We are currently seeking a full-time Community Organizer to organize Jews of Color. In 2014, JFREJ member leaders created a groundbreaking Jews of Color Caucus to give JOCs a political home and build community. In 2016 JFREJ Jews of Color organized the Jews of Color National Convening and currently the caucus holds retreats, social gatherings, shabbats and a community-based learning and political education series. Caucus members are, or have been, in leadership on many JFREJ campaigns and programs, as well as the staff and board of directors. JFREJ’s Jews of Color organizing has had an enormous impact on the landscape of the Jewish community and been transformational for many Jews of Color. It continues to be a challenging and generative process of organizational change with major opportunities for growth, learning, and healing.

The Community Organizer will also have a significant role supporting JFREJ’s ongoing campaigns for racial & economic justice in New York City, working with members, our partner organizations and coalitions, and other stakeholders. Since the 1990s, JFREJ has been on the front lines of the movement to end police brutality and hold the NYPD accountable. JFREJ Jews of Color — specifically Black Jews — have led our community’s Jews4BlackLives actions in response to police violence, seeking justice for the families who’ve lost loved ones to NYPD violence in partnership with Justice Committee. We’ve fought against Stop & Frisk by helping to pass the Community Safety Act and the Right To Know Act. As part of Communities United for Police Reform, we turn out in the streets, advocate for legislation in the City Council, and do trainings to change the culture of our neighborhoods. Following the 2016 election, we joined our allies in founding Hate Free Zones, a community defense system that will allow us to defend our communities from workplace raids, deportations, mass criminalization, violence, and systemic violation of our rights and dignity. In the last year, our members and allies have also moved towards an Invest/Divest or Freedom to Thrive strategy for a community safety. That means we fight for the overall shrinking of size and scope of punitive systems such as police and prisons, and instead create, prioritize, and invest in the systems and institutions that actually keep us safe and help all communities thrive–like health care, housing, education, and employment. Our new Hate Violence Prevention Initiative marries that strategy with our work against anti-Semitism. A broad coalition of organizations who are directly impacted by hate violence are pushing the City to better resource community-based hate violence prevention, reporting and response while working against reliance on criminal prosecution and the NYPD.

The Community Organizer will also work to strengthen the overall JFREJ membership base and support our leadership development, political education, and cultural organizing.

Job Responsibilities:

The Community Organizer will be responsible for the following:

• Building the membership, leadership and vision for the Jews of Color Caucus and Jews of Color organizing at JFREJ; supporting this constituency with political education, community care and active, enthusiastic engagement;
• Working closely with the Director of Organizing, JFREJ member leaders, and partner organizations such as Communities United for Police Reform and Hate Free Zones; collaborating with partners on campaign development, legislative & budget advocacy, and mobilization to ensure that all New Yorkers have the freedom to thrive;
• Developing the racial justice analysis of JFREJ members and thought leadership for the Jewish Community at large;
• Growing JFREJ’s broader grassroots membership base;
• Building, training, and supporting JFREJ’s membership to successfully take on increasing leadership roles in campaigns and throughout the organization;
• Building relationships with JFREJ’s ally organizations, and with Jewish institutions and organizations throughout the city and state;
• Supporting political education programming, organizational fundraising, communications, and other organizing efforts as needed; and
• Supporting the overall infrastructure of JFREJ to keep our systems streamlined as we grow in this political moment.

Qualifications:

Jews For Racial & Economic Justice seeks candidates who are results-oriented, excel at building relationships, and have demonstrated success managing complicated projects. The Community Organizer will have:

• A demonstrated commitment to meeting (and exceeding) high standards and a history of getting things done even in the face of obstacles;
• Proven success in relationship-building and base-building as a professional or volunteer community organizer;
• Demonstrated ability to break down large projects into smaller discrete tasks that can be distributed to member leaders;
• A sense of humor and ability to roll with the punches in an ever-shifting political and movement landscape;
• Commitment to, and experience with, collaborative team structure and work environments; and
• Deep knowledge of and commitment to racial justice & economic justice; commitment to feminism & disability justice in our movements.

The following are a plus but not requirements:

• 2-5 years experience as a grassroots community organizer or leading in the Jews of Color community;
• Experience working with low-income communities, people of color, and immigrant communities;
• Bilingual Bangla/English, Urdu/English, Tagalog/English, Arabic/English, or Spanish/English;
• Familiarity with the New York Jewish community and the New York political landscape
• Familiarity with the city and state legislative processes;
• Experience developing and implementing campaign strategy; and
• Experience with press, communications and social media.

How To Apply

Please email a resume and thoughtful cover letter, outlining how your skills, experience, and interests meet the qualifications of the position to hiring@jfrej.org, subject line: Community Organizer Application.” Applications are due at 5pm on May 13th, 2019.

Location: 330 Seventh Ave. Ste 1901, New York, NY 10001