Tikkun Ha-Ir is a Jewish 501(c)3 now in its 13th year. To celebrate its Bar Mitzvah, the organization is throwing a bittersweet event that honors their executive director, Judy Baruch, a founding member who will retire on June 30. The celebration takes place on Tuesday, June 28 at the Jewish Home and Care Center, 1414 N. Prospect Ave. The $54 minimum donation supports Tikkun Ha-Ir and involves silent auction, music by Lil Rev and a dessert buffet. Off the Cuff spoke with Mrs. Baruch about Tikkun Ha-Ir and building a better Milwaukee through study and civic engagement.
What is the relationship between the organization Tikkun Ha-Ir and the concept of Tikkun Olam?
“Tikkun Olam” is often translated as “repair the world.” In Jewish thought it is understood as an exhortation to ameliorate the problems of the world: to put the “shards of glass” back together into a whole. “Tikkun Ha-Ir”—which means “repair the city”—focuses on those shards in an urban settings, especially with respect to poverty. The founders of the organization felt they should restrict their focus in order to bring about the most change.
Our official founding was in 2003, but we had worked as a loose federation for two years prior. Two of the founders were rabbis—one Orthodox and one Reform. We try to appeal to the broadest scope of the Jewish community to assist in our efforts.
What does the organization do in Milwaukee?
Even within the scope of urban poverty we can’t take on everything. So we focus on hunger, shelter, environmental justice and voter engagement. We foster connections with other agencies in the city that work with families. For instance, in our Surplus Harvest Project we gather surplus produce from farmers markets and have donated more than 100,000 servings to food pantries. That’s several tons of food in the past four or five years. This allows people who are struggling financially to get fresh produce. Last year we began doing workforce engagement with a women’s prison. They help us prepare the produce, to clean it and chop it. We are working with MATC to have these women use their time in the Chop Shop towards getting a food services certificate.
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How does Tikkun Ha-Ir use study to create a more just city?
We try to anchor what we do in Jewish thought and Jewish text. We have Brunch’n Learns and Social Justice Book Club. We’ll get together and talk about what the Torah says about our obligation to feed the poor. Often we’ll invite a rabbi to come talk on topics from hunger to shelter to capital punishment to immigration.
What is your history with the organization?
I’ve been the only executive director. I’m retiring in mid-July and we have a new director coming from California but who was born in Milwaukee. It is an honor to have worked with such a fabulous board and volunteers. Together we have accomplished wonderful things.
What’s next for you, Judy Baruch?
I don’t know! My husband retired last year so we’re trying to figure out what to do. We have some grandchildren who we’re looking forward to spending more time with. We’ll take some time to figure out what speaks to us.
