Associate Director of Religious and Cultural Organizing

The Jewish Voice for Peace family of organizations organizes a grassroots, multiracial, cross-class, intergenerational movement of U.S. Jews into solidarity with the Palestinian freedom struggle, guided by a vision of justice, equality and dignity for all people. Jewish Voice for Peace Action (JVP Action), our 501(c)(4) organization, is now doing business as Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), while our 501(c)(3) work continues through JVP Leadership and Culture Lab (JVP Lab).

As a 501(c)(3), JVP worked for 30 years as an educational and basebuilding organization and contributed to a sea change in public understanding. As a 501(c)(4), JVP will now also engage in legislative and limited electoral-related work, including but not limited to challenging the roles of Democratic and Republican officials and challenging AIPAC.

Meanwhile, the 501(c)(3) JVP Lab will continue to carry out its educational, cultural, and leadership-development mission, and will continue to provide nonpartisan educational and charitable programs that anyone can participate in, regardless of whether they are a member of the 501(c)(4).

About you:

You are a leader who has a vision of Judaism beyond Zionism, in service of creating liberatory Jewish communities and of Palestinian liberation, at a time of rising fascism and ongoing genocide. Moreover, you have the organizational leadership experience to execute such a vision.

Whether you are a rabbi, a spiritual leader or a cultural organizer, you know how to use your understanding of Judaism and the power of culture and ritual to strengthen the hard work of organizing. You have fluency in a multiplicity of Jewish histories and traditions, expert level knowledge of Jewish texts, and a deep love for bringing Jewish wisdom and learning into movement. You have longstanding trusting relationships in the Jewish progressive ecosystem, including with rabbis, spiritual leaders, organizers and organizational leaders, and know how to strengthen relationships of collaboration and trust between different spheres of that ecosystem.

You have proven experience supervising and coaching other organizers: You support people to vision outcomes, set ambitious but realistic goals, and project manage towards success. Indeed, you are an outstanding project manager yourself. People love working with you: You are known as an excellent collaborator who, even in the most challenging of times, is a team player who is thoughtful, supportive, responsible and trustworthy, and who genuinely believes we have the power to transform our conditions.

About the role:

The Associate Director of Religious and Cultural Organizing works with organizational leadership to envision and carry out the overall strategy of the JVP Leadership and Culture Lab (JVP Lab).

In the service of growing anti-Zionist Judaism in solidarity with Palestine, the JVP Lab will provide: (a) vibrant arts, culture, and ritual resources and programming alongside a robust leadership development and (b) training program that aims to grow the political education, organizing skills, strategic capacities, and personal practice of anti-Zionist Jewish organizers. While training curricular development is mostly led by others, the Associate Director of Religious and Cultural Organizing will be in charge of envisioning and carrying out anti-Zionist Jewish ritual, art and cultural organizing projects that enliven and enrich organizing towards Palestinian liberation.

This role includes:

• Religious, Spiritual and Cultural Organizing
  • Organize the JVP Rabbinical Council to play its most powerful role
  • Develop and support a vision for the next stage of the JVP Havurah Network, a constellation of anti-Zionist spiritual communities
  • Plan Jewish cultural and spiritual resources and events that resource anti-Zionist Jewish organizing; supporting the curation of existing such resources (such as synagogues, havurot, projects, events and organizations); and convening leaders to help create such resources
  • Organize pastoral care for anti-Zionist Jewish organizers
• Training and Education
  • Create curricula and/or oversee educational offerings as needed
• Relationship-building with Jewish leaders and organizations
  • Building relationships with and liaising to the progressive Jewish ecosystem, including longstanding institutions and new formations
• Organizational leadership and management
  • Ensure that the work of the JVP Lab is accountable to our core principles: Accountability to Palestinians, Racial Justice, and Responsibility for Jewish Communities
  • Lead a cultural organizing team and supervising two organizers: The Manager of Spiritual and Cultural Life and the Manager of Black, Indigenous, Jews of Color, Sephardi and Mizrahi Organizing
  • Regular cultivation, relationship building, and communication with a large portfolio of high impact major donors
  • Work with development team to plan broader fundraising strategies to resource this work
  • Represent JVP Lab at events and in the media, where needed/appropriate
  • Accountable for building a healthy staff culture within team and broader organization

The ideal candidate will have the following core competencies:

Please note, as part of our commitment to equity in hiring, we will be assessing candidates on the following skills throughout the hiring process.

• High level of management skill: Experienced in supervision, project management and cross-team collaboration. Brings a clear vision and recognizes the value of divergent perspectives. Regularly includes others in planning and decision-making. Able to make and communicate difficult decisions in the best interest of the organization. Uses coaching, training, and feedback to develop others and support problem-solving. Sees mistakes as learning opportunities. Seeks and engages well with feedback.
• Capacity for strategic thinking: You are able to assess the political terrain for opportunities, set ambitious but realistic goals, and develop strategies that draw on JVP’s strengths to reach those goals.
• Political alignment with JVP Lab’s core principles (Accountability to Palestinians, Racial Justice, Responsibility for Jewish Communities) and strategic approaches.
• Religious and Cultural Literacy: Proficient in Jewish histories, texts, and traditions, both religious and secular. Possesses deep knowledge of and commitment to diverse Jewish experiences, histories, and traditions. Has experience working with Jewish religious and communal leaders.
• Expertise in relational organizing: understands that organizing is primarily done through relationships, and relationships are built through trust. Highly experienced at building relationships of trust across difference and at supporting the creation of healthy groups capable of doing difficult things together.
• Skilled in leadership development, particularly of Jewish people of color: Knows how to identify people with leadership potential and then investing in the growth of their organizing skills, political analysis and strategic thinking. Can spot people’s gifts, bring them out, grow their power and support them to bring it to an organizing environment. Has an evolving anti-racist praxis and knowledge of racial dynamics in Jewish communities.
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Please note: As part of JVP's commitment to equity and transparency, we have a no negotiation policy. Salary negotiations can introduce bias and perpetuate wage inequality.

Benefits of working at JVP:

• Up to 20 accumulated vacation days per year
• Up to 12 sick days per year
• Paid time off for political education and anti-racist training
• 17 paid holidays (9 floating and 8 federal)
• Health, vision, and dental insurance with premiums currently paid by JVP, and 15% of family benefits to be paid by JVP
• A supplemental health fund for trans and gender nonconforming staff
• Leave without pay, bereavement, parental leave and medical leave
• Flexible Spending benefit
• 1% of salary paid into 401k by JVP (regardless of employee contribution)

JVP is committed to providing flexible work arrangements that suit the needs of our staff. All our positions are remote and based in the United States.

English fluency