Our Core Pillars
To achieve our vision and deliver on our mission, we organize our work within three pillars that encompass the full scope of our activities and programmatic offerings. These three pillars are Community-Centered Torah Learning, JOC Educator Support, and Amplification of Jewish Wisdom.
These three pillars are interconnected: some Ammud members who engage in community-centered learning will go on to become Jewish educators, and our community in turn will be fueled by these educators as they return to support Ammud in various ways. These educators will also produce and amplify their own culturally-responsive Jewish wisdom, which will in turn enrich not only the broader Jewish community but also our community-centered learning, helping to attract new members to our spaces as we grow Ammud’s public presence as an organization that distinctly serves the reli- gious and spiritual lives of Jews of Color.
These three pillars are sustained by our internal operations — everything that we do to ensure that we remain a strong and resilient organization that is equipped to serve our communities for many years to come.
What Do Our Core Pillars Mean?
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Since its founding, the heart of Ammud’s model has been a dedicated “house of learning” for JOCs to explore and engage with Torah and Jewish life. Through this work, we know that Ammud has created a profound sense of safety and belonging for JOCs — and that there is a deep yearning among community members for even more opportunities to build Jewish knowledge and literacy with Ammud and to create Jewish wisdom. In the next three years, we aspire to become a center of innovative culturally-sustaining Torah as we attract more JOC members across the country.
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While creating our own Torah learning spaces for JOCs is core to what we do, we also know there is tremendous opportunity to support JOCs to thrive as teachers and leaders in a wide range of con- texts within the Jewish community — both within and outside of Ammud’s “doors.” Our programs and offerings in this area can help Jewish educators to amplify their profiles, reach their dreams and potential, and share their Torah with the world.
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In order to achieve our vision of complete and whole Jewish communities, we need to create and disseminate the culturally-relevant Torah and inclusive Jewish wisdom by JOCs, making it available not just within the Ammud community but also to the broader Jewish community.
