August 18, 2022 —Today we kick off a series of “Mazel Talks,” short interviews with members of the SRE Network Advisory Board, a group providing oversight and strategic guidance for our work. These leaders ensure positive change towards the most equitable and vibrant Jewish community possible.

Gamal Palmer is a Global Equity and Inclusion Specialist and a committed SRE Network Advisory Board member.

Why are you a member of the SRE advisory board?

More than ever, we all have to do our part and advocate for our rights, hold each other accountable and ensure people are working in environments that are safe and empowering. Over the past few years many of us have taken workshops, listened to talks, participated in book clubs, attended rallies to deepen our understanding of what it means to live in a just, safe, and equitable country. But reading a book, putting out statements and taking a class is not enough. We need language to leverage, standards to hold ourselves to and new ways to ensure our actions are aligned with our stated values. SRE is helping organizations and people across the country to do just that!

What is one thing you want the rest of the Jewish community to know about the SRE Network?

We are here to help professionals find the way that makes sense for their specific organization to do this work. We are not here to serve as a judge, but rather to give our community the tools to assess themselves and to take appropriate actions based on those reflections.

How does your professional role intersect with the work of SRE?

Given I am a global Diversity and Inclusion and Leadership Development specialist, the overlaps between SRE's mission and my work are fairly vast. As an Advisory Board member, I try to bring my own expertise just as much as I seek to learn from the other members and professionals involved in SRE. It can be hard to provide people with relevant and tangible tools to use and actions to implement. However, both in my work and in the execution of SRE's mission there is a substantive and visible commitment to helping people have this work be tangible and useful.