Rabbi Sandra

They Kept Walking There are weeks when history feels distant.

They Kept Walking

There is a particular grief in losing elders.
In Jewish tradition, when we lose someone, we say zikhronam livracha — may their memory be a blessing. But memory cannot be passive. It asks something of us.
open.substack.com/pub/rabbisan...

They Kept Walking There are weeks when history feels distant.

They Kept Walking

There is a particular grief in losing elders.
In Jewish tradition, when we lose someone, we say zikhronam livracha — may their memory be a blessing. But memory cannot be passive. It asks something of us. open.substack.com/pub/rabbisan...

When Micromanagement Is Racism Micromanagement is often framed as a leadership style that is anxiety-driven, controlling, or perfectionistic.

Micromanagement is often framed as a leadership style that is anxiety-driven, controlling, or perfectionistic. But when it is disproportionately directed at Black people, it’s about power—a way to express distrust and undermine authority. open.substack.com/pub/rabbisan...

This 👇🏾

Rev. Jesse Jackson passed away this morning. We lost a giant.
I am deeply grateful that I had the opportunity to thank him for paving the way for so many of us.
His life was a testament to what it looks like to keep showing up for the dream of a more just world.

Micromanagement is often framed as a leadership style—anxiety-driven, controlling. But when disproportionately directed at Black people, it's about power. Racism shows up as excessive oversight, constant correction, and the assumption that Black professionals need more supervision.

Jewish Safety and Jewish Life Are Not Rivals On Bret Stephens and who gets to speak for the Jewish future

Repeatedly elevating the same center-right, middle-aged voices as arbiters of ‘what Jews need’ risks missing the very people who are the Jewish future.

open.substack.com/pub/rabbisan...

The Fantasy of Going Back Happy Sunday.

“The last 50 years haven’t weakened us. They’ve made us more representative. More capable of holding the complexity of real human lives.”
open.substack.com/pub/rabbisan...

Federal agents are executing American citizens in the streets.
This is state terror. The federal government wants you to not believe your own eyes.
No community in America should have to deal with this.

Cartoon reads "JEWS AGAINST ICE," signed J.A.K. A silhouetted figure blows a shofar; its blast blows away a small ICE agent in uniform and gear.

Fighting for justice is Jewish tradition.

MAGA counts on violence to make us afraid. To turn us against our neighbors. To distract from their failures to address affordability, healthcare, and other crises.

We refuse to look away or be divided.
We reject ICE.

Art by @jasonadamk.bsky.social

Thank you for this ❤️

Thank you for illustrating the point. Saying 'Israel is fueling antisemitism' still places responsibility for bigotry on its targets rather than on those who choose hate. Antisemites are responsible for antisemitism. Criticize Israel all you want - antisemitism is still just hate

Blaming Jews for antisemitism is victim-blaming. We are each responsible for our own bias and hate.

Martin Luther King Jr., Minneapolis, and the Refusal to Be Silent A recording from Rabbi Sandra Lawson's live video

Sharing open.substack.com/pub/rabbisan...

Martin Luther King Jr. Would Be Getting Arrested at ICE Facilities Today is Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.

We honor King with a holiday. He asked us for courage.

open.substack.com/pub/rabbisan...

Martin Luther King Jr. Would Be Getting Arrested at ICE Facilities

Parashat Va’era: When Breath is Short This week’s Torah portion, Va’era, opens in the midst of pain.

Kotzer ruach is what happens when trauma settles into the body. It’s the tightness in the chest when we learn a synagogue has been destroyed by fire. It’s the shallow breathing that comes with shock, grief, fear, and anger compressed together.

open.substack.com/pub/rabbisan...

Predawn fire reduces parts of Mississippi's largest synagogue to charred ruins - Mississippi Today A fire heavily damaged Jackson’s only synagogue before dawn Saturday – the same house of worship that was firebombed by the Ku Klux Klan in 1967 because the rabbi had been an advocate for civil rights...

Waking up to devastating news: Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, Mississippi - the city’s only synagogue - was attacked by an arsonist and suffered heavy fire damage.
Sending love to the congregation and community. mississippitoday.org/2026/01/10/f...

YouTube video by Rabbi Sandra When Power Refuses to Know: Shemot and State Violence Parashat Shemot

When power refuses to know: Shemot and State Violence youtu.be/uakw474ZIVs?...

Big tent Judaism was always aspirational and we were moving in that direction but is this era now over or is it something worth fighting for?

Shemot as Liberation Theology What does it mean for God to take sides?

Shemot as Liberation Theology
open.substack.com/pub/rabbisan...

Clarity Over Caution I’ve been musing over this phrase:

“Clarity builds community faster than caution ever will.” open.substack.com/pub/rabbisan...

Things are only going to get worse for Jews from here Nobody seems to be making a dent in antisemitism — even as problematic beliefs about Jews continue to grow

@arnorosenfeld.bsky.social
open.substack.com/pub/antisemi...

Trump bombed Venezuela, captured Maduro, and says the US will now ‘run the country’ and control its oil all without congressional approval.

Remember when Trump said he knew nothing about Project 2025? Now he’s bombing countries to enact it.
This operation is the direct implementation of what Project 2025 explicitly called “re-hemisphering” - capturing Latin American supply chains and resources as a requirement of US economic security.

Are we really doing this again? Another Republican president launching an illegal war of choice?

I thought Trump was trying to get rid of all the immigrants and foreigners, so why is he bringing one in?

It was a big year, new job as Executive Director, a move to Durham, new responsibilities, new adventures. If 2025 taught me anything, it’s that life can change fast.

Let’s rock 2026. 💛

It’s almost midnight, and I’ve spent all day trying to write an end-of-year reflection, only to remember I’m an internal processor.

So this is it: Happy New Year, my friends. I love you. Thank you for all the support in 2025.