Since our kickoff with Rabbi Pesner last year, many in our community have offered their homes and hearts to those interested in Just Congregation parties. We had six house parties in March and April. On May 10, 2009, Just Congregations led a broader Listening Session especially (but not exclusively) for Religious School parents to talk about personal and community-wide concerns.

For more than a half century Temple Beth Am has been committed to the needs of our wider community and has made significant contributions. At these House Parties, we want to build on that past and discuss what we find most challenging in our lives and world…the things that keep us up at night. As we listen, we can begin to give direction to Beth Am’s efforts. As we listen, we come to know each other and connect as a community.

Just Congregations held a Health Care Tzedek Summit on Sunday, October 11, 2009 at Temple.  Members of Beth Am launched an all-Temple campaign to help bring about health care reform. We chose Health Care from the issues that arose in our listening sessions, inspired by the need for health care reform, the historic opportunity presented by legislation in Congress, and supported by the TBA Board’s initiative of support for health care reform in May 2009. We heard from two of our own activist experts in health care policy and politics, Robby Stern and Janet Varon. We presented an action framework and formed action teams.

Our work is done by four action teams:

• Team Teach and Learn, which studies health care issues and creates educational programs
• Team Plan, Coordinate and Strategize, which coordinates the Temple’s efforts and communicates with other faith and community groups
• Team Raise Our Voice, which consists of people ready to make calls, write emails, op-ed pieces, and letters to the editor, and go to demonstrations
• Team Health Care Needs surveys the health care needs and experiences of TBA members, and devises ways to help and support people in the community

Email Just Congregations for more information.

At the Just Congregations Health Care Tzedek Summit in October 2009, members of Beth Am launched an all-Temple campaign to help bring about health care reform. One charge of this campaign is to provide resource information for those in our community in need of medical care. The following organizations offer services within King County.

• Crisis Clinic Community Resources Directory: This is an online directory of health and human service programs. To speak directly with Information Specialist call 2-1-1. See more here.
• King County Health Department: The following clinics offer medical services on a sliding scale and information about health insurance options: Seattle Downtown Clinic, 206-296-4755, Northgate Clinic, 206-296-4765 and Bellevue Eastgate Public Health Center, 206-296-4920. The heath department offers H1NI vaccines at no charge. For inquiries call 206-296-4600 or see more here.
• The Washington Association of Community & Migrant Health Centers, a non-profit organization, represents 25 Community Health Centers that provide comprehensive services. There are numerous clinics throughout the state offering sliding scale fees. Learn more here.
• Primary Care Clinics offering Low Monthly Fees for Unlimited Care: Two organizations currently offer unlimited primary care (no hospitalization) for a low monthly fee: Swedish Community Health Medical Home in Ballard, 206-297-5100, and Qliance with locations in downtown Seattle 206-913-4700, Kent 206-381-3030 and Mercer Island 206 381-3030.

The above organizations can help individuals navigate through a complex and intimidating medical system. In addition, many large private clinics offer assistance when needed.

Our congregation is participating in the URJ Initiative "Just Congregations". Congregants share personal stories, and talk to each other about their family history, the challenges faced by their family members in the past, and the challenges they and their family members face today in their own lives. ‘What keeps you up at night?’ is not a typical question that we explore in our TBA programming. It may be, however, a question that resonates with many of our members and one for which the answer may be surprisingly similar among members who would say they have little in common.

Congregation-based community organizing (CBCO) is a new approach for Temple Beth Am. At our house meetings and listening sessions members meet, engage, share personal stories and concerns, and then work together to identify those common concerns around which they want to act to change their community for the better whether it be their Temple community or their broader community.

A congregation that is a Just Congregation has internally strengthened member relations using the CBCO process. Through the identification of personal concerns, one’s own and those of fellow congregants, these congregations move to action by identifying common concerns and shared ideas for making things better. Congregations that have become Just Congregations join Broad-based Community Organizations (BBCO) like the local BBCO, Sound Alliance. Organizers from a BBCO help congregations develop processes for engaging members, building relationships and strengthening internal leadership as these congregations become Just Congregations.

At Temple Beth Am after more than a year of internal discussion including valuable input from Rabbi Jonah Pesner, director of the URJ Just Congregations, a leadership group formed in the Fall of 2007 to explore our becoming a Just Congregation. Throughout 2008 and 2009, we're engaged in facilitating interactions and connections among our Temple members.

Just Congregations Leadership Group: Allan Paulson and Dina Burstein