Juneteenth Tikkun Resources & Texts

8:30pm Welcome Ritual and Explanation of Tikkun

Opening Service PDF

9:00pm-12:00am What is this Wilderness?

9:00-9:30pm Finding our place and defining our terms
9:30-11:00pm Video Text Study–Unpacking Systemic Racism

- Videos to watch on your own:
- John Oliver: Police Accountability (20 minutes)
- Housing Discrimination/Redlining Practices (20 minutes)

11:00pm-12:00am Guided Introspection and Journaling
- Why is it challenging for white people to think about (and do something about) white privilege?
- How do you see societal issues like housing, poverty, economic status, and policing related to white privilege?
- In what ways have these videos, the slideshow and our opening resources thus far challenged your perceptions of systemic racism?

12:00-1:30am Our Sustenance for the Journey

12:00-12:30am The concept of Repentance in Judaism, Christianity and Islam
12:30-1:30am Facing the Scripture: Sarah-Abraham-Hagar
- Genesis 16, 21, 25:7-11

1:30-4:00am In the Darkness of this Wilderness

1:30-2:00am A Service of Lament
- Service of Lament handout
2:00-2:20am The Horror in American Art and Song
2:20-2:30am Facing the Abyss–8:46 of Evil in the George Floyd killing
2:30-4:30am A partial list of the names of victims of police violence and American lynching.
- Memorial Service handout

4:00-5:30am The Path from Wilderness

4:00-4:30am Personal Reflection and Accountability, Developing an Action Plan
- Personal Reflection/Action Plan
- Black Lives Matter Resources
4:30-5:00am Making Change in Our Jewish Community
- Privilege Checklist
5:00-5:30am What do we want change to look like in Northern Virginia?

5:30-6:30am Closing ritual

5:30am Personal preparation or travel to NVHC
6:00am Sounding of the Shofar and Traditional Ring Shout Reading and Dance (all participants will be asked to stay in cars, watch on phones and listen through cracked windows).

Additional Resources

A series of links about the acclaimed The Half Has Never Been Told by Edward E. Baptist, history professor at Cornell University, that provides a framework for how slavery has been used to support the economy of the United States:
20-minute TED talk by sociology professor Robin DiAngelo discussing her bestselling book, White Fragility
Report on lynching in America by the Equal Justice Initiative
The Federal Writer’s Project Slave Narratives, a collection of 2,300 first-person accounts of slavery in America
A short video explanation of red-lining

About

Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation is a Reform Jewish community of passionate people who embrace innovation, engagement, and exploration. We welcome everyone, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual identity, whether single or in a relationship, Jewish or non-Jewish. We celebrate our diversity and are open to all who wish to join us in us in our community of Jewish spiritual, educational, and cultural life. Come join us – together we will worship, connect, learn, and build a better world.