Spirited Dissent

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Effect of these practices on activism and personal life: I have increased clarity and compassion and sensitivity toward others, and decreased ego demands from myself. I also have a longer lead time for strong emotions: I take longer to react and make better choices. And I definitely have increased endurance. I have more energy to work hard, and I get more done.

Simon Greer, 37, has worked as a labor and community organizer and Jewish social change leader for 15 years. At the end of a successful campaign to organize bus drivers in South Carolina in the mid-1990s, he was approaching burnout when he recalled a figure from the Hebrew Bible that represents freedom and realized that Judaism was what had brought him into the social-justice arena. The New Yorker began to think about the ways that faith and spirituality could strengthen his work. He is now executive director and CEO of the Jewish Fund for Justice, a national foundation committed to combating the root causes of poverty in America.

Challenges: The biggest challenge is the power that the religious right has built in this country. It's a movement linked to conservative and economic policies that are transforming America and leading to worse conditions for working people and poor people. We have to stem the tide of that movement, but it's challenging because that movement is so steeped in talk of "values." This calls to us to reconnect with and assert our values. Often, we are in an unfortunate position in which conservatives talk about values and liberals talk about issues. The issues lose and the values win. We must reassert that values can be a force for progressive change.

Practices: I meet with a small group every Thursday, and we read a portion of the Torah, then talk about the text and our lives. I also do a meditation practice -- I went a couple of years ago to an amazing seven-day Jewish meditation silent retreat -- and yoga two or three times week. And this is more personal: I got married a year ago, and having an honest, loving relationship is vital to my life being balanced and whole.

Effect of these practices on activism and personal life: They keep me from becoming angry and from burning out. Public struggle, personal values, and religious practice all need to be linked to sustain us and for us to do our work well. You can bring spiritual practices into the work environment so that people remain connected to their purpose. We see a high rate of burnout among activists. People come to the work because they love the issue and they believe in the cause, but the way they're treated by their organizations doesn't always reflect the values that drew them to the work. We're creating management that helps people be present and mindful.

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