Brit Olam (Social Justice) Committee

What Is Brit Olam?

Brit Olam is the Jewish people’s enduring covenant with the world.  Today, Beth Ahabah and our Reform Movement fulfill our covenant by confronting injustice at its root to cultivate a world in which all people experience wholeness, justice and compassion.  This committee was founded in 2020 in partnership with the Union for Reform Judaism’s Religious Action Center as part of a nationwide URJ initiative called Brit Olam. 

Goals of the Beth Ahabah Brit Olam Social Justice Committee include:
•    Diligently identify and support efforts by Beth Ahabah to become a more inclusive community, grounded in meaningful relationships and connections among Congregational members.
•    Provide educational opportunities to Congregational members of all ages to increase awareness about and provide recommendation for ways to address issues of inequality and disparity in our society.
•    Strengthen our existing community partnerships and develop new relationships with local partners in a broad range of diverse communities.  Nurture these partnerships to build shared experiences and work together for positive change.
•    Advocate on issues of inequality and disparity in our community and broader society.

When Does Brit Olam Meet?

The Brit Olam Committee typically meets six times a year. Usually three meetings are on Zoom, and three are dinner meetings at the temple.  If you are interested in social action/social justice and would consider joining the Brit Olam Committee, please contact the chair of the committee, Jonathan Lewis (jlewis6664@gmail.com or 757-814-9116).

Brit Olam Programs and Initiatives:

The Brit Olam Social Justice Committee has been meeting since 2020 to create opportunities for our congregation to engage in the goals stated above. Results of these efforts have included:

♦    Fall Listening Tour (2021): A series of sessions, facilitated by the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities, for our congregants to engage in an open, non-judgmental dialogue about our congregation’s role in promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and fighting antisemitism and racism.

♦    Ahavat Ger Campaign (2022): A campaign of donors and volunteers from Beth Ahabah partnering with the Richmond office of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to assist with the resettlement of an Afghan family in Richmond. Click HERE to see more about the Ahavat Ger Campaign, or to donate in support of the Pardes family.)

♦    Pulpit Exchange (2023): A friendship-building initiative to build community and connection between our congregation and Third Street Bethel AME Church, this initiative included two pulpit exchanges: Pastor Boyd spoke at Beth Ahabah in October, and Rabbi Nagel spoke at Bethel AME in November.  Both services were well attended; dinner was served after services at Beth Ahabah, and lunch was served after services at Bethel AME Church.  Dining together after services gave our congregations the opportunity to get to know one another and to begin to cultivate friendships.  

♦    Interfaith Partners in Social Justice Work (2023-2024): Shortly after the pulpit exchange in 2023, representatives from the social action committees of Bethel AME and Second Presbyterian Church (in downtown Richmond) met with Brit Olam committee members to begin a discussion on how the committees might work together to promote social justice in the Richmond community.  This partnership is still new, but the three congregations have already laid plans to work together to encourage voter registration in underserved housing communities in Richmond City and to work to support legislation to restore voting rights to Virginians who lost those rights through incarceration.  In spring 2024, Brit Olam will seek volunteers to help with this registration work during the summer. 

♦    Reducing Gun Violence in Our Community (2023-2024): Another interest of the Brit Olam is seeking ways to reduce gun violence in Richmond.  After the fatal shooting in Monroe Park following the Huguenot High School graduation, Rabbi Nagel spoke from the pulpit and suggested that Brit Olam explore options to address the gun violence issue. We are in the preliminary stages of looking into ways we might become involved, including conversations with Community in Schools (CIS), and will continue to consider ways we can become further involved in deterring gun violence.

To support the Pardes family, use this form to make a donation: