The Aftselakhis Spectacle Committee, and the Purimshpiln we create, is a radical diasporist Jewish project. It is centered on a vision of the world that is (among other things) feminist, trans, abolitionist, queer, antifascist, anticapitalist, anticolonial, opposed to white supremacy, and, because of these commitments, antizionist.
This project is a space open to many different kinds of people. It’s not an expectation that everyone entering the project think, feel, and believe the same things. It is an expectation that if there are things happening that aren’t familiar, participants will approach them with curiosity and respect.
We believe that no one is disposable, so we take it extremely seriously when folks conduct themselves in the project in ways that make it less possible for others to participate, especially when that affects folks with less easy access to Jewish spaces and justice movement spaces (trans folks, Jews of color, Palestinians, disablized folks, among others).
Our space is based on an assumption that everyone both receives and gives help, because no one is perfect or can do things alone. We aim to support each other in our growth. We believe in direct communication. We are not afraid of conflict; we know that not all conflict involves harm. Critical thought drives the work we do together, and we want to know if we ourselves are not doing right by the project.
There is no formula for dealing with harm or conflict, and so we cannot approach all situations in the same way. We deal with situations based on their specifics. Our first response to conflict is to talk directly with the folks involved, and we expect the same of other participants (or for folks to approach a collective member when that’s not possible). We work in alignment with, and learn from, the framework for transformative justice work articulated by the NYC Transformative Justice Hub.
January 5780/2020