Social Action Circle

Or Shalom's Social Action Circle is involved in multiple social justice activities promoting issues such as interfaith relations, universal guaranteed health care, sustainable environment, immigrant justice, housing, and democracy.

Our work includes education, outreach, advocacy, and building alliances. 

We welcome new members and ideas. Email us at sac@orshalomsf.org.

During the past several years we have:

• Advocated for CalCare, a universal health care system envisioned for California, as well as legislation creating nationwide "Medicare for All." Read Or Shalom's statement of values on health care as a moral issue here.
• Joined Faith in Action in their work to increase rental subsidies for low-income seniors and to increase wages for In-Home Support Services workers.
• Joined with Faith in Action on a voter engagement project to increase participation among infrequent voters.
• Visited mosques for interfaith discussions, Iftar celebrations, and to bring letters of support during times of well-publicized Islamophobia. Invited our Muslim interfaith partners to our synagogue to celebrate several of our holidays.
• Twice joined with Faith in Action to circulate petitions to get Prop 15 on the ballot and worked hard to get it approved by voters. It was an initiative, which failed by a small margin, to make California's property tax structure more just.
• Traded pulpit visits and holiday invitations with Grace Tabernacle, an evangelical church in the Bayview. Joined Grace Tabernacle and the SF Black-Jewish Unity Group for the Martin Luther King Day marches for several years. We also cosponsored a series of forums on racial justice and voter suppression with the SF Black-Jewish Unity Group.
• Hosted interfaith partners at our community Passover Seder, to High Holy Days services, and for meals in our Sukkah at Sukkot. Also, brought Mishloach Manot baskets at Purim to six of our interfaith partners, to visit, share food, and to tell a bit about the holiday.
• Arranged with the Council on American Islamic Relations for a “bystander training” for the teens in the synagogue. CAIR also came to Or Shalom for a talk on Islamophobia for the adults.