Cooperation With the Jews

One would think, after a month of not blogging (quite a dry spell for me), that I would have a nice long post to share. Eloquent typings of a month gone by, lessons learned, insight sought, morals immortalised. And yet, all I have for you is a lovely news story.

I recently had a conversation with my step mother about Jews using their position as immigrants to North America, and their success at integration into this society and climbing the socio-economic ladder, to mentor current new immigrant groups. She asked if I knew of any examples of such a partnership; I was sure it existed, but couldn’t think of any off hand.

Today, my father sent me this article:

Somalis reach out to Jewish community

Oct 29, 2008 04:30 AM

Nicholas Keung
Immigration/Diversity Reporter

A first-generation Somali Canadian immigrant, Toronto law student Ayan Hersi didn’t know whom to turn to for advice and help pursuing her career.

But an innovative program, announced yesterday, is expected to give the 27-year-old woman and youth from her 250,000-strong community – one of Greater Toronto’s and Canada’s most impoverished – a needed lift by matching them with mentors from the more established Jewish community.

“Our generation is still young and the future is in our hands. Unlike others, we can’t call so and so and ask for help,” said Hersi, who has an undergraduate degree in equity studies, political science and African studies, and is pursuing a law degree at University of Toronto.

“We always have to go outside the community for help,” she added. “I am the first in my family to have graduated from a university, and studying law.”

The unusual partnership between the Canadian Somali Congress, the United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto and the Canadian Jewish Congress is the brainchild of the Canadian International Peace Project, a non-partisan charitable organization that helps bring together diverse groups to work on peace, security and development projects.

Hersi is paired with James Morton, past president of the Ontario Bar Association, whose Jewish immigrant family arrived in Canada in the 1960s from Europe via the U.S.

Mark Persaud, peace project founder, said the Somali community has identified the lack of mentorship opportunity as a huge disadvantage for its young people. He hopes the program can be a model for future initiatives.

Wonderful! I hope it’s reaching beyond the legal sector as well.

Filed under: canada, cooperation, judaism

Just, ethical kashrus!

Check out my post on Jewschool about Hekhsher Tzedek!

Yay!

Filed under: cooperation, good eats, judaism, politics

Coffee

This is mostly a post reminding myself to take advantage of this. But, hey, you should too! From the Jew and the Carrot we find that there’s a coffee

that’s not only organic, kosher and free trade, but it’s grown by a cooperative of Jews, Christians and Muslims in Uganda. The co-op is called Mirembe Kawomera, which means Delicious Peace in Luganda. You can buy the coffee off their website, for $10.50 for 12 oz. which comes out to almost ten cents less per ounce than some blends at Starbucks. And if you can arrange a big order for your community (20 lbs or more), prices go down even further, to $8.00 for 12 oz. Coffee that saves me money, is free trade, organic, kosher, and part of a project that promotes peace and interfaith initiatives? The only way it could get any better would be if it found me a boyfriend and cleaned the cat litter.

Once I’m settled into my new place, you can be certain I’ll be looking for folks to join me on a bulk buy.

(And, yes, this means that my attempts to give up coffee have been going poorly. I’m back up to 3-4/week from the 1/week from the 2-3/day.)

Filed under: cooperation, good eats