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Tammy stops by for iced coffee in the shade outside Blue Bottle Coffee one recent sweltering afternoon. We chat about her work with MAZON, what we don’t realize about hunger in America, ignoring advice from R.E.M., loving the suburbs, DC hardcore music, and her dog Esther.
Samuel: What brought you to the DMV?
Tammy: I was born in Israel, and then when we first came to the States we came to Rockville, Maryland. So that’s my connection to the area. And then, life happens. You go find yourself. I was in Portland, Oregon for about nine years, and I just recently came back again. My family lives here, so I wanted to be connected back with them. I’ve been working at MAZON for just shy of a year now, but family is mostly what drew me back.
Samuel: What has returning been like?
Tammy: It’s been interesting, mostly because I’ve changed. I’m able to look at this place through brand new eyes. The biggest thing is the cultural differences and how much more Jewish it is, being in Rockville [compared to] Portland, Oregon. You hear Hebrew, walking around. There’s kosher restaurants. It’s a lot more inviting.
Samuel: Are you jumping back into a Jewish community from when you left, or creating a new one for yourself?
Tammy: Definitely recreating from scratch. I wasn’t involved in the Jewish community before I left; I got more involved in Oregon, and then now I have that community muscle exercised. I’m really shocked at how many different types of communities there are, from super progressive spaces to, like, very conservative Shomer Shabbos kinds of spaces. It’s interesting to be able to pick and choose. And, it seems like there’s really a push to get people in their 20s and 30s involved and empowering them to become community leaders. It’s really nice to have all these possibilities and ways to tap into different communities. I haven’t found my community yet, but I’m trying, and it’s a little easier now.
Samuel: You mentioned MAZON. What’s that work like? How did you get involved?
Tammy: In Oregon, I was doing a lot of community engagement and civic education, working at a radio station. I had my radio community and my Jewish community, and I was like: There has to be a way of combining the two. So I found a great intersection of advocacy work through Jewish organizing. What we do is advocating for anti-hunger and food security policies. Everyone has to eat; it felt like a place where I could get work done through different people, different coalitions, whether that’s Jews of Color spaces or religious spaces, whether you want to tap into the social justice element or just the Jewish values of it.
I work with educators and students from kindergarten all the way through college, speaking with them about what hunger in America looks like, the types of policy we’re working on or supporting, and getting them to advocate, building that coalition. It’s great. I love working with youth and students and educators, showing them the curriculum that we have but also relearning that curriculum through their eyes.
We have an upcoming project that’s really exciting, and I love it. We’re going to collect 47,000 postcards from folks and send them over to the USDA, demanding that they don’t cut SNAP benefits. It’s an action that we’re really hoping will gain some traction.
Samuel: What do people not know about hunger in the USA that they should?
Tammy: We talk about the 47 million who are food insecure or hungry in America – about 40% of the people who receive SNAP are actually children, which blew my mind. When I talk with people about hunger, they think of homeless people or people who are the most visible instances. What they don’t understand is food is always the first thing to go [in a budget]. If you have to pick between rent and dinner, you’re paying rent.
One question we ask is: What percent of food assistance – food pantries, Meals on Wheels, charity, or something – comes from the government? People don’t realize that it’s something like 95%. The government is the easiest facilitator for people getting relief, and that gets to why we choose advocacy specifically. It’s great if you’re an organization making sandwiches, saying: We fed 2000 people tonight! Okay, but that’s one meal, and think about how much money and time and people and power went into it. Government assistance is actually the most efficient way of giving people food relief.
With any kinds of cuts to SNAP, we’re talking about millions of people who will go hungry over the next five years. That’s why it is important for people to become advocates. Once members of Congress get to DC, if you don’t meet with them and tell them what’s important, they will get lost in the lobbying and whoever is going to give them the most money.
Samuel: What else do you enjoy about this work?
Tammy: Engaging with community members. I really got into that when I co-created the Jews of Color in the Pacific Northwest survey. That was enlightening. You can pretend like you know what people want, but why not ask them in a way that’s organized and facilitated and data-backed and culturally responsive? It’s nice to see where people’s heads are – and then create something consciously for them.
Samuel: What’s your experience been with spaces in the DMV for Jews of Color?
Tammy: It’s funny – in the Pacific Northwest survey, the sentiment was that [organizations] are offering things…but not really. It sometimes feels like an afterthought. I’m not a fan of “affinity spaces.” They feel odd and performative and almost ghetto-izing. We have this thing in common, where we’re all Jewish – why not build on that? If you really want to hear from Jews of Color and our experiences, it’s not going to come from organizations. It’s going to come from the people having conversations together, not separated in affinity groups. That’s why JoC-led organizations are so important in my opinion. It’s not an afterthought, it’s baked into the foundation.
Samuel: What’s feeling alive for you Jewishly right now?
Tammy: Jewish time. We’re counting the Omer. There’s also the counting for Sigd. I have all these projects on Canva and am just waiting for the opportunity to make a Jewish calendar.
Samuel: What’s a hidden gem in Rockville?
Tammy: There’s an REM song called “(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville.” I might have to quote them on that. Just kidding. I love the suburbs. It’s quiet. There’s fields of grass. Fireflies. Bunnies. I love waking up with the birds and lawnmowers.
Samuel: What are you feeling proud about right now?
Tammy: My fellowship with Tiyuv. The work they do is look at organizations and programs to see what does and doesn’t work. It’s a culturally responsive evaluation and is really neat.
Samuel: You can invite three people to Shabbat dinner. Who are you bringing?
Tammy: HR from the Bad Brains. It’s possible because he does live in DC. They’re a hardcore band with a bit of a Rastafarian tinge. I’d like to find HR and teach him about Judaism over dinner. I would also like to invite Jacques Ellul, because he has a cool last name and I’d like to ask him questions about whether he knows that his name is like the month. Also about his work. And then my friend Althea, because she lives in Portland and I miss her.
Samuel: Your dog is named Esther. What’s the story there? Does she act like an Esther?
Tammy: She bosses me around. She knows how to sway me to give her extra treats. And I would give her half my kingdom.
Samuel: Last one. Finish the sentence: When Jews of the DMV gather…
Tammy: Watch out!
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