Clean Speech St. Louis announced it will run its second annual, month-long, community-wide campaign on mindful speech starting March 1. The successful 30-day education and awareness campaign will involve over 25 local organizations.  Last year, thousands participated in a month of kinder, more respectful speech.  This is the only program of its kind to bring our entire community together to rectify speech.

Last year’s campaign, Clean Speech Volume 1, focused on avoiding lashon hara, speaking negatively about another person when they are not present. Volume 2 will focus on avoiding onas devarim, causing a person pain with our words. 

According to Rabbi Yosef David, executive director of Aish HaTorah, “We are excited to once again be launching a Clean Speech campaign and joining with other cities across North America who have and are planning to launch similar campaigns. The positive impact that we can make with our words, starts with our own relationships, families and community but extends far beyond, to the wider world. We hold tremendous power to either build people or God forbid, to destroy people with our words.”

With Clean Speech Volume 2, in two to three minutes a day, participants will learn powerful lessons about mindful speech that will help them become more aware of what they say and how they say it.

Last year’s campaign focused on how we talk about each other, avoiding gossip and slander.  This year’s campaign will feature 30 new daily lessons and videos with a new focus on how we talk to each other, avoiding any kind of offensive, disrespectful, insulting remarks, the Hebrew term for which is onas devarim. 

The 30-day campaign will start March 1st and run through the month with a series of daily videos and weekly talk show style streamed events, all of which are free of charge. Clean Speech Volume 2 will culminate with a community celebration at the Jewish Community Center in Creve Coeur on Sunday, March 26 featuring Hassidic rap artist Nissim Black, both in concert and a Q&A with the artist. 

For more information visit Clean Speech online.