November 2026 | Monthly Newsletter

Join Rekindle alumni from all chapters as we discuss Learning to Disagree by John Inazu. Come every month or drop in when you can.

New on our website

Alumni Next Steps

We’ve launched a new Alumni Next Steps page on our website. Your one-stop spot to see all the ways you can continue to engage with Rekindle after graduation.

Stay connected

Join Our Alumni WhatsApp Group

Get Rekindle news and event updates straight to your phone. This is an announcements-only group, so you’ll get updates from Rekindle without a busy chat.

Help shape something new

Rekindle on Campus

We’re developing Rekindle on Campus, a new initiative to bring the Rekindle Fellowship to a younger generation. If you work with college-age students in some capacity, we’d love your insight and help as we shape this effort.

Opportunity for Rekindle alumni

Become an Exodus Facilitator

Apply to the Exodus facilitator training. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, with new cohorts launching every 6–8 weeks.

Ron Emile

Lonnie Firestone

Rebecca Avera

Roni Fantanesh Malkai

Black Jewish Alliance National Convening · Chicago

Greater Hartford Cohort 3 · Cultural object sharing

Baltimore Cohort 3

New Orleans Cohort 3

St. Louis Cohort 3

As part of Rekindle’s optional sixth session, alumni in Memphis gathered to discuss Israel and Gaza.

1. Before Rekindle, what work shaped how you think about building community across differences?

My work as a bridge builder began with an experience of exclusion. I moved to Mobile, Alabama, with a promised bank job that vanished when the bank president realized I was Black. That closed door led to a career in higher education, helping students of color feel welcome, find community, and succeed. I know what it feels like to have a door close because of who you are. My work has been about helping others find an open one.

2. What first drew you to Rekindle, and what keeps you coming back?

Years ago, I stayed in the home of Mrs. Coretta Scott King. When I asked how she was managing without Dr. King, she spoke with deep gratitude about the Jewish community’s support for the civil rights movement and for her own ability to carry on. I felt entrusted with a gift. Helping Black and Jewish neighbors listen to one another and build trust is how I carry that gift forward.

3. What advice can you give new Fellows before their first session?

Come with a deep sense of curiosity. Both of our communities have been hunted, hated, and humiliated across generations. This is not a “suffering Olympics.” It is a chance to hear how each community has survived and, in listening, to learn how we might support each other.

4. Can you share a moment from a Rekindle conversation that stayed with you?

Participants once shared the stories behind family heirlooms. I was moved by their tenderness and faced with what I do not have. I know my roots reach to West Africa, but I do not know the country, and I have no artifact connecting me to it. I was moved by what others carried and grieved what I could not carry myself. Both feelings were real. The conversation made room for both.

5. Looking ahead, what do you hope Black-Jewish relationships in Boston look like in five years?

I hope our relationships are deeper, more trusting, and strong enough to hold honest questions, difficult history, disagreement, and care. Rekindle alumni can help by staying in relationship, inviting others in, and showing up when either community is hurting. Five years from now, I hope we will not only speak about an alliance. We will be living one.

Read Bernard’s full interview →

Read Bernard’s November 2026 Reflection →