Activist Spotlight: Deborah Levy

My trip with the Workers Circle to Selma and Montgomery for the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday and the voting rights marches of 1965 was an opportunity for me to further connect with the depth of racial inequity, past and present, in this country. I was moved beyond words by the cruelty and injustice, and equally by the hope and spirit and action of so many inspiring figures, certainly including the inspiring leaders and staff of Workers Circle.

 The trip was my first connection with Workers Circle. I received an email from a friend who volunteers with Common Cause, and it felt like a good match to my friend, Larry Best, and me. At Congregation Sha'ar Zahav in San Francisco, where I am immediate past President, we have a very active voting rights group, named for John Lewis, and led by the intrepid Tirtza Pearl.

At Sha'ar Zahav and beyond - including the San Francisco Black & Jewish Unity Coalition, I'm personally active in efforts for reparations to African Americans in San Francisco and California, and with both the SZ Racial Equity and the SZ Climate Action Committee, the concerns of which overlap and intertwine. I see financial reparation to Black individuals, families, and communities for the wealth and the opportunities to grow their wealth that the white economy stole from them as one of the most significant steps we can take to heal and repair the rotten foundation on which this country was built. Without this, I don't see how we can make the collective effort to successfully address the climate crisis, which is truly the most pressing and universal urgency facing humanity.  Climate awareness – starting with reduction of plastic – needs to be part of everything we all do.

Larry and I look forward to sharing our experiences in Selma and Montgomery with our congregation for a Juneteenth Shabbat, on Friday June 20. We will be joined by our Rabbi, Mychal Copeland, who traveled to the region with the Reconstructionist movement in March of 2024. (And Ilana Kaufman, CEO of the Jews of Color Initiative, will give the drash that evening. All are invited to join via Zoom. www.shaarzahav.org)

 I'm so glad to have connected with Workers Circle. I'm impressed by the clear focus on domestic social justice, voting rights in particular. The community welcomes all who are committed to these issues, which means there is a range of views on other issues - most relevant today being Israel and Palestine. I deeply appreciated the conversations I had with several group members (including with the young leaders) whose views differ from my own - and I appreciate Workers Circle for fostering such an environment. This approach is evident too in the many fruitful collaborations the Workers Circle has built. Again, I'm glad to be connected!