INTERDEPENDENCE DAY! From Rosalind--Please Read.

[RaizelD <RaizelD...>]

Sorry about the long email address list.
Please read this and respond if you are able.

Dear Friends and Family,

Arik Einstein sings: 
"Why does a person build his/her own house but not that of his/her neighbor?
Why Is it always me me me and "You go fend for your own self"?

(Lama adam hu boneh et beyto lo boneh hu et beyt chaverav?  Lama ani zeh ani
zeh ani ve'atah levadcha mey achshav?)

I am so excited about celebrating the INTERDEPENDENCE DAY weekend with East
Bay Habitat for Humanity--An organization that is dedicated to building
housing for homeless and low income folks.

For a few years I had the good opportunity to work with Susan Felix, an
amazing artist and housing activist at UA Housing Inc., a non-profit agency in
Berkeley.   Most of what I did was to help write grants to fund projects.  The
last one I worked on was the Alameda Naval Air Station conversion for peace
time purposes in which we were able to secure a large number of units 60-100
and support beginning work on soil reclamation so that an organic garden and
compost buisness could be continued by new residents.

There has been a great deal of activism locally at the Presidio to convince
the city to use the empty barracks for low-income housing.  Many of my friends
and colleagues have been arrested in the pursuit of that goal.  I am so proud
of them--Rabbi Burt Jacobson, Rabbi Zari Weiss my two mentors were among them.

And now I am pursuing a dream I have had since I first heard about the work of
Habitat.  

I will be building in East Oakland along with 500 others over two weekends in
early July.  All the labor is donated--I will be out there as a novice
construction worker with many others who have the dream of dignified housing
for all people.  It seems so wonderfully empowering and truly in the spirit of
INTERDEPENDENCE DAY!  The goal is to frame 6 houses in 6 days and is truly a
collective endeavor.  

The effort is sponsored by friends of each participant who make pledges which
purchase building supplies.  And I am asking you to join me.  Registration is
still open and each participant is asked to raise a minimum of $100 in
pledges.  Call 510/251-6304.  If you already have plans for those weekends,
please consider sponsoring me.  Knowing that you are backing me up will be a
wonderful boost while I am hammering away.  I have always believed in
collective endeavor, but have not been able to fulfill many of my dreams for
tikkun olam/planetary healing.   

Pledges start at $15 for a hammer, $25 for a window, $50 for a door and up.
You can contribute a smaller or partial donation if that works better.   

Please call me at 510/652-1337 if you have any questions and if you can send a
pledge let me know via email and then send a check payable to:  Habitat for
Humanity.  Mail it to me at my home address: 
Rosalind Glazer
5973 Canning Street
Oakland, CA  94609

Thank you so much.  For those who observe--Shabbat Shalom, for those who
celebrate--Happy Gay Pride Weekend and Happy Interdependence Day--

Love and Blessings, Rosalind

PS  Many of you are already aware of the fact that I will be leaving the Bay
Area at the end of July.  I feel a sadness about this--but knowing that I will
have made a "concrete" (ha) contribution here will "cement" my presence and
dedication to the Oakland community.  Blessings, R