T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights is seeking an experienced and self-directed New York City Organizer and trainer who will work with Jewish clergy and partner organizations in building the power necessary to advance issue campaigns for justice that make concrete changes in NYC and alter the relations of power. The NYC Organizer will develop campaign strategy alongside partners, build relationships with and create pathways for engagement and leadership of rabbis, cantors, and rabbinical and cantorial students, and cultivate a community for taking action on T’ruah’s key issues. The ideal candidate is an enthusiastic, relational organizer, grounded in Jewish community and wisdom, who is committed to making a difference in movements for justice. This is a full-time position for someone with prior experience in community organizing. 

 

Who We Are 

 

T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights brings the Torah’s ideals of human dignity, equality, and justice to life by empowering rabbis and cantors to be moral voices and to lead Jewish communities in advancing democracy and human rights for all people in the United States, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories. 

 

To learn more about our work, visit www.truah.org or find us @truahrabbis on X and Facebook. 

 

What You’ll Do

 

The NYC Organizer, who reports to T’ruah’s Director of Organizing and is a member of the organizing team, is responsible for three main areas of work: 

 

  1. Co-staffing Tirdof, the home for Jewish clergy to organize with neighbors and allies for a New York City with freedom, opportunity, and dignity for all, alongside staff from Jews For Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ). Work with JFREJ staff, Tirdof clergy co-chairs, and/or coalition partners to choose legislative campaigns, develop strategy, and identify opportune tactics to move legislative campaigns forward; create opportunities to grow Tirdof’s membership, engage members, and develop leaders; and build a sense of community among Tirdof members.  

  2. Representing T’ruah in city- and state-based coalitions working to end mass incarceration, including a campaign to end solitary confinement. Develop the leadership of T’ruah’s chaverim, rabbi and cantor members, by offering opportunities for training or taking action on this issue campaign work. 

  3. Supporting T’ruah’s nation-wide campaign work by identifying NYC-based chaverim excited to take action on any of T’ruah’s national issues.

 

Who You Are & Keys to Success

 

You are an organizer and a team player eager to collaborate closely with the other members of the organizing team and broader program department staff. To be successful in this position, you are or have most or all of the following: 

 

  • A relationship-builder: You have a demonstrated track record of building relationships as well as building up the leadership of others. You are self-aware and attuned to others, and put relationship before task, without dropping the larger vision and goals. You demonstrate appropriate use of self in professional contexts and elicit similar vulnerability in others. You demonstrate integrity, acting in line with your, and the organization’s, values. 

  • Thoughtful and strategic about power: You are attentive to the ways that power moves interpersonally across lines of difference and understand how to effectively build power alongside communities that are directly impacted by the issues we organize around. You understand the value of relational power and of the unique and powerful contributions that Jewish clergy can make in movements for justice.

  • A strategist’s mind with attention to detail: You quickly grasp the subtleties of complex issues and identify patterns in challenges. You come up with insightful, pragmatic, equitable, and sustainable ways to tackle common challenges and produce positive change. You have a successful track record of taking a concept from idea to implementation.

  • Knowledge of and familiarity with racial equity and inclusion principles: You recognize ways that race and other identities intersect in the work, especially with the Jewish clergy in our network and the coalition spaces we’re part of. You are comfortable talking about identities such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, class, ability, or gender in plain, specific terms. You understand the historical context for racial inequity and its present-day implications.

  • Alignment with T’ruah’s positions and values: You are comfortable representing T’ruah’s mission and all of the issues and campaigns T’ruah is part of. You have the ability to articulate T’ruah’s mission and programmatic work clearly and compellingly. 

  • Ordination as a rabbi or cantor is a plus, but not required.

 

Systemic inequities in hiring have caused many women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ people to apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. If you don’t have all of the qualifications listed above but are extremely organized, passionate about our mission, and believe you have applicable and transferable skills from other industries or experiences, we encourage you to apply for this job. We’d love to hear from you. In your cover letter, be sure to explicitly highlight how your experience, skills, and personal qualities have set you up to succeed in the role.

 

What Else You Should Know 

 

Status

This position is full-time.

 

Location

The position is based in New York City, with an option for space to work in T’ruah’s Manhattan-based office. The NYC Organizer must live in the NYC area and be able to travel around the city for meetings. We are seeking someone who currently lives in the NYC area. 

 

Salary

The base salary for this position is $60,000 per year and the maximum salary for this position is $85,000 per year. The base salary for rabbis and cantors is $70,000 per year. The base salary for those with a different relevant degree (such as social work or community development) is $65,000 per year.  We set salary above the base amount through a collaborative process using a standard rubric based on years of experience. 

 

Travel

We expect you to have the ability to travel to in-person meetings, conferences, or retreats in various U.S. locations 2-3 times a year.

 

Benefits include:

  • T’ruah pays for 100% of the employee’s premium and 50% of one dependent’s premium on our recommended medical insurance plan

  • Employer-covered basic life and AD&D insurance valued at $10,000

  • Optional benefit plans available at employee expense: dental, vision, health savings account, flexible spending accounts, supplemental life insurance, and supplemental AD&D insurance

  • Automatic employer contributions of an amount equal to 3% of your salary to your 403(b) retirement account beginning one year after the date of hire - whether or not you make elective deferral contributions

  • 15 vacation days a year in your first year of employment, increasing to 20 days a year at the start of your second year of employment

  • 34 holidays a year, which includes Jewish and most Federal holidays, Summer Fridays, and a floating holiday

  • Paid leave of up to 12 weeks for the birth or adoption of a child

 

Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)

T’ruah is committed to DEI at every level of our organization, including our Board of Directors. For the past several years we have been actively working on becoming an antiracist organization. We recently published a set of organizational values reflecting this commitment. 

 

Equal opportunity employer

T’ruah isn’t just an equal opportunity employer. We are actively seeking to build a diverse and inclusive team with a wide range of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. T’ruah does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, personal appearance, family responsibility, political affiliation or any other status protected by applicable law. Women, transgender people, veterans and people of color are encouraged to apply. 

 

Compliance with eligibility verification law

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire.

 

How to Apply 

Submit the form on this page. Your cover letter will be used as a writing sample. No phone calls, please.

 

Our Timeline

Applications will be accepted until April 15. We apologize that, because of the volume of applications, we are only able to respond to those applicants granted an interview. First round interviews will be conducted after April 1 on a rolling basis. Our ideal start date for this position is as soon as possible.