Tzedek, Ner Shalom's Social Justice arm, is proud and excited to repeat

THE STOLEN BEAM

A Study of Reparations for Descendants of Enslaved Africans in the United States

A Five Week Study Session Led by Elaine Leeder and Barbara Goodman, on Zoom only

The Torah’s very first and most central description of human beings is that we are all created b’tzelem Elohim — equally and uniquely in the image of God. This theology was radical in its time and remains radical today, despite the profound truth and simplicity of this claim. Black Lives Matter. The lives of our Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) neighbors and fellow Jews of Color matter. It is our obligation to do the holy work of racial justice so that the full humanity of all people may flourish and be fully honored.

The name “Stolen Beam” is a reference to a rabbinic deliberation in an ancient Jewish text (the Mishnah) about the right thing to do when we discover that the house in which we live was built on a stolen beam. Rabbis argue whether or not the house should be torn down.

Although the question of reparations for Indigenous people in the U.S. is an equally important one, this course focuses specifically on issues related to reparations for African Americans. It views reparations within the context of recent writings about U.S. history, post-Holocaust history, Jewish moral philosophy, and systemic racism.

The readings/videos for participants to read and watch before the first session are below. We encourage EVERYBODY to read and watch them!

1) Article: Ta-Nehisi Coates’ “The Case for Reparations,” Atlantic (2014)

2) Video: “Segregated by Design,” based on Richard Rothstein’s book The Color of Law, about U.S. federal, state, and local housing segregation policy (17 minutes)

3) Text of Bill HR 40.

4) YouTube: Ta-Nehisi Coates: “Arguments over Reparations before a Congressional Committee about HR 40.” (5 minutes)

OPTIONAL: Longer video with Richard Rothstein and Ta-Nehisi Coates on housing segregation. (80 minutes)