Listen | JWA’s Podcast “Can We Talk?” Episode 43: Black Lives Matter

• The episode transcript is also available on our site.

Discuss | Questions

• Sara Greenhalgh says, "Protest is holy. Protest is a holy, holy thing” (5:30–5:50). How do you interpret this? In what ways, if any, has your Jewishness taught you the holiness of protest?

• Sara mentions the connection between mind, body, and spirit when it comes to her activism for Black lives. She says she is “not [able] to sit in [her] own body when injustice is happening” (3:30–3:55). What do you think she means by this?
  • What do you feel in your body when you witness or experience injustice? What did you feel in your body when you listened to this podcast?

• Tarece Johnson shares thoughts on how systemic racism shows up in Jewish communities and harms Black Jews. Many of the issues she raises are centered on relationships. If our Jewish community were to live out anti-racism, what might be different about our relationships with each other?

• April Baskin reads a protest prayer beginning with “Shema! Listen. Closely. At all times” (18:23). In what ways does shema, “listening,” play a central role in Judaism? What might this teach us about the role of listening when pursuing justice for Black lives?
  • Share a story about a time when you’ve seen listening help in the pursuit of justice, or a story about a time when you’ve seen the lack of listening hamper the pursuit of justice.

Activity | Create a Protest Prayer

Listen to April Baskin’s protest prayer again (beginning at 18:23), or read it out loud together. This time, notice your breath and pay attention to your body while you listen.

• What came up for you in your body as we listened to this together?

Create your own protest prayer! Jewish tradition teaches us that prayer can take many forms, so create a prayer in any way that feels most meaningful to you (ideas below). Work independently, in pairs, or in small groups.

Guiding questions to consider:

• What do you pray for those who experience racism, violence, and injustice?
• What do you pray for those who fight for justice?
• What do you pray for our shared future?

Ideas for your protest prayer:

• Choose a Jewish value, song, or word (e.g., shema, “listen”) that is meaningful to you, and connect it to your hopes for justice.
• Prayer is all about vision. Create a vision board or collage with words and images that represent your vision for a more just future.
• Prayer helps align the mind, body, and spirit. Write or record (audio or video) a short meditation that prepares our bodies for protest.
• Collaborate with others, and bring your voices together through a virtual “Talmud page.” On padlet.com, create an online board with text, images, gifs, and links that capture the multiplicity of our unique prayers.