SOCIAL ACTION
TZEDAKAH AND VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Click here for links to some organizations _________________________________________ Current Programs: Beth El members participate in the life of the community-at-large in a variety of ways including volunteering in area shelter kitchens, serving meals-on-wheels, and serving on the local neighborhood council. Monthly, Beth El volunteers cook and serve lunch and dinner at the Interfaith Council shelter in Chapel Hill. Since January, 1992, members of Beth El and Judea Reform have joined forces every month to cook and serve meals for the homeless and hungry in Durham. Current Programs Include:
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Community Connections SEEDS OF PEACE (SOP) A multi-denominational group, including Jewish, Christian and Muslim representatives, is planning to bring SOP to this area in April to inform us about their efforts (and, of course, to help raise funds). SOP is a non-profit organization whose goal is to train young Israelis and Palestinians in methods of reconciliation and dialogue. The hope is that these future leaders can return to their native societies and help in the work needed to advance the peace process in the area (SOP has also started programs for people in other conflict areas ). Details of the planned events for SOP in the Triangle area will be provided in the future but in the meantime, I invite you to look into the wonderful work that SOP is involved in by going to their website www.seedsofpeace.org. If you are interested in more information about local efforts here, or about other social action intiatives, please contact David Bronstein at 932-5657 or brons003@hotmail.com. Congregations, Agencies, and Neighborhoods --We're currently looking for members interested in working with Congregations, Agencies, and Neighborhoods (CAN). We are trying to get a group of people at Beth El who would be interested in coming to a training session with CAN. It's a true old style Saul Alinsky style community organization here in Durham. If you are interested, please contact Jennifer Sosensky, jwsos@aol.com or 489-8202 Volunteers needed for the Beth El Gift Shop -- If you are interested in working in the Gift or are interested in more of a leadership position, please call the Beth El office. Tuna Casseroles Needed for Community Cafe Dinner the fourth Sunday of each month! -- Several casseroles are needed for the Durham Community Cafe dinner that is served on the fourth Sunday of each month. For your convenience, the recipe (click here or scroll down) is printed below. Please deliver the casseroles to Judea Reform before the fourth Sunday of each month during their regular office hours. If you are unable to deliver the casserole, please contact Erica Gringle or the Beth El office to make alternate arrangements. This mitzvah is an easy one in which to involve children. .......
(use very large rectangular or oval disposable tin) Social Action Shelf in the Beth El kitchen - We have designated an area in our kitchen for regular supplies needed for the meal we serve monthly at the Durham Community Cafe. The following items are used on a regular basis: 2 lb. bags of noodles (penne, elbow or rotini), cans of cream of mushroom soup (about 70 ounces and preferably low sodium), Costco sized cans of tuna and green beans, and large canisters of iced tea mix with lemon and sugar. Community of Caring – No meetings to attend; only wonderful mitzvot to perform. Can you occasionally provide a meal for the bereaved, ill or new parents in our community? Are you available to bring community members to Beth El for services? Do you need a ride to services? If you can help those in need regularly or occasionally, or if you need assistance yourself, please contact the office at 682-1238. Local food pantry needs donations -- The Client Services Program of Association of AIDS Services- Carolina operates a small food pantry. For many of their Durham and Orange County clients, their weekly stop at the pantry provides the best source of nutrition they have. They need tuna, beans and other inexpensive sources of protein as well as canned goods. If you have the capacity to help, call Keith or Charles at 596-9898. Food may be dropped-off at the synagogue office during regular office hours. The Inter-Faith Council food pantry is in urgent need of non-perishable food: for a complete list of what they need most please visit: http://www.ifcweb.org/foodneeds.html Please help them collect the following items for their pantry shelves. A Mitzvah Opportunity to help our Jewish Elderly: On the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month Jewish Family Services provides a program and lunch for seniors in our community. This is a wonderful opportunity for our elderly seniors to get together on a regular basis spending time together chatting over a good lunch. We are looking for small groups of friends, a family or two, a Hebrew school class, a Bnei Mitzvah student to consider preparing or sponsoring a lunch in honor or memory of someone or just for the fun of it, for between 15 - 20 seniors. This is an easy and wonderfully rewarding mitzvah opportunity. For more information please contact Michele Pas at mjbpas@aol.com or 493-3175. Volunteers cook and serve lunch at the IFC shelter in Chapel Hill the first Wednesday of every month. Contact Gladys Siegel to volunteer. Volunteers cook and serve dinner at the IFC shelter in Chapel Hill the second Tuesday of every month. Contact Meyer Liberman to volunteer.
Volunteer as a court appointed Guardian ad Litem and change a child's life of hurt into one of hope. Durham County's Guardian Ad Litem Program
The Social Action Committee has begun a new long-term project to contribute to the Triangle-wide efforts to end homelessness in the region. The project, "Circles of Support", began with a presentation to the Beth El community by representatives from the Durham Affordable Housing Coalition, United Way, Housing for New Hope, and Durham’s 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness. The City and County of Durham, with support from the federal and local governments, has committed funds and resources to address the homelessness issue, and we are planning for Beth El to be a small, and hopefully growing, part of those efforts. As a first step, the Beth El community will be paired with one family that is transitioning from homelessness to long-term housing. The aim is to provide this family with a broad net of support services over the course of the coming year or two. We are currently assembling a list of Beth El members who have particular skills and abilities that may be useful for this family (e.g., legal expertise, counseling skills, job-seeking skills, skills regarding parenting issues). We also hope to serve as a source of community connectedness, providing the family with holiday meals and gifts. Jennifer Sosensky, who will be the family's primary contact person from our community, will assess how and when help is needed and who from Beth El is best suited for the particular need. The plan is to have many volunteers so that the commitment for any one individual will not be too taxing. If you would like to participate in this project please contact Social Action Committee Chair David Bronstein or Committee Member Abby Goldman. If you can imagine baking their kids a birthday cake, buying a holiday present, mentoring a child, moving or picture hanging, or lending any other professional or personal skills, please join us! Once we build a solid list of interested volunteers, we’d hope to extend our work to other families who are trying to leave homelessness. So please, join us!
Beth El Co-Sponsorship of Habitat for Humanity houses
Thanks for your commitment to Tikkun Olam in Durham!
click image for more photos September 30, 2007 Beth El – Habitat work dayAbout 25 Beth El members turned out at the Habitat for Humanity Hope Crossing building site in Durham on Sunday, September 30. We were joined by about 10 folks from the Young Adult Division of Federation. Habitat provided supervisors, tools, and lots of good instruction. There are 9 houses under construction in Hope Crossing, and the development will eventually have many more Habitat homes. Several of the homes have "green" features, and the development will include green space, native plants, and other environment-friendly ideas.We worked from 1-4:30 pm on a gorgeous Fall day. Some of us worked on a house that was ready for interior painting: we prepared the area, taped windows, and primed the walls. In another house, we did "sheathing", which essentially involved lots of measuring, hammering and some power sawing. In a third house, there were people climbing ladders and hammering nails on high. And on a fourth house, we were putting on siding. As you can tell from this highly technical description, it was not necessary to know anything about building, and there were jobs for all levels of skill, strength, and coordination. We were well-supervised and instructed by Habitat crew chiefs, which kept us productive and safe. At the end of the afternoon, there was visible progress on each of the houses we worked on. There was general enthusiasm for doing this again soon, particularly if we can go back to Hope Crossing and see the houses’ progress. I'm working with Habitat to schedule another date this Fall, and will inform the Beth El community as soon as that's arranged. Thanks to all those who volunteered. Many commented on how great it was "to work in the community while simultaneously bringing together the Beth El community."
THANK YOU. We got a wonderful response to the request for help in bringing an end to the terrible situation in the Darfur region of Sudan. Your generosity led to nearly $3000 being raised. This money will be split between two organizations that are at the forefront of efforts to pressure the Sudanese government to take actions to end the genocide and human displacement that is occurring: the American Jewish World Service (AJWS) and SAVE DARFUR, a coalition of social action and religious groups of all denominations. (you can read more about their work at ajws.org and savedarfur.org). Similar to tactics used previously with South Africa, there are efforts to apply financial pressure on the Sudanese government; in that regard, the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (of which Beth El is a member) recently passed a resolution to divest from targeted companies that is a source of money for those in power in Sudan. To those of you who gave of your time and/or money on behalf of Darfur, I thank you deeply. To all Beth El chevra/members, I encourage you to consider taking small steps, in whatever way suits you, to improve the world you live in, i.e., tikkun olam. If you’re interested in sharing/discussing new or ongoing initiatives, or want to be more “socially active”, feel free to contact me. David Bronstein, Social Action Chairman (June 2007)
4th annual Blood Drive: A note about the 5th annual Blood Drive
Matzah Brie Fry 2010 will be long be known as the year the Beth El Men’s club instituted the annual Matzah Brie Fry. Based on the highly successful, annual Channukah Latke sale, the Men’s Club will be serving another seasonally appropriate fried breakfast on Sunday March 28, 2010 . In keeping with the Passover tradition of providing food to those in need, you will have a choice in how you pay for your matzah brie. You can pay with food, specifically food that can be donated to a local agency (call Laura if you need suggestions on what is most needed). Or if you don’t have time to stop at Costco and purchase large quantities of food you can pay with money which will be donated an appropriate agency. The question of how much food is an appropriate donation for a serving of delicious matzah brie is not easily answered. Whether or not your donation is sufficient for you to be able to satisfy your appetite, will be determined at the time you are served and will be based on many subjective factors. The factors and formula are highly classified, arbitrary, and will remain a mystery. In order to avoid the embarrassment of only bringing enough food for ½ of serving, it is highly recommended you think large, generous donations appropriate to your means. Not only will you be making an impact this year, but if the food drive aspect of this epicurean event is successful, you will be helping to make it an annual event. Just imagine being able to tell future generations as they enjoy a tasty repast of matzah brie at Beth El that it was your generosity that ensured this became a tradition. When: March 28, 2010 10:00 – noon What: Matzah Brie (using the Beth El Men’s club secret recipe) Where: Beth El Cost: Food to be donated to a local agency (or $5/person cash). In the spirit of Passover and ensuring all who are hungry can eat, please be generous
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Please remember that Beth El collects toiletries and non-perishable food items year round. Our current goal is to collect 150 pounds of food each month. Each time you attend a meeting, class, Bet Midrash or other event at Beth El, bring a few items with you to add to our donation collections.
The Back Pack Project Hadera Kids Hadera is a small coastal city between Tel Aviv and Haifa with a disproportionately large number of Ethiopian immigrants. The Durham-Chapel Hill Jewish Federation has supported Ethiopian immigrants in Hadera since 2004. We were able to fulfill basic needs, mainly of school age children, of the Ganei Alon community. We have established a computer room with PCs, a library, and an awning for the children to be able and spend time outdoors protected from the sun. We have already started to raise money for the next few projects paying attention to the needs of teenagers and senior citizens. As part of our relationship with the Hadera project we have started a tradition bringing backs packs for children every time any of us is visiting Hadera. The kids seem to enjoy the back packs enormously! We are aware of several groups from our area that are going to Israel this summer and visiting our project in Hadera. We would like for every visitor of our community, who is willing to be a witness to a wonderful project that our community efforts are building, to bring with him/her at least one back pack and hopefully visit Hadera. |
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Hats, Hats, Hats! Once again, our knitting group has made a significant tzedakah contribution. This year ('09-'10) we made 34 hats for women who are undergoing chemotherapy. Our hats were donated to the Cancer Support Program at the Patient & Family Resource Cancer Center at UNC Hospitals. My gratitude and thanks to all those who contributed to this mitzvah: Hunter Levinsohn, Susan Leeb, Sharon Halperin, Mindy Oshrain, Lois Ryen, Sue Slatkoff, Gladys Siegel, and Judith Snyderman. In September, we will begin our new year of tzedakah knitting-hats for the homeless. Our Sunday monthly knitting gatherings will begin in September at the Beth El library from 10-11:30AM (see below for 2010-2011 schedule). Newcomers are always welcome! See you in September. -- Carla Fenson 2010-2011 Dates: *September 26, 2010
October 10, 2010 November 14, 2010 December 12, 2010 January 9, 2011 February 13, 2011 March 13, 2011 April 10, 2011 *May 1, 2011
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American Jewish World Service ATZUM Durham-Chapel Hill Jewish Family Services The Inter-Faith Council for Social Service http://www.ifcweb.org Lifeline for the Old (Yad Lakashish) Jewish National Fund Bema’aglei Tzedek MAZON SAVE DARFUR SEEDS OF PEACE Urban Ministries of Durham Yad Sarah ZAKA For links to more organizations:
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