Rekindle Fellowship wants to bridge Black, Jewish communities
For years, friendship between the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rabbi Abraham Heschel has been held up as the example of the moral, social and political symbiosis between Blacks and Jews.
However, as decades have passed, the relationship has frayed, even fractured, as both groups find themselves besieged by an increase in hate crimes.
Matt Feldman and Charmaine Rice are working to restore the kinship through the Rekindle Fellowship, a Northeast Ohio organization they co-founded in 2020 to foster better relations between the two communities.
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"We're focusing on connecting the Black and Jewish community of Cleveland, with hopes of expanding nationally in 2023," Feldman said. "We bring together adults (ages) 30 to 65. They spend four sessions together; each is three hours long, with discussions and group work, and over the course of 12 hours, we get to now each other really well."
A member of Shaarey Tikvah Synagogue in Beachwood, Feldman said his Jewish faith compels him to act.
"We believe everyone is made in the image of God," he said. "Everyone has a divine spirit within them. We firmly believe in equality and equality in the Jewish faith. We believe in 'Tikkum Olam,' which is a mandate to 'repair the world.' It's on everyone to fulfill it in their own way. I've been blessed to work in both communities. It's my responsibility to take advantage of that. There's a quote from our sages, 'you don't have to complete the work, but you can't avoid it.'"
Rekindle graduated its fifth class, or cohort, in November.
"We recruited our first group in 2021," Feldman said. "Our alumni is a network of 70 adults who stay in touch on WhatsApp. They also have regular activities, which include Rekindle action projects. We don't just talk; we do."
Feldman is an entrepreneur with an emphasis on social change. He is a co-founder of Edwin's Restaurant, which trains former felons to work in the industry. Feldman also started Cleveland Codes, which helps people from low-income communities prepare for jobs in technology, and is a member of MAGNET, which is working to increase manufacturing in Northeast Ohio.
"Since 2010, I've been working in Cleveland with change-makers from all backgrounds," he said. "I helped start Edwin's Restaurant, which was really transformative for me. It's cliche to say a small group can transform the world, but it showed me that if you have a dream, you can make the a reality."
Feldman also started Cleveland Codes, which helps people from low-income communities prepare for jobs in technology, and is a member of MAGNET, which is working to increase manufacturing in Northeast Ohio.
Mission not accomplished
Rice, a professional diversity, equity and inclusion trainer, and Feldman met through a Cleveland Bridge Builders program, and Feldman's wife invited the group to their home for a Shabbat dinner.
"Several months later, Matt shared his idea for Rekindle, and asked me what I thought," Rice said. "Since I facilitate diversity, equity and inclusion discussions, he asked me to join and I said absolutely."
Rice said the mission of the program to bridge the two communities.
"The goal for me is creating a better, mutual understanding between the two communities, with each learning a little more about their respective journeys," she said. "I think we see a lot at the 30,000-foot level, whether it's slavery or the Holocaust. What's interesting is what I have learned through the relationship is how the Jewish community keeps their experience front-and-center. It's a part of everyday life. For me, personally, it was a strong opportunity to learn more to discover how to share that."
Asked how the two communities grew apart, Feldman and Rice have some theories.
"Since the 1970s, two things happened that fragmented us," Feldman said. "White society welcomes Jews for the first time in the suburbs. We left the inner cities, the same as the Irish and Germans. The Voting Rights Act passed, and white Jews told themselves, 'We won, the battle's over, let's move on.' That was a mistake."
Feldman said the rise of the Black Power movement and its emphasis on Black leadership − while positive − resulted in some Jews feeling "kicked out."
"I think a lot of what we're seeing today − lack of investment in the relationship in the long-term, and the un-truths we told ourselves that the Civil Rights movement was over, and that anybody can make it America − we forgot what we've done together," Feldman said.
Rice said the problem in both communities was in assuming that the mission was accomplished.
'Change starts with us'
"I think sometimes when we get to a goal, like when the Civil Rights Bill was passed, a lot of people thought the shared work that was done resulted in success, without thinking, 'This is a milestone in the journey,'" she said. "I think also the loss of several leaders in both communities, Rabbi Heschel and MLK, with their passing, a lot of the shared focused and shared relationships they built, I don't know of anyone else where I've seen that."
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The recent rise in hate crimes has at times been deadly. This month, the FBI shared that 7,000 bias crimes were reported in 2021, but experts suspect the actual number is much higher due to the growth in white supremacist and domestic extremist activities.
"I don't think it ever went away," Rice said. "If we're really honest with ourselves, what's changed is the means by which we communicate. People with phones in their hands, saying things either for or against, is part of the reality of where we're at. It's the forum and channel for sharing some of the hate, amplifying the message. We live in an era where the news cycle has become increasingly sensationalized. When Matt and I started this program, we reached out to media outlets and there was a lack if interest until there was an increase in racist (activities)."
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Feldman said political rhetoric often exacerbates the problem.
"The political rhetoric from D.C. has made things permissible," he said. "Social media allows people to create echo chambers where they reinforce each others' messages. But that same social media can be used for good. We're trying to create our own community for values and justice. It's a big country with a lot of people, so, in some ways, it's better that it's out in open than under the rug."
Both Rice and Feldman said any efforts to reconcile the two communities must be intentional. Ric, cited This is Black CLE, a Black and Jewish tour company.
"The secret of success is being intentional, allowing ourselves to listen and learn," Rice said, "Understanding that each person we meet has their own unique story. Neither group is a monolith."
Feldman said every effort matters.
"I'm not going to say Rekindle's going to magically wave a wand and fix the world, but we're going to take steps in that direction," he said. "We're a platform for launching new ideas and new directions, and hopefully send out ripples."
Rice said Rekindle doesn't offer a youth component, but added that they expect alumni to share their experiences with their children and families. At least one alumnus, she said, plans to co-produce a children's book.
"Change starts with us," she said. "We have to commit to being part of that change, starting at the interpersonal level. Rekindle can't just be something we set to the side. We have to be intentional every day, as in 'Who am I going to bring along with me?'"
Feldman said they are sharing Kindle's curriculum with other communities that have reached out, including Philadelphia, St. Louis and New Orleans.
"Matt is being generous with the content," Rice said.
The next class of cohorts starts in the spring.
"It took 400 years to get to the this point," Feldman said. "It's a marathon, not a sprint."
To learn more about the Rekindle Fellowship, visit https://www.rekindlefellowship.org/
Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: cgoshayREP.
On Twitter: @cgoshayREP
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New sessions start in febriary.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Rekindle Fellowship's goal is building community with Blacks, Jews
