Dear Friends,
This is not a thing that I usually do, but as one of my intentions in recent years has been to do less hiding and return to the version of myself that is out in the world with my work and my thoughts, I decided to take the opportunity that comes with turning our calendars over to a new decade to write this letter in the hopes that it finds those of you who will be interested in reading it.
I’ll start by saying hello and I have missed you. Whether I have gotten to see or talk with you in the last week or it has been years, even decades, I am certain that I have thought of you at least once since the last time we’ve talked, and though I most likely didn’t reach out, there was certainly a part of me that wanted to, a part of me that felt a pang of nostalgia for our love, our friendship, a conversation we had, a moment we shared, a look that said more than our words could. You have shown up in my dreams, my conscious and subconscious thoughts, and more often than you might think, I sit in appreciation of all the people who have shown up in my life. And if you happen to have found your way to this letter with us not yet having met, I miss you too. I believe that in a way we must already know each other, and I look forward to one day meeting in person.
I am writing this on the afternoon of January 2nd from the New York Public Library in midtown Manhattan. It has been quite some time since I have sat here to write and I am being flooded with memories and associations with this place that I have accumulated over the years. The last week and a half, in fact, has been full of moments like this as I have made my way around New York City for the first time since moving away (again) over the summer.
This leads me to my first life update. Since the end of August I have been living in San Diego. My partner of the last two years (for some of you this may be it’s own update) began a graduate program this fall and I moved out there with her. Starting with a cross country road trip including some incredible desert camping, I took the last four months as a mini sabbatical that included writing (early attempts at memoir based essays wrestling with notions of identity, community, ancestry and place that I will be continuing to spend some time with), personal travel (Portugal for a Fellowship, Germany for a hiking trip and a day in Berlin where I found the street my Grandfather lived before he had to flee), and time to recharge while imagining what kinds of work and life projects I want step into in this next phase of my life and our time here in the world.
Before getting into some of the many ideas that I’ve had I will say that it has been a real joy to take some time to relax and enjoy a quiet and simple day to day existence filled with cooking, reading, biking to the ocean and being present with a person that I love.
My move to San Diego meant having to let go of some of the New York based work I had been doing the last few years including Restorative Justice Coaching with several public schools and directing the Avodah Justice Fellowship. These two projects were a real anchor for my last couple of years and I already miss the teams that I built and worked and learned with. But as you probably know about me, I am perpetually pulled towards new projects, towards the acts of design and experimentation, towards the unknown. And while this is still true, I no longer have the energy or desire to build entire new organizations. I have instead become much more interested in answering the calls of people I love and respect to see what I could contribute than in making up entire new things, at least for now. And where that has lead me is a few incredible projects that I am very excited about.
A real benefit of this new approach is that I have gotten to expand the areas that I am working in by focusing on the parts of the work that I am most drawn to and most good at. And recently the parts of the work that I am most drawn to are program design, facilitation of groups, and supporting people and groups to work through challenges and conflict. I do miss my Survival Project and Kadia communities. I miss being part of a team that is immersed in running a program, building connections through intense and powerful experiences together, and engaged in the practice of deepening our work through continued practice. I am certain that life will find me in that kind of work again but for now I have been embracing and enjoying the opportunity to work on a wide variety of issues that I care about.
This year will see me getting to work on a curriculum for Jewish summer camps and educational institutions that looks at Israeli society through the lens of activists working and fighting for justice in a variety of ways while complicating narratives and supporting the development of multiple perspective taking, values based inquiry, and engaging with complexity.
I will be returning to Puerto Rico to facilitate a series of Decolonization and Learning Experiences for US based people to learn from Puerto Rican activists and become equipped to return home and fight in solidarity for the end of US colonialism.
And I will be facilitating an online course for white educators who are ready to go beyond conversations about white privilege and begin embodying anti-racist values in their daily practice. (There’s still a couple of spots open if you or someone you know might want to apply!)
It feels like a lot when I put it all together like that but the great thing I’m continuing to learn about getting to work with great teams and through a variety of organizations is that it is not overwhelming because I really do get to focus on the parts of the work that I am most suited to and most able to offer a contribution.
I appreciate you reading this letter and I hope that this year and decade to come finds you in enjoyment, fulfillment and purpose. There are so many challenges in the world and a thing that I have learned, at least about myself, is that I am in my best life and my best self when I am finding ways to bring who and what I am to the work of facing those challenges and fighting on the side of my values.
Love and Liberation in this new year,
Jonah
and straight on 'til morning... 