Moving Traditions has selected 20 Jewish teen activists from across the US to learn about social justice while building leadership skills and creating a multiracial Jewishly-diverse community of belonging.
October 6, 2026 – Moving Traditions is proud to announce 20 newly selected Kumi Justice Retreats participants from across the United States.
Moving Traditions’ Kumi Justice Retreats is an experience for 9-12th graders to learn about social justice while building leadership skills and creating a multiracial, Jewishly-diverse community of belonging.
Participants gain the skills they need to interrupt racism and antisemitism and create inclusive Jewish communities in their own schools, youth groups, synagogues, and eventually college campuses.
See the full list of 2026-27 Kumi Justice Retreat participants on the Moving Traditions website.
The Kumi Justice Retreat is a two-semester experience that includes monthly virtual gatherings in a community of practice, and two in-person retreats:
On October 9-12, at the Kumi: Foundation retreat, participants will learn the foundational knowledge of equity and justice work at a beautiful camp in Wisconsin.
In the Spring, at Kumi: Exploration, participants will travel to Atlanta, GA to learn directly from social justice leaders, engage in local justice organizations, and gain valuable insights into Jewish history and racial justice in the United States.
“Kumi brings together teens who are already leaders in their communities, whether formally or not, and who come from a wide range of backgrounds and life experiences,” said Rebecca Ezersky, Kumi Justice Retreats Senior Manager. “They have the opportunity to learn from one another, share their own stories, and bring what they learn back to their home communities as they work to build more anti-racist and inclusive spaces. Each of them is helping to shape a Jewish world that is more just, authentic, and expansive because they are part of it.
Kumi Justice Retreats is part of Moving Traditions’ suite of programs designed to embolden Jewish youth—with over 13,500 total program participants in 2025-26. This new cohort joins Moving Traditions’ rapidly expanding network of teens committed to building critical thinking skills and gaining new perspectives about what it means to be Jewish.
Shards of Light, the Irving Harris Foundation at the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, the Jews of Color Initiative, and many generous individual donors have provided support to Moving Traditions to create and expand Kumi Justice Retreats.
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Kumi Justice Retreats Background
Kumi (pronounced koo-mee) means “Wake Up!” or “Stand Up!” in Hebrew. This name was chosen to represent the intertwined importance of learning deeply about ourselves and the world around us (“Wake up!”), and the need to use that knowledge to support justice in our community (“Stand up!”). The word Kumi is used to urge the Jewish people to wake up and stand up in the Lecha Dodi, a 16th century poem still sung on Friday nights around the world to hundreds of different melodies. Kumi participants will join a Jewish community dedicated to meaningful exploration of pressing social justice issues and building skills to become well-informed Jews who take justice seriously.
About Moving Traditions
Moving Traditions is a nonprofit organization that helps Jewish youth discover who they are and who they want to be. Founded in 2005, Moving Traditions has supported more than 55,000 Jewish youth across North America by partnering with 800+ institutions. Moving Traditions has three core approaches. Our Curricular Programs offer a diverse suite of curriculum and training for synagogues, schools, and camps that help teens explore their Jewish identity in context with their relationships and values. Our Meyer-Gottesman Immersive Teen Experiences provide Jewish high schoolers with peer community and adult mentors who support them in developing identity and belonging at the intersection of Judaism, social justice, and feminism. Community Learning offers accessible resources and events for anyone seeking to understand what Jewish teens need today. Moving Traditions uniquely brings both expertise in Jewish tradition and a deep understanding of youth identity formation. Learn more at MovingTraditions.org.