New Jersey Jewish News
Monmouth County Feature Story
Freehold woman combines faith and commitment to activism
Attending a three-day conference on social justice last month was just the latest effort of a Freehold woman who is finding ways to combine her commitment to activism and Judaism.
Kimberly Pal, 23, whose social activism began when she was in middle school and high school, was among 1,000 attendees at the 2006 Charlotte B. and Jack J. Spitzer B’nai B’rith Hillel Forum on Public Policy in Washington, DC, held annually in conjunction with the Jewish Council for Public Affairs plenum.
The conference brings together students and recent college graduates interested in social justice and public policy to lobby, network, and train to enhance their advocacy work on and off campus.
Pal, who graduated from George Washington University in Washington, DC, in 2004 with a degree in human services and women’s studies, mentored children with special needs and was a member of several environmental and multicultural groups during middle school and high school.
After graduating from college, she volunteered to spend a year performing community service in India as part of a program sponsored by the American Jewish World Service; she performed community health outreach services in the southern part of the country and spent the next six months as an intern with the United Nations Women’s Development Fund in New Delhi.
Although Pal discovered a small Jewish community during her stay, she found that many Indians were not familiar with her religion. As a result, she began to address her own knowledge of Judaism so she could explain it to those who were interested in its meaning.
When she returned home, representatives from the AJWS told Pal about the Spitzer Forum. She jumped at the chance to learn more about social justice while solidifying her Jewish identity. The opportunity to interface with other Jewish activists and professionals in the field also was appealing, Pal said.
After the Jewish Federation of Greater Monmouth County agreed to cover the registration fee, Pal packed her bags and returned to Washington.
“I was so eager to share my experience in India with others at the forum,” Pal said. “I also knew being there would help me find ways to stay involved with social justice issues while still maintaining my Jewish identity.
She wasn’t disappointed. In addition to participating in skill-building workshops and networking with campus activists on subjects that included education, literacy, the environment, health, poverty, and the response of the Jewish community to the genocide in Darfur, the attendees heard from a number of leading activists and politicians whose careers and interests were relevant to their focus.
Particularly moving to Pal was an address by Manar Fawakhry, a Muslim from Mazra’a in northern Israel who is the Alan B. Slifka coexistence scholar at Brandeis University. She discussed her experiences growing up in Israel and trying to bridge the culture gap between Jews and Arabs, said Pal.
At the gathering, said Pal, “I found myself in the midst of a support network that was a strong part of the Jewish community.”
Looking at the issues through the Jewish lens continues to propel her to find ways to connect social issues to her Jewish identity. “I’m very ready to explore this,” Pal said. “There are many Jewish public service organizations that have a great deal to offer.”
Pal lives with her mother, Hedy, a school psychologist and Israeli native who came to the United States at six years old, and siblings Melanie, Josh, and twin brother Alex. She says her family members, particularly her mother, are her “greatest motivators.” The family attended Temple Beth Shalom in Manalapan and Pal participated in several Hillel activities on her college campus.
Her own continued social awareness will most likely be connected to human rights issues; she would like to work with victims of abuse and violence and help reintegrate them into society. After acquiring some direct experience, she said, she might apply to law school to examine the ways in which legalities affect social justice.
Pal also would like to create a forum on social justice awareness for young professionals.
“There is always a way to incorporate social justice into your career, just by being aware or through the things you do outside of the workplace,” she said. “People need to be encouraged to voice their opinions and sign petitions. They can also encourage their places of business to make donations to the causes they support. Inspiring this kind of awareness will always be part of my journey through life.”
She will also continue traveling on the path of Jewish identity.
“The forum helped me bridge my Jewish identity with the concept of social justice,” said Pal. “I feel very connected to the Jewish community, and I hadn’t felt this way before. I know now that Judaism is more than a religion; it’s a community that embraces and supports me. Now I have a new perspective on where I should go from here.”
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