September Newsletter - Winding Down the Summer With Partnerships, Gratitude and Growth
L’shanah Tovah! Wishing all those who celebrate Rosh Hashanah a happy, healthy, and sweet New Year. May 5787 be a year of hope, healing, and “spilling the honey” – sharing sweetness, building bridges, and strengthening our shared humanity.
September Newsletter
Join the journey to empower the Black-Jewish alliance today
Winding Down the Summer With Partnerships, Gratitude and Growth
As Labor Day marks the close of summer, Spill the Honey reflects on a remarkable season of engagement, education, and action. We helped lead the Atlanta Summit, inspiring more than 100 Black and Jewish leaders to deepen relationships and build new pathways for partnership. Shared Legacies reached dozens of educators across the country at the NewCAJE National Convention, while three Teen Leadership Walks, led by the Lappin Foundation for Cohen Camps, brought the film’s history and lessons to a new generation.
From teens to teachers, from community leaders to ambassadors, we are helping to build an intergenerational movement committed to combating antisemitism and racism, and strengthening the Black-Jewish alliance. We invite you to join us: bring Shared Legacies, our adaptable curriculum, educator training, leadership programs, or community conversations to your school, campus, congregation, or organization. Help us continue to “spill the honey” across the country.
Spill the Honey Helps Lead Historic Atlanta Summit of Black Pastors and Rabbis
Spill the Honey played a significant role in planning and leading the historic Atlanta Summit of Black Pastors and Rabbis generously sponsored by Miami’s Temple Beth Am and Rabbi Jeremy Barras. Convened August 24-26 in Atlanta, the Summit brought together 100 rabbis, Black clergy, Black Jewish leaders, scholars, activists, and community leaders from across the United States. At a consequential moment marked by rising antisemitism, racism, polarization, and mistrust, participants gathered to move beyond remembrance toward renewed partnership and action.
Spill the Honey’s leadership was woven throughout the Summit. Executive Director Rabbi Dr. Judy Schindler helped lead the Program Committee, helping shape three days of learning, courageous conversation, relationship-building, and reflection. Spill the Honey President and Co-Founder, Dr. Shari Rogers, introduced Shared Legacies: The African American–Jewish Civil Rights Alliance at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, grounding the gathering in the history that continues to inspire our work. Dr. Cindy Kistenberg, Assistant to the Executive Director, served as Summit photographer, capturing the people, relationships, and powerful moments that brought the gathering to life.
Board Chair Reverend Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., helped author the Summit’s Sacred Covenant, taught about its meaning, and led its consecration. In what was one of the Summit’s most powerful moments, at the conclusion of our days together, Dr. Chavis sat next to every participant as they signed the Sacred Covenant, which included the following declaration: “The Black-Jewish covenant cannot be sustained by nostalgia alone. Sacred memory must become present responsibility.”
Spill the Honey is proud to have helped bring this extraordinary gathering to fruition and remain committed to transforming relationships, learning, and covenant into sustained action. We are thankful to the Summit’s hosts, The Temple and the Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, and grateful to the Summit co-sponsors, Exodus Leadership Forum, the Religious Action Center, Stephen Wise Temple, and Zioness.
A Remarkable Summit: From Renowned Leaders to a Sacred Covenant Renewing the Black-Jewish Alliance
Again and again, attendees at the Atlanta Summit praised the extraordinary caliber of the presentations, the willingness of speakers to engage challenging issues, and the inspiration offered by pastor–rabbi partners whose deep relationships have sustained meaningful work in their communities.
The Summit featured an exceptional array of nationally recognized faith, civil rights, civic, and Jewish communal leaders, including Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock, Ambassador Andrew Young, Van Jones, Reverend Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., Dr. Susannah Heschel, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, Dr. Terrence Johnson, Rabbi Jonah Pesner, Rabbi Ambassador David Saperstein, and Eric Ward - as well as leaders from Black Christian, Jewish, and Black Jewish communities across the country. Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt made a surprise visit and offered spontaneous remarks.
Dr. Rogers Introduces Shared Legacies and Mali Wilson in Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church
On August 25, 2026, Dr. Rogers introduced our documentary Shared Legacies: The African American-Jewish Civil Rights Alliance to the 100 rabbis, Black clergy, Black Jewish leaders and community leaders in attendance.
“I am deeply honored to stand in this historic church – a place where Reverend Martin Luther King Sr. preached, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. inspired a nation, and where today Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock and Dr. John Vaughn continue that extraordinary legacy. And I am humbled by the leaders gathered in this room. . . .
Several years ago, Sherry Frank introduced me to Mali Wilson and said, “You need to meet her. She should score Shared Legacies.”
She was right. Mali is a Grammy-nominated producer, singer-songwriter, composer, and humanitarian. As a woman who is both Black and Jewish, she brings a deeply personal understanding to the history and hope at the heart of this work.
Our collaboration grew into friendship, shared purpose, and ultimately the song “No More Silence” — a call to use our voices, stand against hatred, and stand up for one another.
At the conclusion of the film, you will hear my friend, my sister in this work, and the voice of Spill the Honey, Mali Wilson, sing “No More Silence.”
And then, here in Dr. King’s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, you will have the extraordinary gift of hearing Mali sing it live.
This history is not simply something we inherit. It is a responsibility we carry forward.
May Shared Legacies remind us what is possible when people find the courage to stand together – and inspire us to find that courage again today.”
Relive the most impactful moments from the Atlanta Summit through our comprehensive blog coverage and exclusive documentary screenings.
A Sacred Covenant Signed
Leaders from across the nation gathered in Atlanta to advance justice and equality by renewing the Black/Jewish alliance.
Shared Legacies Introduced
Dr. Rogers introduces our film at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church community to inspire a new generation of activists.
The Office of African, African American, Latino, and Holocaust Studies and Jewish History of the School District of Palm Beach County Endorses Shared Legacies Curriculum
In February of 2026, Palm Beach County brought 300 students from ten high schools to a Shared Legacies all day workshop, and plans to do so again in 2027. The office of African, African American, Latino and Holocaust Studies and Jewish History strongly endorses our curriculum.
Read Ms. Coombs letter in support of our program. Help us make a difference in your community, too.
WHERE WE ARE GOING. . .
JOIN US FOR
WELCOMING WEEK
‘SHARED LEGACIES’ FILM SCREENING
As part of Welcoming Week, a national
initiative that brings neighbors
together to build belonging and
welcoming communities, Building
Togetherness at the YMCA of Greater
Boston is hosting a screening of
‘Shared Legacies
’
.
In the Works… Shared Legacies Three-Unit Curriculum as a Powerful Supplement to Holocaust Education
In the coming months, renowned Holocaust educator Dr. Michael Berenbaum will develop a three-unit Shared Legacies curriculum designed to supplement Holocaust education in the 23 states where it is mandated. Built around the 40-minute classroom version of our award-winning documentary, Shared Legacies: The African American–Jewish Civil Rights Alliance, the curriculum will deepen students’ understanding of the Holocaust by placing it within a broader examination of antisemitism, racism, moral courage, and the responsibility to confront injustice.
The three units will explore several compelling and often overlooked dimensions of Holocaust history. Students will investigate how American Jim Crow laws influenced Nazi jurists as they developed the Nuremberg Laws, revealing the international consequences of legalized racism. They will examine the contributions of African Americans during World War II, including their role in defeating Nazi Germany, and explore how Black leaders, soldiers, journalists, and organizations responded to Nazism, advocated for victims of persecution, and challenged oppression abroad while continuing to confront discrimination at home.
At a time of rising antisemitism, racism, historical distortion, and polarization, students need more than knowledge of the past. They need the skills to identify the warning signs of dehumanization. They need to understand the dangers of silence and indifference, and they must recognize their own capacity to act. By connecting Holocaust education to American history and the continuing struggle for civil and human rights, the Shared Legacies curriculum will help students move from historical understanding to ethical responsibility now and in the future.
More importantly, it will help young people understand that while histories of oppression are unique, the work of opposing hatred is shared, and solidarity, courage, and collective action remain essential to building a more just future.
Bring Shared Legacies to your School or Community
What are our goals? To get into schools across the country.
How can you help? Share our National Education Initiative flyer with a teacher you know and explain the importance of this program. Ask for their help getting this important program into History, Civics, and/or English/Language Arts courses. Or send us their names and email addresses. We will reach out.
What do we have to offer?
Classroom Documentary & Curriculum: A flexible five-session curriculum for grades 6–8 and 9–12, adaptable for schools and houses of worship.
Professional Development Workshops: In-person, virtual, and asynchronous online trainings supported by an online learning platform.
College Facilitation Guide: Designed for faculty and for campus programs involving Hillels, Black Student Unions, and Greek organizations.
Community Facilitation Guide: Tailored for houses of worship, Federations, NAACP chapters, civic organizations, JCCs, and interfaith groups.
Hip Hop Pedagogy Program: A multicultural program combining the documentary with civic hip-hop songwriting sessions led by local artists and Spill the Honey Hip Hop Educator, Antar Davidson.
Mini-Grants: Financial support, ranging from $300 to $750, for middle and high school educators to develop a program that engages parents and/or community members.
New to Spill the Honey:
Zoom Training for Educators with Curriculum Director Brian Knowles
Tuesday, December 1, 2026, 7:00 to 8:00 pm
Let educators in your social and professional circles know about this great opportunity!
WEAR THE MESSAGE; SHARE THE LEGACY
Join us in spreading the message of Shared Legacies wherever you go. Visit the Spill the Honey Shop and explore our collection of T-shirts, hoodies, hats, totes, and other merchandise celebrating the powerful history of Black-Jewish collaboration and the ongoing work of building bridges across communities.
Every item tells a story. Every purchase helps us continue sharing the legacy. Show your support, start a conversation, and wear the message of unity, justice, and shared history with pride.
Join Us on the Journey
Your partnership makes all the difference. To learn more about how you and your community can connect with our work and bring the joy of arts and education into your community multicultural alliance building,
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