MACG
MACG
Havurah Shalom is a MACG (Metropolitan Alliance for Common Good) member organization. MACG leads broad-based community organizing for issues that impact the larger community. To create effective community organizers, MACG offers leadership and organizer training to its member organizations.
Havurah’s MACG Core Team is the primary interface between Havurah and the other 25 MACG member organizations. Current MACG action teams include Housing, Immigration, and Climate Change/Environmental Justice.
If you are interested in joining the team or knowing more, please contact a member of Havurah's MACG Core Team: Adele Thompson, R.E. Szego, Bob Brown, Becky Chiao, or Michael Heumann.
MACG is an alliance of faith, labor, health education, and community organizations dedicated to building a base of everyday civic leaders to effectively stand for change they want to see in their communities.
- MACG organizes people power to create a better Tri-County region for all.
- It works for change from the bottom up: door-to-door and in living rooms, in congregations, union halls, classrooms and community centers, in front of city councils, and at the state capitol.
- It works to hold both public and private power holders accountable for their public responsibilities.
- It is a multi-issue organization.
The issues MACG works on change from year to year, arising directly from the concerns of the people in the member organizations, lifted up through shared stories. MACG crosses economic, faith and neighborhood lines to find common ground and to act on MACG values.
For over fifteen years, MACG's civic leaders have worked to make neighborhoods safer, to promote accessible and affordable health care and housing, and to increase job opportunities and family wages, among other issues. While collective action is a critical part of what MACG does, its primary work is leadership development to equip members to be effective and active civic leaders. MACG has trained over 2000 people since its founding in 2002.
MACG is non-partisan and non-profit, supported by the dues of our member organizations, individual donors, and foundation grants.
MACG's three primary goals are to create:
- Effective everyday civic leaders with the skills and confidence to advocate on their own behalf on issues of their choosing
- Strong member organizations that apply the tools and practices of relational community organizing internally
- Thriving communities working for the common good through collective action
MACG’s members gain access to an organizing philosophy and practices developed and tested over the last 75 years. They have the opportunity to further their community leadership skills and mix with other civic leaders from around the region and country by participating in regional and national intensive trainings.
What Makes MACG Different from Other Advocacy Organizations?
- Its methods of community broad-based organizing are all about developing and building relationships among diverse everyday leaders across our member organizations, and uniting them to act powerfully together for the change we want.
- It emphasizes in-person face-to-face meetings, in order to build relationships that create the capacity in a community for leadership development, citizen-led action and strong relationships across the lines that often divide our communities.
- It acts on big problems by breaking them down into issues that are concrete and winnable by listening to the personal stories of members, and identifying common issues to act on. MACG finds leaders with the appetite and energy to lead effective campaigns for change.
Tue, May 30 2023
10 Sivan 5783
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Upcoming Events
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Wednesday ,
MayMay 31 , 2023
Wednesday, May 31st 6:00p to 8:00p
We are holding two sessions of a community support safety briefing for Havurah members. The Wednesday, May 31 evening session will be hybrid. The Sunday, June 4 morning session will be held on Zoom only (Zoom Room Bet). Havurah members are invited to attend either session. -
Thursday ,
JunJune 1 , 2023
Thursday, Jun 1st 7:00p to 8:15p
Rabbi Benjamin will guide students and parents in responding to the text with their own questions and walk through the Shabbat morning service. -
Saturday ,
JunJune 3 , 2023
Shabbat, Jun 3rd 10:00a to 12:00p
Led by community members and Rabbi Benjamin, this service includes davening, Torah reading, and discussion. We meet in person and in Zoom Room Aleph. Please email Rachel for Zoom info: rachel@havurahshalom.org. -
Sunday ,
JunJune 4 , 2023
Sunday, Jun 4th 10:00a to 4:00p
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Sunday ,
JunJune 4 , 2023
Sunday, Jun 4th 11:00a to 12:30p
We are holding two sessions of a community support safety briefing for Havurah members. The Wednesday, May 31 evening session will be hybrid. The Sunday, June 4 morning session will be held on Zoom only (Zoom Room Bet). Havurah members are invited to attend either session. -
Sunday ,
JunJune 4 , 2023
Sunday, Jun 4th 5:00p to 7:00p
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Sunday ,
JunJune 4 , 2023
Sunday, Jun 4th 6:30p to 8:30p
Please join the Racial Justice Committee for a discussion of the movie Judas and the Black Messiah. (Please watch the film ahead of time; it's available on several platforms.) This is the second film in a series to commemorate Juneteenth. In the film, an FBI informant infiltrates the Black Panthers to keep tabs on its charismatic leader, Fred Hampton. Critics describe the movie as a offering insight into a man and a movement that has been overlooked far too long. Although it takes place in the late '60s, the movie is, unfortunately, very relevant today. -
Monday ,
JunJune 5 , 2023
Monday, Jun 5th 1:00p to 4:00p
We are excited to bring mahjong back to Havurah. It is a fun, social activity that builds community, encouraging new friendships and cementing old ones. And while some of us may play elsewhere as well, we all agreed that restoring its place as an ongoing congregational activity will be a good fit for Havurah and those of us who play or want to learn the game. So please don't hesitate to join us! -
Monday ,
JunJune 5 , 2023
Monday, Jun 5th 5:00p to 6:00p
Please join Havurah Climate Action Team for ongoing discussion of how to face the climate crisis. We will read "I Want a Better Catastrophe, Navigating the Climate Crisis with Grief, Hope, and Gallows Humor," by Andrew Boyd. Through interviews with prominent climate scientists, indigenous teachers, and sociologists, Andrew Boyd takes us through the process of looking squarely at the crisis we are in, feeling our emotions, and using them to power our response to the climate crisis. Open to members and non-members. Discussions will follow the book. One need not attend all the discussions. For questions, reach out to Michael Heumann or Harriet Cooke. RSVP for updates. -
Monday ,
JunJune 5 , 2023
Monday, Jun 5th 6:00p to 8:00p
A course for transforming our antiracism efforts through Jewish spiritual practice. Facilitated by Rabbi Benjamin and María Lisa Johnson Learn concrete Jewish spiritual tools alongside other Havurah members to confront, subvert, and heal implicit and internalized racism within ourselves and others. This course explores the inner work necessary to change our habits of mind, body, and spirit to dismantle racism, in support of whatever organizing, advocacy, and service-work we’re each engaged in. Our core spiritual practice will be Mussar, the Jewish spiritual discipline designed to integrate what the head understands with what the heart feels through daily practice. Participants will be expected to attend every session (as much as possible) and commit to consistent practice in between sessions, including meeting with a learning partner once every other week. This is not an antiracism 101 course, but rather is intended to build on an existing antiracism foundation, so participants need to have an understanding of systemic racism in the United States. Please contact Rabbi Benjamin if you are interested in participating.