THE GOOD TROUBLE CHECKLIST keep all your shenanigans in one place

Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg
Apr 3, 2025 • 19 min read

Many of us, I think, watched Senator Corey Booker's display of public protest on Monday night and Tuesday, breaking a record (previously held by a segregationist whose name can now be lost to history) for the longest-ever speech on the Senate floor.

And what was his closing charge? He quoted Egyptian pro-democracy activist Wael Ghonim,
"The power of the people is greater than the people in power."

And the great Rep. John Lewis:
"Go out and make good trouble, necessary trouble, and redeem the soul of this nation."
This here is a checklist.
It includes a lot of things that you can do, and some things that, well, you probably oughta do.
(What we mean will become clearer as you read.)

It is Part One of a two-part series collaboration between Zach Teutsch and your usual cruise director, Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg. (More about Zach at the end of the piece.) We’ve been friends through progressive Jewish communities since the first George W. Bush administration (remember when that seemed like the stupidest and evilest it could get??) … and when Zach suggested getting a list of our best practical, political, and spiritual ideas together in one place, RDR jumped at it immediately. Then, of course, the list got very long, so we've split this into two installments. Stay tuned for Part Two– with some very concrete ways to care for yourself and others during These Days– later this month.

UPDATE: HERE IS PART TWO
Snip...
Parts One and Two at the link:
https://www.lifeisasacredtext.com/goodtrouble/


❤️ pants
RESIST!! ✊️