Social Justice & Cultural Organizer

Boston Workers Circle

Center for Jewish Culture & Social Justice

Job Description

“Cultural organizing exists at the intersection of art and activism...Cultural organizing is about integrating arts and culture into organizing strategies. It is also about organizing from a particular tradition, cultural identity, community of place, or worldview.”  
— Essay by Paul J. Kuttner, 2015 and used as guidance in BWC job design.
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Boston Workers Circle (BWC) is a vibrant intergenerational community with 700 members, from young children to older adults, who see BWC as their secular Jewish, cultural, and/or political home. BWC is rooted in the radical traditions of Yiddishkayt and workers’ rights and was founded as a mutual aid society. Our cultural rootedness informs all of our justice work and is oriented towards healing the world. Although we are a majority white and Ashkenazi, multiracial, multi-ethnic organization, we are in a transition to actively identify as an antiracist organization and to celebrate a multitude of Jewish experiences. We are learning to work with an intergenerational lens at the intersection of transforming racism, anti-Semitism, and white supremacy. 

The Social Justice & Cultural Organizer weaves cultural work and social justice into an integrated organizing strategy. The Organizer has a bird’s-eye view of the organization, identifying and facilitating opportunities for collaboration as we build a home for leftist Jewish culture.

We are hiring for someone who shares our values of ending racism, capitalism, and antisemitism and who has skills, training, or experience in one or more of the following areas: organizing (cultural, community, political, labor, etc.), program coordination and management, or community-based arts and cultural work.

Key Responsibilities: 
  • Deepening Community Connection
    • Membership Development:  Provide 1:1 coaching and support to member leaders; organize and engage specific affinity groups (specifically, young adult and Jews of Color, Indigenous, Sephardi, and Mizrahi [JOCISM] members); support the Community & Membership Committee to develop and implement a leadership program designed to equip our member-leaders with the skills, information, and relationships to run effective teams, events, and programs.
    • Cultural Perseverance:  Identify and facilitate opportunities to use our history and culture to inform and enrich our work, including coordination of our annual Purim party, “Gragger!”
    • Committee & Program Support:  Provide administrative and technical support for program and committee projects, identify inclusion strategies and cultural themes to integrate with program design and committees’ ways of being, and promote a strong culture of volunteer leadership.
  • Supporting and Providing Leadership for BWC’s Social Justice Work, Internally & Externally 
    • Provide support and leadership for the member-led Equity & Inclusion Committee, which seeks to weave a multiracial, multiethnic, gender and sexuality diverse, cross-class, liberation-oriented community of people of all ages and abilities.
    • Partner with field experts and members to develop a caucus space to support JOCISM members of our community. 
    • Provide support to our four member-led social justice committees (Acting for Racial and Economic Justice Committee, Jewish Muslim Solidarity Committee, Immigrant Justice Solidarity Committee, and Israel/Palestine Committee). 
    • Develop a new Social Justice Steering Committee to create cohesion across all social justice committees.
  • Providing Staff and Organizational Support 
    • Work collaboratively with the Executive Director and member leaders to create and implement plans to achieve our strategic priorities and to strengthen existing initiatives.
    • Build stronger intergenerational connections and collaborations.
    • Support Deputy Director and all staff in fundraising, including strategy building, meetings, written materials, and events. 

Qualifications: 
  • Minimum of two years relevant experience in organizing, program coordination, and management or community-based arts and cultural work.
  • Demonstrated understanding of and experience with racial justice work in an organizing setting.
  • Demonstrated understanding of diasporic Jewish histories and cultures and the systemic nature of antisemitism.
  • Demonstrated ability to work across generational differences preferred.
  • Ability to thrive in cooperative environments driven by collaborative decision-making.
  • High comfort level with technology, including Zoom, Google Suite, and Microsoft Office.   Willingness to learn the basics of the eTapestry database.
  • Strong oral and written communication. 
  • Group facilitation skills with experience recognizing and managing racial dynamics preferred.

Salary & Benefits: 
The position is full-time with a $55,000 salary, depending on experience. 

Position is remote during COVID and post-Covid will be based out of our Brookline, MA, office. In the  first year of employment, 15 vacation days are available.  In addition, sick time and holidays are available. Eligible for health and dental benefits and a retirement savings plan (a SimpleIRA). A full description of policies and benefits will be available to candidates at a later point in the interview process.