
On Passover, we are commanded to re-tell the story of Jewish
liberation from slavery. One of the most dramatic parts of the story is
the ten plagues. To free our people, G-d sent the plagues to Pharaoh as
reminders of all the injustice happening during his rule. As we think
about about justice and liberation today, what are some of the “plagues” that
remind us that even today not everyone is free? We asked three Research
Training Interns to think about what are some of the modern plagues they observe in society today.
“Political polarization is a modern plague because it
forces individuals to take one side on an issue and does not allow for
compromises. Social and political divides are being created and
perpetuated due to the idea that people can only take one extreme side of an
issue rather than meeting somewhere in the middle.” -- Sara Grostern
“Social media is a modern-day plague. It
creates unrealistic standards of perfection that negatively affects so many
people, primarily young people. Climate change is also a modern
plague because it destroying the world as we know it. Climate
change disproportionately affects people of color, women, people living in
poverty, and indigenous people. Although it is still such a major issue,
many people are blind to its effects.” – Gwen Tucker
“Internalized racism is a modern-day plagues because
of the ignorance towards it. People internalize stereotypes and unconsciously
apply them into their lives, causing racial inequity.” -- Ellie Goldsmith
What would you name as a modern plague? Think about
these and other pressing social justice issues with other teen girls and
non-binary teens in the Research Training Internship – a 10 month feminist
research internship exploring social justice issues in Chicago.
Applications for cohort 6 are now open. Learn more and apply here.
Please contact Beckee Birger, Program Director, at rebeccabirger@juf.org with questions.