We are transforming faith-based nonprofits, serving today’s seeker

Yerusha is a worker’s democracy, in which the employees guide all functions of the organization. Our employees determine their conditions within a democratic work-space. The employees form the sole governing body of Yerusha, the General Circle.

We are a space where all workers may step fully into their power. We support each other to exercise our power in ways that support the creative and professional development of one another. We interrogate and transform relationships where one person’s empowerment relies on the disempowerment, control, or coercion of another.

Informed and inspired by Jewish wisdom and tradition, we are an enterprise committed to a universalist value, bridging divides and building mutually empowering relationships with people of all faiths. We cultivate an awareness of the need to learn from and with people of other heritages, finding our similarities, and celebrating our differences.

Our work and our liberation is deeply bound together with many communities. We foster relationships and understandings that will allow us to do our work in a way that uplifts all people. We engage in the ongoing practice of solidarity, and remain open to feedback from all communities we touch.

We seek out and meet other organizations as potential collaborators in order to build mutually beneficial programs together. We serve as an example to other faith-based organizations, that collegial collaboration combines the best of our offerings and strengthens our missions, while competition limits our reach and effectiveness.

We champion progressive thought both within the faith community and in the world at large. We do not use our faith to oppose new knowledge in science and ethics, instead using it as a lens through which to understand the modern world.

We are rooted in ancient and beautiful traditions that do not restrict our journeys into the future, but provide guidance and familiarity along the way. We learn from and grapple with the long history and literature of Judaism, from the Torah and Prophets, to the Chassidic masters, and modern theologians, such as Dr. Abraham Joshua Heschel and Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi.

We are called to shed light on the hidden traditions passed down matrilineally, such as that transmitted through Rivka Davidson and her predecessors.

In the tradition of Deep Ecumenism, we also learn from and affirm the heritages of our employees, volunteers, and partners.

We commit ourselves to the repair of the material world. Our traditions demand that we pursue justice. We create a space where all people may belong, regardless of nationality, religion, race, class, gender, sexual orientation, ability, or any other dimension of their experience. In our programming and operational practices, we are committed to anti-racism, labor justice, gender justice, and oppose all forms of ableism, ageism, classism, queerphobia, xenophobia, and supremacy.

We acknowledge that we have been conditioned by a system that centers some dimensions of humanity at the expense of others. In order to create a radically inclusive space, we must take proactive steps to elevate the people, identities, cultures, energies, and characteristics that our dominant system marginalizes. Wherever possible, we commit to not only be allies, but to elevate the voices of, seek counsel from, and provide leadership opportunities for marginalized groups. This requires taking proactive steps to ensure our activities do not unintentionally reproduce the oppression of the dominant system by excluding the needs of women, LGBTQIA+ people, BIPOC people, disabled people, or any other group that is often denied voice in the decisions that impact them.

As an educational organization, we commit ourselves to learning and growing. We courageously review every aspect of our services and repair wherever we falter. Our staff and faculty are human, and will make mistakes. We will admit to our faults, learn from them, and grow as individuals and a collective.

Our learning is multi-directional and we implement systems that allow for honest reflection throughout our organization. Whenever possible, we ensure opportunities for improvement and growth among our staff, faculty, volunteers, and partners.

When the wisdom and experiences of elders are partnered with those of young people, they have the potential to become a powerful force.

We acknowledge the harm of the societal divide between generations, the material inequity and resentment it has produced. We create opportunities for equal, non-paternalistic partnerships across generations, in order to strengthen our programming and organization, and foster a healing environment.