Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion 

Learn More About us by Reading the DEI committee Bios

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A Message from the DEI Committee November 2023

Come As You Are, Know You Belong

A Message from the CBH Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
(DEI) Committee

We wish to express our sincere gratitude to the CBH community for supporting last Friday’s Teaching Shabbat.  Thank you to everyone who helped with planning and carrying out this special experience.  We appreciate your connection to CBH and your commitment to including others in the beauty of Jewish rituals. The recording is available on YouTube at this link.  Please feel free to share it within and beyond our CBH community.

A few highlights from the evening include…

• There were approximately 100+ people in attendance, including at least four church representatives.

• Afterward, a number of people lingered and expressed appreciation for the event as well as concern for us, their Jewish neighbors.

• We received positive feedback from both current partners and visitors that the atmosphere felt inviting and comfortable, and the service was informative and moving. 

The DEI Committee is a relatively new group at CBH and we are always striving to learn more and do better.  We welcome your feedback.  Please contact deiatcbh@googlegroups.com if you have any comments, concerns, or questions about the Teaching Shabbat specifically or our work in general.

Teaching Shabbat

A Message from the DEI Committee June 2023

What is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth is an annual holiday, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas with news that the war was over and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which had little impact on the Texans due to the lack of Union troops there to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of the Confederacy in April of 1865, and the arrival of a Union Army regiment, Union forces were finally strong enough to overcome the resistance.

Fast forward to June 17, 2021: President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday. Juneteenth is significant because it marks our country’s second independence day.

Learn more at: Juneteenth.com and The National Museum of African American History & Culture

“Juneteenth offers a powerful and much-needed platform for Jews to engage in conversations about race.”
— Rabbi Isaama Goldstein-Stoll, Director of Youth Organizing – Local Communities and Synagogues for the Union of Reform Judaism 

“As a Black Jew, I see Juneteenth as a beautiful reminder to not be complacent. While this holiday is a joyous one that affirms the Jewish notion that we are all created b’tzelem Elohim and deserve to be free from bondage, it’s equally important to remember that the fight for true equality is ongoing.”
— Chaim Ezra Harrison writing for Kveller

“As Jews, we know the value of marking the end of slavery. We do so yearly at Passover. While Juneteenth is a similar marker of resilience, joy, and remembrance, we must remember that freedom for African Americans in America was not fully achieved by this monumental moment.” 
— Shekhiynah Larks writing for Be’chol Lashon / Global Jews

A Message from the DEI Committee June 2023

June is Pride Month and the CBH DEI Committee encourages you to participate, explore, listen, take action, learn, share, and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community!

PARTICIPATE: Please join us in person or through Zoom on Friday, June 2 at 6:00 pm for Pride Shabbat featuring a  special guest speaker and liturgical music by LGBTQ+ artists.  And the rumor is true: rainbow challah at the Oneg afterward!

EXPLORE: Keshet is a national organization working for LGBTQ+ equality in all facets of Jewish life. Check out their online library of queer takes on Torah portions and Jewish holidays, written by dynamic scholars, rabbis, activists, and lay leaders. CBH is proud to be included this year in Keshet’s Equality Directory!

LISTEN: Wholly Jewish shares deeply personal, one-on-one interviews that remind us that we all live—and balance—complex and nuanced identities. Listen to season two of this podcast to hear stories from the Jewish LGBTQ+ community.  

TAKE ACTION: Sign up with the Davis Phoenix Coalition to learn about ways you can help eliminate intolerance in our community and beyond.  Join in the Coalition’s quest to make the world a better place, one courageous action at a time.

LEARN: The ACLU maintains a user-friendly database to track state bills that attack LGBTQ rights.  There are currently over 450 bills on this list.  Be a strong ally by making a commitment to educate yourself in pursuit of justice.

SHARE: Share the work that the Nonbinary Hebrew Project is doing to build a bigger tent for nonbinary Jews through third-gender grammar systematics for Hebrew.  

CELEBRATE: The Davis Pride website has information about Skate With Pride, Bike With Pride, the Run/Walk, the Community Fair, and other local events.  All activities are inclusive, outdoors, and kid-friendly.  We encourage you to celebrate in a way that feels right for you!  

A Message from the DEI Committee 
May 2023

Welcoming Each Other at Congregation Bet Haverim

Congregation Bet Haverim strives to welcome partners and visitors with a spirit of openness and inclusivity. To help create the warm and friendly congregation we aspire to be, our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee developed a guide to support more thoughtful interactions with one another. Our goal is to ensure all CBH partners, friends, and visitors actively experience a sense of belonging at CBH. In offering suggestions, and not rules, we hope that small shifts in language and actions can lead to more meaningful connections with one another.
Welcoming Each Other at Congregation Bet Haverim

A Message from the DEI Committee 
April 2023

Come As You Are, Know You Belong
A Message from the CBH Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee

Did you know that April is National Autism Awareness Month?

And just what is Autism? Autism is a complex, developmental condition that typically appears during early childhood and can impact a person’s ability to communicate, ability to form and maintain relationships, and behavioral self-regulation. The Autism experience is uniquely different for everyone and is often referred to as a “spectrum condition” that affects people to varying degrees and at different stages of life.

Autism awareness is important, but we shouldn’t stop there. Autistic people need their community to go beyond awareness and to offer acceptance and inclusion.

Autistic author Elle Love wrote: “Creating awareness was the first step in our conversation about disability inclusion, however, acceptance enforces awareness and reflects how our society should celebrate the differences and abilities that neurodivergent people have.”

In that spirit of growing from awareness to inclusion, the CBH DEI Committee invites you to explore the resources below:

Yolo Neurodiverse Network (YNN) – YNN was founded by four remarkable women from Davis, two of which, Heidi Smith and Jennie Singer, are CBH members. YNN provides support and resources for those who care for neurodivergent individuals (i.e., Autism, ADHD, Tourette’s, Sensory Processing Challenges, Learning Disabilities, etc.). They hold monthly meetings at the Davis Public Library.

Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism – A source for carefully curated, evidence-based, neurodiversity-steeped information from autistic people, parents, and autism professionals.

NeuroClastic – The Autism Spectrum according to Autistic people. A collective of Autistic people responsive to the evolving needs and trajectory of the Autistic community for a future that is more accepting, accommodating, and empowering.

Autism Level UP! – Autism Level UP aims to assist people in the journey from Autism awareness and acceptance to Autism empowerment and advocacy. 

All Brains Are Awesome – This site is run by a “neurodivergent family physician with a passion for educating kids about their brains.”

Contact Us
The DEI Committee consists of Cynthia Goldberg, Allison Goldsmith, Ilana Golin, Gilbert Mohtes-Chan, Lori Raineri, Mitch Singer, Bob Smith, and Laurie Stillman. You may reach out to any of us individually or the entire committee at deiatcbh@googlegroups.com.

A Message from the DEI Committee
March 2023

Come As You Are, Know You Belong
A Message from the CBH Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee

Passover will begin on April 5th, and we know many partners are already starting to make plans for seders you will host or attend.  When we think of Passover, many of us think of “welcoming the stranger.”  In that spirit of welcoming and inclusion, the CBH DEI Committee encourages you to explore the resources below as part of your preparation for Passover.

Consider using a racial justice and inclusivity haggadah (or excerpts from one)
Be’chol Lashon offers a Racial Justice and Inclusivity Haggadah on their website as a free download.

Consider inviting non-Jewish family and friends to your seder
The organization 2 For Seder offers a variety of resources for hosts and guests about how to effectively include non-Jewish family and friends who have never been to a seder before. 

Consider ways in which you can create a more inclusive seder for LGBTQ+ individuals
Keshet works for the full equality of all LGBTQ Jews and their families in Jewish life and offers a variety of resources for Passover on their website, including a GLBTQ + Ally Haggadah.

Consider ways in which you can create a more inviting seder for people with disabilities
The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) offers a number of tips for hosting a disabilities-friendly Seder.

Consider creating your own haggadah
Haggadot.com is a website that makes it easy to create your own haggadah or download an existing one with a specific theme.  There are built-in filter options (e.g., Interfaith, Jews Around the World, Race, Social Justice, Disability, Feminism, and LGBTQ+) that you can use to customize your own complete haggadah or specific portions of your seder.

Start with a few small steps
We encourage you to embrace the opportunity Passover presents to expand human freedom by committing to one or two actions that feel both personally meaningful and logistically feasible.  Remember: “You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it” (Pirkei Avot 2:21).

Contact Us
The DEI Committee consists of Cynthia Goldberg, Allison Goldsmith, Ilana Golin, Gilbert Mohtes-Chan, Lori Raineri, Mitch Singer, Bob Smith, and Laurie Stillman. You may reach out to any of us individually or the entire Committee at deiatcbh@googlegroups.com.

A Message from the DEI Committee
February 2023

February is Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month

The CBH DEI committee is working to improve inclusivity within our congregation. To this end, we want to share that February is Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month, which unites Jewish communities worldwide to raise awareness and champion the rights of all Jews to be accepted and included in all aspects of Jewish community life.

We invite you to explore the following resources in order to learn how to best support CBH Partners (and people outside of CBH!) with visible and invisible disabilities:

– RespectAbility [https://www.respectability.org/] is a diverse, disability-led nonprofit that works to create systemic change in how society views and values people with disabilities. One of their core programs is called “Faith Inclusion and Belonging” and is focused on engaging and supporting faith-based organizations that, in the words of Rabbi Lynne Landsberg, believe “the ADA is a moral mandate for faith communities.” RespectAbility offers many resources on their Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month webpage [https://www.respectability.org/jdaim/].

– The Jewish Federations of North America and the Religious Action Center are co-hosting the annual Jewish Disability Advocacy Day on February 15, 2023. Learn more and register here [https://rac.org/blog/join-us-launch-jewish-disability-advocacy-day-2023].

– Being Heumann [https://judithheumann.com/being-heumann/] by Judith Heumann is an autobiography of a Jewish American woman who was influential in the Disability Rights movement and the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

– Crip Camp [cripcamp.com] is an award-winning documentary about a 1960’s camp in the Catskills for teens with disabilities. It is available on Netflix [https://www.netflix.com/title/81001496].

The DEI Committee consists of Cynthia Goldberg, Allison Goldsmith, Ilana Golin, Gilbert Mohtes-Chan, Lori Raineri, Mitch Singer, Bob Smith, and Laurie Stillman. You may reach out to any of us individually or the entire Committee at deiatcbh@googlegroups.com.

A Message from the DEI Committee 
January 2023

Come as You Are – Know You Belong

The CBH Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) would like to introduce our new DEI Pledge recently adopted by the CBH Board.

The CBH Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Pledge

We at Congregation Bet Haverim embrace the rich, diverse, interwoven fabric of our community as a source of strength, celebration, and learning.

We hold close to the Jewish tenet of B’tzelem Elohim, that humans are created “in the image of G-d,” and, therefore, each person is equally valued.

We strive to be responsive to the varied needs that may accompany Jews from a diversity of ethnic backgrounds, interfaith families, Jewish adjacent family members and friends, LGBTQ+ Jews, Jews of Color, Jews with disabilities or other accommodation needs, and other historically marginalized Jews.

We seek to ensure that our services, education, programs, policies, and practices embody these values, so that all those who belong, visit, or may be interested in our community are treated with dignity, and feel welcomed, respected, and included.

We recognize that our collective understanding of how best to support the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion is constantly evolving. In response, we are committed as an institution to continually grow, learn, and improve our capacity to broadly meet the needs of our partnership. We invite the feedback of our community to assist in achieving this goal.

The DEI Committee collaborates with CBH leadership, staff, committees, and congregants, to apply an introspective DEI lens to our services, education, programs, policies, and practices so that all may feel welcome, respected, and included. The DEI Committee consists of Cynthia Goldberg, Allison Goldsmith, Ilana Golin, Gilbert Mohtes-Chan, Lori Raineri, Mitch Singer, Bob Smith, and Laurie Stillman. Please reach out to any one of us individually, or to the entire Committee at deiatcbh@googlegroups.com.

The DEI Committees Mission Statement
October 2022

The DEI Committee’s role is to collaborate with CBH spiritual leadership, staff members, committees, and our congregation as a whole to carry out recommendations of the CBH 2022 DEI report. This process involves applying a DEI lens to CBH services, education, programs, policies, and practices so that all may feel welcome, respected, and included.

Key to this task will be to further identify and integrate the needs of the congregation with the focus on Jews from a diversity of ethnic backgrounds, interfaith families, Jewish adjacent family members and friends, LGBTQ+ Jews, Jews of Color, Jews with disabilities or other accommodation needs, and other historically marginalized Jews. 

The committee recognizes that our collective understanding of how best to support the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion is constantly evolving. In response, we are committed to continually grow, learn, and improve our capacity to broadly meet the needs of our partnership. We invite the feedback of our community to assist in achieving this goal.

DEI @ CBH Report Accepted by Board
May 2022

The DEI Working Group’s final report has been accepted by the CBH Board. The 29-page report made 41 specific recommendations to enrich CBH’s ability to thrive as a diverse and vibrant Jewish community. Recommendations were made along five themes: Big Picture, Communication, Facility & Safety, Services & Programs, and Training. 

The starting point is the creation of a DEI Committee to provide oversight and support for implementation over the next few years. Another is that the Board will endorse a statement supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion at CBH – specifically focused on four historically marginalized Jews which are in Interfaith Families, LGBTQ Jews, Jews of Color, and Jews with disabilities.

The new DEI Committee will begin working in the next few months. The goal is to have a small group whose members have ties to these underrepresented groups. If you or someone you know is interested in this work, please contact Cynthia Goldberg.

Please click here for the DEI @ CBH full report.

Please Click here for the one-page Executive Summary.