Courtesy of jta
(JTA) For years, Chava Shervington would connect informally with other Black Orthodox Jews to celebrate Black history that often wasn’t discussed in their communities and to offer and receive advice on a range of topics – from what communities were the most inclusive to how to deal with their children being bullied at majority-white day schools.
But it wasn’t until last year as the death of George Floyd and subsequent Black Lives Matter protests led to a nationwide racial reckoning that Shervington decided to join forces with three other Black Orthodox Jews to create a formal space where those conversations could take place. The result was Kamochah, which is likely the first ever group to cater to Black Jews who identify as Orthodox.
Black Orthodox Jews Carve Out Their Own Space Amid a National Reckoning Over Race
Kamochah is likely the first ever group to cater to Black Jews who identify as Orthodox.
(JTA) For years, Chava Shervington would connect informally with other Black Orthodox Jews to celebrate Black history that often wasn’t discussed in their communities and to offer and receive advice on a range of topics – from what communities were the most inclusive to how to deal with their children being bullied at majority-white day schools.
But it wasn’t until last year as the death of George Floyd and subsequent Black Lives Matter protests led to a nationwide racial reckoning that Shervington decided to join forces with three other Black Orthodox Jews to create a formal space where those conversations could take place. The result was Kamochah, which is likely the first ever group to cater to Black Jews who identify as Orthodox.
Black Orthodox Jews carve out their own space amid a national reckoning over race June 2, 2021 4:14 pm The founders of Kamochah, clockwise from top left: Chava Shervington, Rabbi Yonason Perry, Maayan Zik, Rabbi Isaiah Rothstein. (Courtesy of Kamochah)
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(JTA) For years, Chava Shervington would connect informally with other Black Orthodox Jews to celebrate Black history that often wasn’t discussed in their communities and to offer and receive advice on a range of topics – from what communities were the most inclusive to how to deal with their children being bullied at majority-white day schools.
But it wasn’t until last year as the death of George Floyd and subsequent Black Lives Matter protests led to a nationwide racial reckoning that Shervington decided to join forces with three other Black Orthodox Jews to create a formal space where those conversations could take place. The result was Kamochah, which is likely the first ev
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Winn has been a leader in the grassroots movement to push the city of Atlanta to close its massive 500,000-square foot jail, the Atlanta City Detention Center.
“I’ve seen people go to jail,” Winn told 11Alive’s Matt Pearl, “and they were just like you and I, but when they left that jail, they were never the same way again.”
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“We Breathe, We Live: Brotherly Love Protest Stories
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. How do we cope after traumatic events like the deaths of people of color during altercations with police?
A new documentary shares powerful, emotional, first-person experiences of men who participated in Black Lives Matter protests in Philadelphia in 2020.
WHYY-TV premieres the film “We Breathe, We Live: Brotherly Love Protest Stories” Monday night at 9 p.m.
It’s a collaboration between First Person Arts and EMOC, the city’s Engaging Males of Color Initiative, which promotes mental health and wellness.
EMOC’s coordinator, Gabe Bryant, makes an appearance in the film. WHYY’s Jennifer Lynn recently spoke with him.