Sign In Forgot Password
Home

Antiracism Training Six-Week Course

Mondays from 6:00pm 

Applications to the second cohort of anti-racism training at Westminster Synagogue are now open. Please note there are limited spaces on this cohort. If you would like to learn more about the training, please read on below, or email Yael. 

12th April (6-8pm), 19th April (6:00-7:30pm), 26th April (6:00-7:30pm),
10th May (6:00-7:30pm), 17 May (6:00-7:30pm) and 24th May (6-8pm).

When is it and who is the course for?

Organised by our Tzedek Team, this is a course and strategy designed for Jews and Jewish organisations who want to participate in the fight for racial justice, are thinking about how to do the work to become actively antiracist, and want guidance, pointers, structure, and resources on what kind of work they should and could be doing.

We will be holding a series of six online sessions starting on Monday 12th April, 6:00-8:00pm co-delivered by Charlotte Fischer, an Ashkenazi Jewish organiser and antisemitism trainer, and Seyi Akiwowo, a Black non Jewish antiracism trainer and founder of Glitch. The learning will take place on Zoom, and there will be background material to prepare in advance of each session. Some of the sessions will also be guided by members of the Tzedek Team. 

This course is for you if:

  • You want to bring your community on a sustainable learning (and unlearning!) journey but don’t know where to start
     
  • Want to move beyond performative, short, ‘unconscious bias’ trainings to actually learn how to go on an antiracist journey
     
  • Are troubled by the playing off of Jewish and Black communities, which harms everyone in each, and in particular harms Black Jews, and want our communities to be united in the fight against racism and antisemitism
     
  • Want a space to grow, hear, learn, be empowered,  be motivated  - and be challenged!

Why join?

Maybe you want to do something but don’t know where to start. Maybe you are scared of ‘getting it wrong’.

Maybe you feel nervous to begin hard conversations, or trying to open this space in your synagogue, school, Jewish community centre, care home, or youth movement.

Maybe going on an antiracist journey is something you and your community are committed to – but it’s something you’re inexperienced in and you’re looking for some guidance and support.

We are here because we want to make sure that those very common feelings don’t result in your organisation freezing, not doing anything, or doing less than you could – which then results in no change. We’ve built this course for people who want to take those feelings, together with their desire to make the world better, and channel them into learning – and repairing the world.

This training is not a quick fix. It doesn’t function as a magic wand or complete guide, but as a starting step and framework to begin mapping a journey towards becoming an actively antiracist organisation. We’re never done with the work of being antiracist, but our training is designed to help Jewish communities – whether they be synagogues, schools or youth movements – take the first steps in that journey.

What's in this training?

This training is a series of seven video recorded sessions, co-delivered by Charlotte Fischer, an Ashkenazi Jewish organiser and antisemitism trainer, and Seyi Akiwowo, a Black non Jewish antiracism trainer and founder of Glitch.

It is designed to be engaged with by a group of people together – people can watch the videos at their time or together  as a group, and then engage with the session learning packs, including Jewish content. There are ‘homework assignments’ and reflections to do and then discuss as a team, and the two trainers Zoom in to certain sessions to unpack, reflect and answer questions on the work being done.

The modules are as follows:
    • The invention of race
    • How racism works
    • Racist tropes and behaviours
    • A look at whiteness: white fragility, white saviourism, the white moderate
    • A history of racism and racial justice activism in the UK
    • Jewish communities, race, antisemitism and racism
    • Tools and practises to help us be better antiracists

How do I sign up?

All you need to do is complete the form below. Please note that we're asking everyone who signs up to commit to attending all six sessions.

12th April (6-8pm), 19th April (6:00-7:30pm), 26th April (6:00-7:30pm),
10th May (6:00-7:30pm), 17 May (6:00-7:30pm) and 24th May (6-8pm).

If you have any questions, please do get in touch.

 

This form closed on 2021-04-09 10:30:00.

 

Sat, 22 February 2025 24 Sh'vat 5785