#RaiseYourVoice with Ethan Ramsay

A conversation with a core member about their experiences organizing with JCUA and their hopes for the Jewish new year.

The next 12 months are critical for JCUA. We have a mayor and city council who have pledged to implement bold ideas for the City of Chicago. We have an upcoming presidential election that will determine the future of the country. The next year will determine whether we elevate hate, racism and antisemitism, or whether we elevate justice, equity and multi-racial democracy.

To prepare for the Jewish new year, we’re speaking with core members about their experiences working with JCUA and their plans for the next year. The following conversation is with Ethan Ramsay:

How did you get involved with JCUA, and what have you been working on?

I got involved with JCUA after spending time in Mexico, where I was studying and learning from an indigenous, anti-capitalist movement group, trying to create alternatives to governance, housing and other social systems. That was where I was introduced to community organizing. The big takeaway from the program was not whether you would be an organizer or not, but rather when, with who and how. It made me think, “who is my community at large, and to what identity do i feel connected to?”

At the time, I was in college and didn’t necessarily have it clarified. I knew one core identity was Judaism, especially the idea that Jewish identity and social justice and political beliefs were interconnected. I grew up in the suburbs in Oak Park, but I came across this reading about JCUA working with a coalition to create a workers’ center in Albany Park. I soon learned that it was not only an existing organization, but that it was extremely lively and strategically building its Jewish base. So I spent a summer interning there, seeing up close the efforts to build the Jewish base in Chicago. And I thought, “Man! This is what it means for me for me to practice my Jewish identity.” That I can have a real voice in this community, that I can be a leader, and feel connected to the community.

I’ve been involved with JCUA’s police and immigration work. Where I spend most of my time and where my heart is is around immigration organizing, and our campaign for a Welcoming City, pushing the city council and mayor and be better advocates fro immigrants for Chicago, and not allow a paramiltary force like ICE to wreak the havoc it does. I’ve also been taken aback on how oppressive a tool like the Gang Database is and the impact it’s had on the community. It’s felt really urgent to push the Jewish community and Jewish institutions to be a progressive voice fighting with our coalition partners by saying these databases are problematic and used as a tool to surveil huge sections of Chicago.

What is it like to be part of the JCUA community?

I think JCUA always has the potential, for me, to be an alternative to more institutional Judaism, which personally I have not found to be compelling. I desire a Jewish community that is loving, but also one that is collective, tactful and political. JCUA is the closest to that ideal. I remember going to my first JCore meeting and I was just taken aback, I had never felt so proud of being Jewish. I think part of it was that I had never witnessed an intergenerational group of Jews from all parts of the city, working to be inclusive of different Jewish identities, all coming together. It doesn’t get more exciting than that group, especially when you consider the mix of people who have been there and the new members who are bringing their own ideas and perspectives to the table.

What role does JCUA have in the Chicago?

At its simplest, JCUA’s role is to build the Jewish progressive base in a diversity of Chicago wards and suburbs. JCUA increases the collective power of progressive Jews and grants them the leverage to create systemic change for ourselves and for the whole city — specifically focusing on the residents who have been denied a seat at the table.

What do you look forward to in the next year, both personally and politically?

The main thing that’s exciting to me is base building on the Northwest side of Chicago, including neighborhoods like Logan Square, Humboldt Park, West Town and others. There’s not as many Jewish institutions or synagogues in that part of the city, but there is a sizable Jewish population. Being a Jewish voice in that part of town alongside other JCUA members is very important to me. The work involves developing relationships with community groups who are dedicated to improving the quality of life for local residents. It involves building up leaders who are passionate about social justice and want to hold their leaders accountable. Recently, our base building group organized a Shabbat and had a thoughtful conversation about what it means to be Jewish. How does this Jewish identity interact with how your situate yourself in the larger community? We’re already trying to make an impact. Since we started this initiative, we’ve contacted the 1st Ward alderman talk to inform them that we’re a progressive group and we’re intentionally building a base and that we will be advocates for economic and racial justice. Right now we have the water and bone, and now we’re trying to create the stock.

At a personal level, I want to think about how I engage with my Jewish identity on a religious or ritual level. I was raised with a Jewish identity that wasn’t necessarily religious, so I want to explore how I might practice Judaism. Also I’d like to learn more about how we might be able to wield the arts as a political tool. As the author Adrienne Maree Brown said, “art’s role is making the revolution seem irresistible.” Art and organizing are always intersecting in really exciting ways, and I’m always re-energized thinking about how it can play a role in social change.

How will you Raise Your Voice for meaningful social change in 5780?

I want to continue working on the JCUA campaigns and base building on the Northwest. Meanwhile, for me it’s important to push Jewish institutions to stand up on the side of justice. That means spending more time having hard conversations, and really strategically pushing our Jewish communities.

At this crucial time in our city, and at this special moment in the Jewish calendar, we ask you that you#RaiseYourVoice with JCUA. Learn more about the campaign and our work here.