Dear members and friends of the Society of Jewish Ethics,
Please accept my invitation to join us at the 20th Annual Meeting of the Society of Jewish Ethics, which will be held January 6-9, 2022 at the Hilton Orange County in Costa Mesa, California. You can find all the information about the upcoming conference on our new website. Over the last few months we have worked with Danielle Neubauer of NeuYou designs to re-imagine and re-create our web presence. With great thanks to Danielle, we are proud to share the new website and hope it serves as a first stop for all your SJE needs.
We continue to host our meeting in conjunction with the Society of Christian Ethics and the Society for the Study of Muslim Ethics. You can find the schedule for the upcoming SJE meeting here. In addition to an intellectually stimulating and diverse selection of papers, this year’s conference will include an SJE plenary. Dr. Samira Mehta (University of Colorado, Boulder) will deliver an address titled, “Amid the Other Others: Jews and the Navigation of Race in the United States.” Drawing on both Dr. Mehta’s expertise as a scholar of American Judaism in the broader context of post-WWII American religion, and her identity as a Jew and scholar of color, this talk explores the perils and possibilities of Jews amidst the Other Others.
The SJE is committed to making the conference financially accessible for those who are giving a paper or want to attend. We are providing the following opportunities to graduate students, contingent faculty, and all those without institutional support to attend the conference:
Scholarships up to $750
Reduced registration fees
Income-based membership fees
Subsidized Shabbat meals
Help finding a roommate to reduce hotel costs.
To apply for a scholarship to attend the SJE, please submit the application by December 15, 2021. Applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis.
I want to thank the dedication and efforts of the two conference co-chairs, Adrienne Krone and Aryeh Cohen. If you have any questions about the conference, you can send them an email at sjeprogramchairs@gmail.com.
On Sunday’s business meeting we will vote on some important updates to the SJE by-laws. Our bylaws have not been updated in several years, and it is important that they reflect our values and our growth as an organization. Article IX of the SJE By-laws states, “Subsequent to their initial ratification, these By-Laws may be amended by a vote of the majority of the members present and voting at the Annual Meeting, provided that the proposed amendment was included in the Call to the Meeting, or was submitted at the previous annual Meeting, or is recommended by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors.” In accordance with our by-laws, I am sharing the proposed amendments in the Call to the Meeting. Our by-laws are visible only to members of the SJE. You can join or renew your membership on our website and then log into to the website and view our by-laws here.
We know that the spread of Covid-19 continues to make travel and indoor gatherings risky. The Society of Jewish Ethics is implementing the following practices to minimize Covid spread:
· All attendees must be vaccinated or show medical exemption.
· All attendees must submit proof of a negative PCR or antigen test taken within 72 hours of the conference start.
· All attendees must wear a mask over their nose and mouth at all times while indoors, except while presenting a paper or eating.
· All attendees must upload proof of vaccination before the conference.
The Society of Christian Ethics, The Society of Jewish Ethics, and The Society for the Study of Muslim Ethics continue to closely monitor the coronavirus outbreak as the health and safety of our members and attendees is our highest priority. We are tracking all travel restrictions and will follow the advice of the World Health Organization, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the California Department of Public Health.
We will follow up in the coming weeks with policies and procedures related to Covid-19. It is our commitment to keep safe all of our conference attendees, as well as all those who help to make our conference possible.
If you have not yet renewed your SJE membership, please make sure to do so. If you have already renewed your membership and need help getting into the new website, please let us know by emailing admin@societyofjewishethics.org.
I look forward to seeing you in January.
Sincerely,
Michal Raucher
SJE President
