Supporting the Black Community
We condemn the senseless killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and all those who came before them. As a diverse PJCC community, we stand with the Black community in this moment. We cannot be silent or stand idly by while people inside and outside our immediate community are in pain and are unsafe because of the color of their skin.
The writer James Baldwin said it best, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
We must advocate for change while also reaching to care for one another and striving to listen to those who are most impacted. We must face this moment head on and work together for change.
Join us—stand up and say “Count Me In” as we work together as a community to educate ourselves, educate our children and take steps to combat racism.
Things You Can Do Right Now
Speak Up and Support Others
Be an UPStander!
We have all been a bystander at one time or another. It can be uncomfortable. Often people do not respond because they do not want to be a target of abuse themselves. Raise you voice when you hear racist remarks. Standing up to racism can be a powerful sign of support. It can also make the offender think twice about their actions. When responding, always assess the situation and never put yourself at risk. Your actions do not need to involve confrontation.
Make Your Home a Safe Zone
Ten-year-old Cruz of Burlingame invites the Peninsula community to come together and put up signs of support in our windows. He says, “I want my generation to come together and be kind to each other. Love more. Smile more. I know we can stand together and see past color and see people for who they are inside. We all have beautiful skin.” Join Cruz and put a sign in your window showing your support for the Black community.
Educate Yourself
Take Action
Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ)
Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) is a national network of groups and individuals organizing for racial justice. Join a local SURJ Chapter and get engaged with the struggle for racial justice in our community.
Get More Weekly Action Tips
Our partner 2 for Seder has begun to send “Weekly Action Tips” with suggestions for small, meaningful activities you can do. Each Action Tip is effective against the bigger picture of hate and anti-Semitism. Most activities are quick and the most effective ones for you will involve an activity that you are already doing. Sign up today!
Educate Your Children
Talking to Your Kids about Race: A (Virtual) Conversation
How should parents talk to their children and teens about race? In this video, brought to you by the The Parent Education Series, they bring together a distinguished panel of experts to address this question, and to offer insights into an often difficult, fraught subject: race in America.
Panelists include Julie Lythcott-Haims, JD, MFA: Former Dean at Stanford, speaker, activist, New York Times bestselling author of How to Raise an Adult and Real American: A Memoir; Donald E. Grant, Jr., PhD: Executive Director, Center for Community & Social Impact, Pacific Oaks College; Eric Abrams, MBA: Chief Inclusion Officer, Stanford Graduate School of Education; and Kareem Graham, PhD: Senior Scientist (Immunologist), author of “White parents, talk to your kids about race” (San Francisco Chronicle, Opinion, June 9, 2020).
Your Kids Aren’t Too Young to Talk About Race: Resource Roundup from Pretty Good
31 Books to Support Conversations on Race, Racism, and Resistance
Talking With Children About Racism, Police Brutality and Protests by Laura Markham
Drives and Volunteer & Service Opportunities
Featured Opportunities:
Challah After School
This fall, Challah for Hunger will be continuing their virtual community programming with Challah After School. At Challah After School, young children and their loved ones will have the opportunity to participate in events and activities revolving around the three pillars of Challah for Hunger: advocacy, philanthropy, and community building. You’ll receive two activity “bingo cards,” where you can check off completed activities. Join them for weekly virtual gatherings to do these activities together as a community!
Challah After School will also offer adult-only programming. Our Speaker Series, through Challah for Hunger’s Campus Hunger Project, will bring in professionals working to eliminate food insecurity and hunger among college students in our country.
Get more information and sign up today!
IsraAID Emergency Volunteer Program
Our partners at IsraAID are putting their experience in disaster relief to work in the US, supporting logistics for emergency food distribution. They need volunteers to begin distribution efforts in San Jose and San Carlos. Please click on this link to find out more information and to register today.
Make a Difference in Our Community Now
Serve with Second Harvest Food Bank
Second Harvest needs help with sorting and distribution. Visit their website for ways you can help.
Support Jewish Family and Children’s Services
JFCS needs to stock their food pantries for clients and community members who are looking for groceries. Here’s how you can donate:
- The San Mateo office is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 am-5:00 pm and groceries can be dropped at the front desk. Their address is 2001 Winward Way #200, San Mateo, 94404.
- JFCS is happy to send a volunteer to pick up groceries from your home.
- Safeway gift cards can be purchased on Amazon and e-mailed to Miriamm@JFCS.org.
- If you would like to be Food Runners or deliver groceries from their office to clients, sign up to volunteer on our online application: https://www.jfcs.org/volunteer-application.
For more information on Jewish Family & Children’s Services, go to https://www.jfcs.org
Become a Foster Parent!
There are San Mateo County children currently placed outside of the County due to a lack of local families available to foster. Help to bring these kids back to our community! Opening your heart to a child in foster care can be an amazingly rewarding experience. You can make a difference in a child’s life. Please visit www.helpsanmateokids.com to get more information on how you can help kids in need.
Shalom Bayit
Right now, everyone is being told that staying at home is the safest thing to do. Unfortunately, staying home is not safe for those who are in abusive relationships, who are now having to stay at home with their abusers. During Shelter-In-Place, the Bay Area has reported an increase in domestic violence related ER visits and 9-1-1 calls. It is more difficult than ever for victims to access the safety and support they need. Survivors of domestic violence often report that community silence and the feeling of being alone are part of the trauma of abuse.
In the spirit of Kol Yisrael Arevim zeh ba-zeh, we are leading an effort to let survivors of abuse know that their Jewish community is here to support them. If you have someone you’re worried about right now, this is the time to message or call them. They might not be able to safely speak with you, but if you reach out they will know that you are there for them. If they are able to get a private minute, let them know that they don’t deserve to be abused, that it isn’t their fault, and that help is available.
Let them know that they can call Shalom Bayit’s free, confidential helpline: 866-SHALOM-7.
Friends and family of the person being abused are also welcome to call to get ideas for how to support.
Learn more about Shalom Bayit on their website.
Second Stage Healing Group
Wednesdays (Tentative Start Date October 21), 5:30-7:00 pm
This eight-week long group is for women who have left abusive relationships and are seeking tools for healing. All women are welcome, regardless of age, affiliation, partner’s gender, or current relationship status. Shalom Bayit welcomes non-Jewish and transgendered people seeking a Jewish, women-centered space.
This group is confidential and offered at no charge. Space is limited. Please call 866-SHALOM-7 to sign up.
The PJCC is proud to co-sponsor this resource, presented by Bay Area Jewish Healing Center & Shalom Bayit. Funding generously provided by the Jewish Community Endowment Newhouse Fund.
Additional Opportunities to Serve
The PJCC partners with several agencies to do good, including IsraAID, Mission Hospice, the Jewish Coalition for Literacy (JCL), Jewish Family and Children’s Services (JFCS), Samaritan House, and more.
Stay tuned for more ways to serve partner organizations alongside the PJCC, or check the “Ideas for Getting Involved” tab for additional drives & service opportunities!
