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Just Congregations


**Is education your "hot button" issue? Join with your fellow Beth Emet friends to make your voice heard!**

You may know that Just Congregations is a new happening at Beth Emet and we are excited to be a part of this effort activated by the Union for Reform Judaism.

Just Congregations is based on the community organizing model that posits that meeting individually with people and hearing their stories about what concerns them is a powerful way to connect them to social justice work and into the life of the community.

Just Congregations wants to engage Reform Jewish synagogues to act powerfully and successfully across lines of faith, class, and race to address the root causes of economic and social injustice. Its goals are to foster a synagogue culture that integrates social justice into congregational life, ensuring that the pursuit of justice is at the center of congregational life alongside learning and worship. It also wants synagogues to join with neighboring religious congregations of all faiths, recognizing and developing their capacity to be agents of effective social change for the common good.


Just Congregations is developing at Temple Sinai in Chicago, Congregation BJBE in Deerfield and others in the Chicago metropolitan area as well as in congregations throughout the country. Its success has been in finding out what members care about most; “what keeps them awake at night.” These synagogues have taken the lead to do something about their concerns, and we at Beth Emet want to model their efforts here, too.

We are pleased that you have taken the time to visit our site to learn more about this very important initiative. Be sure to use the links at the top of this page to navigate our site.