A Jewishly Inspired Public Art Movement

reimagining the tzedakah box and sparking change in cities across the U.S.

Be the Change is an art and activism initiative that is inspired by the Jewish tenet of justice and drawing from the ritualistic Jewish Tzedakah box. Be the Change is about making space to talk about injustice – and to give us all action steps to be agents of change in our local and global communities.

The tzedakah box (based on the root word tzedek, Hebrew for justice) is a small box in which Jews traditionally collect loose change on Shabbat and other occasions to be donated to the needy. Beyond just giving money, the goal of Be the Change is to help us all become artivists – activists through the art.

Be the Change 2023

On display in the Fenway Neighborhood, Opening August 2nd

Free to Learn

Ruth Kathryn Henry

Academic Censorship

In Other Eyes

Wen-hao Tien

Multiculturalism and Spatial Justice

Searching For Home

Chanel Thervil

Historical Impact of Redlining

The Power of the Vote

Dana Woulfe

Voter Suppression

Transcending Borders

Julia Cseko

Immigration Reform

I Am My Sister’s Keeper

Caron Tabb

Reproductive Justice

2023 global ambassadors

We are honored to announce our 2023 Global Ambassadors who are lending their leadership and voices to Be the Change as we move into the national spotlight.

Co-Chairs

Rabbi Menachem Creditor

Pearl and Ira Meyer Scholar-in-Residence at UJA-Federation New York and founder of Rabbis Against Gun Violence

Ruth Messinger

Former President and CEO of American Jewish World Service and Global Ambassador and Project Inspiration for Be the Change

Caron Tabb

Be the Change, Project Visionary

Global ambassadors

Cheryl Cook

CEO, Avodah: Sparking Jewish Leaders. Igniting Social Change 

Mark Hetfield

President and CEO, HIAS: Welcome the stranger. Protect the Refugee 

Rabbi Jill Jacobs

CEO, T’ruah: the Rabbinic Call for Human Rights 

Idit Klein

President & CEO, Keshet- For LGBTQ Equality in Jewish Life 

Rabbi Claudia Kreiman

Senior Rabbi Temple, Beth Zion Brookline 

Rabbi Jonah Pesner

Director, the Religious Action Committee of Reform Judaism 

Rabbi Jennie Rosenn

Founder & CEO, Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action 

Peggy Shukur

Interim Regional Director, ADL New England 

Be the Change 2022

launched in 3 cities across the u.s.

From Boston, to Cincinnati, and LA, Be the Change 2022 featured 6 pieces of public art in each city by local emergent artists and over 30 community partnerships. Click below to meet the artists and community partners behind Be the Change 2022.

Project Roots

In Boston, the  Jewish Arts Collaborative , is the lead producer of Be the Change  launching the national project in August of 2022  in the Fenway neighborhood in Boston.  Artist Caron Tabb was inspired to create the exhibit concept in partnership with Ruth Messinger (former CEO and President of American Jewish World Service).

From there,  Ish  takes the lead in Cincinnati, in collaboration with Cincy Nice, in Fall 2022 and then the Skirball Center for the Arts in Los Angeles in 2023.

Making Real Change: Using Art to Drive Policy

The Be the Change sculptures make space for us all to understand how we can make change in our community. To guide this, each piece in  Be the Change  is underpinned by active legislation, defined in collaboration with JALSA (Jewish Alliance for Law & Social Action).

made possible by

Dennis Schuman Charitable Foundation

Production Partners

The Jewish Arts Collaborative, lead producer, launches in the Boston Fenway area in Fall 2022 in collaboration with Samuels & Associates .

Ish takes the lead in Cincinnati, in collaboration with Cincy Nice in Fall 2022 (September – November). 

The Skirball Cultural Center in LA joins us in 2022/2023 (details TBD). 

Tzedek Box will be a lead online partner, co-hosting events, and conversation via their Tzedek Box app throughout the duration of the project. 

Boston Program Partners

Partnerships with diverse local organizations are central to Be the Change. Each of the host cities will partner community groups, schools, senior centers, and more to engage community through the art. 

Connecting Vietnam
Eastern Woodlands Rematriation Collective
Jewish Community Relations Council of Boston

All of the Culture
With none of the guilt.