Ari Lev Fornari: Judaism Unbound Episode 279 - Voice for Justice
Ari Lev Fornari serves as senior rabbi at Kol Tzedek, a reconstructionist congregation in West Philadelphia whose name means "a voice for justice." He joins Dan and Lex for a conversation that weaves together his story of becoming a rabbi (and becoming a congregational rabbi in particular), political issues like prison abolition and white flight, and the upcoming sabbatical year ("Sh'mitah" in Hebrew). This episode is the sixth episode in a series that intertwines explorations of Judaism, through lenses of transgender experience, and explorations of gender, through lenses of Jewish experience.
[1] Learn more about Ari Lev Fornari here, and check out Kol Tzedek by visiting Kol-Tzedek.org.
[2] Fornari mentions the work of an organization called Jews in All Hues. Learn more about them at JewsInAllHues.org.
[3] Explore the work of POWER: An Interfaith Multi-Racial People’s Movement, a coalition that Kol Tzedek is a member of, at POWERinterfaith.org. POWER is a grassroots organization of over 50 Pennsylvania congregations committed to racial and economic justice on a livable planet.
[4] Fornari mentions Kol Tzedek’s 2021 rabbinic intern, Koach Baruch Frazier. Check out his episode, also part of our current series on transgender experience, by heading to Episode 275: Rhythms of Sacred Protest - Koach Baruch Frazier.
[5] Fornari cites one of his teachers, Art Green. For his appearance on Judaism Unbound, see Episode 133: God is One - Art Green.