Social Justice Committee
Connecting PJTC with the greater San Gabriel Valley community, SJC shares perspectives on societal issues anchored in Torah and traditional Jewish values. Watch the PJTC announcements for opportunities to attend a meeting or event. SJC is non-partisan, welcomes diverse points of view, and promotes constructive conversation in the pursuit of our mission: “To respond to societal conditions and contemporary issues based on traditional Jewish values and the prophetic admonition—tzedek, tzedek tirdof—Justice, justice shall you pursue."
To receive information about education events, guest speakers, meeting information, and other calls to action, join our Social Justice email list here.
SJC is coordinating PJTC’s participation in KULANU, the ADL’s eight-month campaign to combat anti-Semitism. Training and activities begin October 13, 2023.
Annual Touchstones
- The Martin Luther King Shabbat that has included local and national faith-based leaders in civil rights. At this event, we also recognize a congregant by awarding the Rabbi Marvin Gross Social Justice Award in honor of our first Committee chair.
- Adding joyful and innovative Social Justice perspective to our community Pesach Seder
- Joining with our PJTC community to create meaningful Mitzvah Day experiences for our families.
- Our newest program offers the gift of a book to each B'nai Mitzvah. The recipient chooses a title of interest to them from an extensive list compiled by SJC with input and advice from teachers and other knowledgeable advisors.
- We helped lead the national response to resettling Afghan refugees under the auspices of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) by organizing a Welcome Circle to support a family in Pasadena. Find out more about SJC's continuing connections with HIAS in addressing the needs of those dispossessed by conflict around the world at our Bagel Breakfast on Sunday, February 4, 2024.
- We connect to the larger community through partnerships with numerous organizations working to fight climate change, racism, housing crises, anti- Semitism, and more issues that hurt our community. We host Bagel Breakfasts and Webinars with relevant speakers.
Do you have a related event or information to share? email sjcpjtc@gmail.com
Afghan Refugee Family Welcome Circle
IT TAKES A VILLAGE:
Donations of Household Items & Cash for Afghan Refugee Family
There are 3 the PJTC Welcome Circle support an Afghan refugee family: donations of household items, cash donations, and volunteering for a Welcome Circle CORE Volunteer.
- Got gently used electronics, furniture, linens? Help us prepare a home for the Afghan refugee family that our PJTC Welcome Circle is supporting. Sisterhood and Men’s Club have stepped up to provide many items – now it’s time for the rest of us! Please sign up for items you can donate here. Note that we sometimes request more items than we need on the list in order to find the best fit; we will email you to confirm whether your item works for us. Once confirmed, please drop off small items at PJTC the week of 1/17-1/21, M-F, 9am-4pm. For furniture, we will arrange pick-up at your home by our volunteer movers on Sunday, 1/23, 1:30pm-3:00pm. MANY THANKS!! For questions about the wish list, please contact Linda at lindamazur@mac.com.
- To make a cash donation, please email PJTCsjc@gmail.com for details on how to make your tax-deductible donation.
- To volunteer, please complete THIS FORM and email it to sauerbach2063@sbcglobal.net.
THANKS very much for stepping up to help our community help a refugee family! For questions about the PJTC Welcome Circle, contact Susan at sauerbach2063@sbcglobal.net.
Events
Please join us for these very important events.
Social Justice Committee Presents "HIAS Refugee Shabbat Weekend" Discussion - March 6, 2022 - Email with questions / RSVP Here
(click on the image above to view an enlarged flyer)
PJTC is a 501c3 organization whose congregants believe in a breadth of views and that the sharing of diverse ideas makes for a vibrant Jewish community. Views expressed by invited speakers may not necessarily reflect the views of PJTC or its members.
Past Events
Racial Justice
During June & July, 2020, the Social Justice Committee presented a three-part Social Hall conversation about recent protests for racial justice, with a focus on the current protests in the U.S., root causes and next steps. For details, click here.
To discuss how PJTC's Social Justice Committee and membership have responded in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, email our Social Justice Committee.
