Rabbinic Advisor
Jews United for Justice (JUFJ, along with our sister 501(c)4 organization, the JUFJ Campaign Fund) is seeking a Rabbinic Advisor to strengthen our Jewish framing within our programmatic, development, and communications work. This role reports to the Program Director. This position can be structured as a consultant or a part-time staff member and will work with a staff based in the Washington, DC/Maryland area.
About Jews United for Justice
Jews United for Justice advances economic, racial, and social justice in the Washington, DC and Maryland region by educating and mobilizing our local Jewish communities to action. We move our region closer to equity and justice by advancing issue-based campaigns that make real, immediate, and concrete improvements in people’s lives and build the power of working-class and poor communities of color. Through these campaigns we develop leaders, build our Jewish grassroots community, shift the consciousness of our community, and build the collective power needed to undo systemic racism and inequality. Learn more about JUFJ.
Work Objectives
Support Programmatic Work | Support the Organizing Team
- Work with the organizing and communications teams to contribute Jewish framing and occasional ritual guidance to programmatic work, including but not limited to, campaign materials, campaign-related events, and educational programming, testimony.
- Support program development for Labor on the Bimah, Labor and Social Justice Seders, and other events during Jewish holidays.
Internal Education and Support | Support the Organization.
- Be a point of contact for staff and create space for processing in times of political crisis.
- Create and lead Jewish education presentations to staff.
- Work with the Senior Leadership Team to provide Jewish framing around policies, strategic plans, and additional organization-wide documentation.
Development and Communications | Support the Development and Communication Departments.
- Partner with the communications team to incorporate Jewish framing and grounding in external communications such as email and social media.
- Provide Jewish content for direct mail campaigns, including but not limited to development campaigns and two or three annual holiday cards.
- Participate in the content creation process for the annual Heschel Vision Awards.
- Provide invocations, expert guidance and/or content and/or rabbinic presence for briefings and other donor events.
Key Qualifications & Experience
We’re looking for candidates with particular strengths in the following areas:
- Belief in Mission: Actively demonstrates commitment to the mission of Jews United for Justice and is excited in the intersection of Jewish community and progressive activism.
- Jewish Textual Knowledge: A rabbi or rabbinic student who has a deep knowledge of Jewish texts and thought on a wide range of topics and issues.
- Pluralistic Judaism: Understands and affirms that there are many different types of Jews, and can communicate from a perspective that acknowledges and is inclusive of many different denominational, racial, ethnic, and religious identities. (For example, white Jews and Jews of Color, and Jews who are cultural, Conservative, Orthodox, Reconstructionist, Reform, secular humanist, etc.)
- Activism Experience/Knowledge: Has a background or understanding of activism work.
- Self-Starter: Able to take initiative on projects and work with little supervision. Has an eye on the Jewish calendar and can prepare for upcoming holiday content without prompting from other staff.
- Team Player/Supporter: Has a strong orientation toward teamwork and collaboration. Views own work as supporting the whole and integral to the team’s effectiveness. We’re pretty busy here, and your job would be to make things run smoothly.
Logistics
- Compensation: $35-45/hour, commensurate with experience.
- Hours: Flexible, 5-15 hours per week, depending on rabbinic advisor and JUFJ’s seasonal development and programmatic needs.
- Location: This is a contract position working with staff based in the Baltimore-Washington area/with offices in Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC. Applicants may work remotely, and may choose to be a part-time employee if they are located in DC, MD, or CA. Preference for applicants based in Maryland and Washington, DC.
JUFJ is committed to building a diverse team that draws on the strengths of people with a variety of identities, backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. People of color, indigenous people, LGBTQ+ people, and immigrants are particularly encouraged to apply. Please send a cover letter, resume, and 2-3 professional references to jobs@jufj.org and include Rabbinic Advisor in the subject line.
