizational, and operational support;
  • Occasional grant writing.
• Specific groups the JEO will support include:
  • The Race Working Group (RWG), which leads Kolot’s efforts to embrace anti-racism as a core of our mission and values, and to develop and implement the systems we need to put these practices to work;
  • The Israel/Palestine Task Force (IPTF), which models communal respect and honesty, supporting and strengthening Kolot’s approach to Israel/Palestine through communication across philosophical, theological, and political differences;
  • The Immigrant and Refugee Working Group (IRWG), which brings together Kolot members working to support immigrants and refugees, connects with other congregations, and hosts events supporting this effort;
  • Other social justice groups and/or task forces as they emerge – for instance, in the past, there was a Queer and Trans Working Group and a Climate Justice group, and we anticipate the need to revitalize such groups.
• Help coordinate all of Kolot’s social justice work and integrate it into the full life of the congregation, including—in collaboration with our clergy—into ritual life;
• Cultivate congregants as leaders of Kolot’s social justice work;
• Create systems to launch and maintain Kolot’s social justice initiatives and campaigns;
• Work in partnership with Kolot's Director of Lifelong Learning to organize intergenerational programming, for both learning and action.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Demonstrated commitment to values that are consistent with Kolot’s mission and values;
• Demonstrated knowledge of and experience in antiracist practices—for instance, in Undoing Racism or other anti-racist trainings OR willingness to participate in Kolot-funded training soon after being hired;
• Demonstrated embrace of LGBTQ+ community; being attuned to particular needs of queer, trans, and nonbinary people;
• Demonstrated ability to address issues and problems directly and cooperatively, and experience with conflict resolution and/or restorative practices;
• Successful experience organizing for social justice—ideally through a Jewish understanding/lens—acquired through training, paid or volunteer work, or lived experience;
• Successful experience working in and with coalitions and in building and maintaining organization-to-organization relationships, in the Jewish community or elsewhere;
• Ability to embrace the diversity of opinions among Kolot members, particularly on the topic of Israel/Palestine, and to fully engage and include the wide range of voices within our community;
• Ability to balance the urgency of our times with slow, long-term change work;
• Ability to work with people regardless of their prior political/social justice engagement experience or knowledge;
• Collaborative approach to working with congregation members and lay leaders, and a commitment to leadership development;
• Strong communication (oral and written), group facilitation, and interpersonal skills;
• Flexibility, compassion, and calmness in the face of challenges;
• Humility and self-awareness;
• Creativity and attention to detail;
• Ability to work a schedule that can include evenings, weekends, and some Jewish holidays;
• Working knowledge of and familiarity with social justice, grassroots organizing, and advocacy organizations and issues, particularly in New York City;
• Working knowledge of, and familiarity with, the nonprofit Jewish world, synagogue life, and the Jewish communal landscape;
• Knowledge and understanding of Jewish ritual practice, customs, and holidays, OR openness and comfort level with learning the practices of our progressive Jewish congregation;
• Experience with social media, listservs, newsletters.

SALARY & BENEFITS

This is a 75% time position with a salary of $60,000. Benefits include a flexible work environment, health insurance, voluntary dental and vision, TransitChek, and a 401k plan.

TO APPLY

Interested applicants should apply through this site or send an email to jeosearch@kolotchayeinu.org, with “Justice and Equity Organizer” as the subject line. The email should include a resume/CV and a cover letter outlining interest in the position and highlighting relevant experience. Applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 25, 2025.

Interviews will be conducted in April/May of 2025 with an anticipated start in May/June 2025. For more information, visit www.kolotchayeinu.org. Please direct questions or comments to the Search Committee at jeosearch@kolotchayeinu.org. No phone inquiries, please.

If this position appeals to you and the description sounds like you–even if you don’t have every one of the listed qualifications–we encourage you to apply. Kolot Chayeinu is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews, people of color, women, people with disabilities, immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, and people who live or have lived in poverty are strongly encouraged to apply. Current and former members of Kolot Chayeinu are welcome to apply.