Rabbi Michael Lezak, director of the Glide Foundation's Center for Social Justice, aims to transform San Francisco's Tenderloin into a 'justice classroom' through immersive training programs that foster conversations about race and social justice while inspiring participants to engage in community service. He believes these acts can bridge racial and class divides and contribute to healing the city and the nation.
Walk through San Francisco ’s bustling downtown, and it’s easy to get lost in the sea of anonymous faces. But slow down, strike up a conversation, and you’ll quickly find that behind each pair of eyes is a complex person, with a distinct set of hopes, dreams, fears — and needs.
It’s a place where those in need can find a hot meal, child-care assistance and help navigating medical issues. “It’s a pretty funky rabbi job,” Lezak said. And the work has granted him a unique perspective on this singularly divisive political moment. “Honestly, I didn’t know much about cops or DAs, but I knew about creating loving cohorts of people,” said Lezak, who had spent much of the two decades prior to joining Glide as a congregational rabbi. Over that time, he said criminal-justice reform had already become a focus of his work, and he had led a number of trips to San Quentin and other Bay Area prisons and jails.
Ex // Top Stories As swearing-in nears, Bilal Mahmood listens Incoming District 5 supervisor says listening tours of neighborhoods have revealed common themes “It was a powerful experience,” said James Darby, a registered nurse and a unit director at UCSF Health who participated in Glide’s “Healers at the Gate” program two years ago.
With more experience speaking to people living on the streets of the Tenderloin, Darby said, medical providers have the context to hold better conversations with their patients. The upshot: Patients will be able to make sure their preferences are heard.
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