Selichot Film Screening & Discussion with Filmmaker Yoruba Richen

As we enter the High Holiday season, we can prepare in the spirit of tikkun olam (repair of the world) to examine, repent for and redress the wrongs we, our community and country, have committed.

Reconstructing Judaism’s Board of Governors passed a resolution (2023) calling on its member organizations to “engage in deep reflection on the ways in which we have participated in or benefitted from racial injustices in our communities and to answer the call of Torah to pursue justice and practice teshuvah by taking concrete steps to repair the harm…”  Reparations strategies are gaining ground. We in NY have a unique opportunity to learn and lend our voices to the work as the NY State Reparations Commission begins community hearings on recommendations for state policy early in 2025.

The Cost of Inheritance, a documentary aired on PBS, depicts one community’s efforts to repair relationships and channel resources to the descendants of the Africans their families have enslaved. Following the screening will be a conversation and Q & A with the film’s award-winning documentarian, Yoruba Richen.

After the program, Rabbi Lauren and Cantor Lisa will lead us in a brief, reflective pre-High Holiday service (Selichot). The traditional liturgy of this service focuses on repentance and collective responsibility, reminding us that these holidays are about personal and collective transformation.

RSVP: Since space is limited, click here to register at your earliest convience. We hope to see you there.