Spotlight on CLAL
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"Cultural Leadership" Comes to Clal
In June 2009, CLAL was visited by a group of high school students from St. Louis, MO, who are part of a yearlong leadership training program called Cultural Leadership. Comprised
mainly of Jewish and African American students, the program focuses on the historical and contemporary experiences of these two groups. Students are taught about African
American and Jewish history, culture, religion, and the bigger issues of power, privilege, institutionalized racism and oppression. The goal is to nurture students who will
become leaders who speak out when they see social injustice.
Meeting with CLAL Presidents Rabbi Brad Hirschfield and Irwin Kula, the students were challenged to think about leadership in a new way — one that was grounded in a
specific tradition but that prepared leaders to reach beyond the boundaries and membership of any one group.
Rabbi Hirschfield pointed out to the students, that by virtue of their being in this program, they were already leaders, and that everyone could exercise leadership to make
the world better, whether by helping one person or one community at a time.
Rabbi Kula emphasized that in order to be a good leader, it was necessary to understand the partial truths of different ideas and opinions. "Our greatest challenge in
leading in a multi-cultural environment is in appreciating and learning from difference. The focus is not about finding commonality, but in helping people to understand the
full integrity of difference."
In his talk, Rabbi Hirschfield brought up the tragic death of Gavin Cato, a young Guyanese boy who was accidentally hit by the car of a prominent Hasidic rabbi in Crown
Heights, NY, in 1991. Cato’s death resulted in three days of rioting in the African American community. At the time of the incident, a Jewish ambulance came and was
told by the police to just leave with "their guy," and get out – a violation of protocol.
The students were asked to think about what the ambulance team should have done, and "Who was their guy?" Some thought the ambulance team was right to have listened
to the police, and others thought that they should have ignored the comments and taken care of all the wounded, as is their mandate.
Another remark at the time was that blacks and Jews should get a long because both have been victims. "Is seeing yourself as victim the best way to lead?" Rabbi
Hirschfield asked the group. "Victimhood is like a drug. It makes you feel good for a brief moment and then leaves you incapacitated. What unites communities should
not be that both were victimized, but that their leaders use their traditions to include as many as possible as ‘their guy’.
Rabbi Kula talked about the importance of listening to good leadership. Hearing the partial truth of ideas and helping people to be more honest. "You can’t lead
if you don’t understand people and are scared by what seems strange or different. The test is not about just serving a group’s members, but about motivating its
members to serve each other and the larger world."
.
Copyright © 2009, CLAL - The National Jewish Center for Learning and
Leadership.
All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is
prohibited.
To return to the home page, click
here.
Meeting with CLAL Presidents Rabbi Brad Hirschfield and Irwin Kula, the students were challenged to think about leadership in a new way — one that was grounded in a specific tradition but that prepared leaders to reach beyond the boundaries and membership of any one group.
Rabbi Hirschfield pointed out to the students, that by virtue of their being in this program, they were already leaders, and that everyone could exercise leadership to make the world better, whether by helping one person or one community at a time.
Rabbi Kula emphasized that in order to be a good leader, it was necessary to understand the partial truths of different ideas and opinions. "Our greatest challenge in leading in a multi-cultural environment is in appreciating and learning from difference. The focus is not about finding commonality, but in helping people to understand the full integrity of difference."
In his talk, Rabbi Hirschfield brought up the tragic death of Gavin Cato, a young Guyanese boy who was accidentally hit by the car of a prominent Hasidic rabbi in Crown Heights, NY, in 1991. Cato’s death resulted in three days of rioting in the African American community. At the time of the incident, a Jewish ambulance came and was told by the police to just leave with "their guy," and get out – a violation of protocol.
The students were asked to think about what the ambulance team should have done, and "Who was their guy?" Some thought the ambulance team was right to have listened to the police, and others thought that they should have ignored the comments and taken care of all the wounded, as is their mandate.
Another remark at the time was that blacks and Jews should get a long because both have been victims. "Is seeing yourself as victim the best way to lead?" Rabbi Hirschfield asked the group. "Victimhood is like a drug. It makes you feel good for a brief moment and then leaves you incapacitated. What unites communities should not be that both were victimized, but that their leaders use their traditions to include as many as possible as ‘their guy’.
Rabbi Kula talked about the importance of listening to good leadership. Hearing the partial truth of ideas and helping people to be more honest. "You can’t lead if you don’t understand people and are scared by what seems strange or different. The test is not about just serving a group’s members, but about motivating its members to serve each other and the larger world." .
Copyright © 2009, CLAL - The National Jewish Center for Learning and
Leadership.
All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is
prohibited.
To return to the home page, click
here.