By Rachel Rosin
November 30, 2007
Tikkun olam is an ancient Hebrew phrase that means “repairing the world.” Its origins go back to the 16th century. Today, when Jews speak of tikkun olam it is in the context of fixing what is broken in our society
Over the Veterans’ Day weekend, 25 congregants of Temple Beth El traveled to New Orleans and Baton Rouge to help repair that part of the world.
“In a part of our country that many people rarely think about—especially now, two years removed from the disaster of Katrina—we wanted to let people know that they were not forgotten,” explains assistant Rabbi Geoffrey Mitelman, who accompanied the group.
They did simple things that made a big difference—sorted cans of food at the Baton Rouge Food Bank, threw a pizza party at a FEMA trailer park and distributed necessary goods—toaster ovens, underwear, toothpaste, blankets – in anticipation of the upcoming winter.
Rabbi Mitleman adds: “While we knew we could not give people their homes back, or give them everything they needed to recoup what they had lost, we did what we could, . . . and looking back on our trip, we have discovered just how far of a reach our small actions truly were.”
Repairing the world part of a larger tradition at Temple Beth El
Tracy Stein and Benna Dinhofer co-chair the Tikkun Olam Council at Temple Beth El. The council’s mission is basically to repair the world by addressing a range of different social issues and community needs. The council includes liaisons from the Sisterhood, Brotherhood, Religious School, Nursery School and all the other core groups within the Temple. According to Dinhofer, “these liaisons act as the eyes and ears of each sector . . . to get together and be a clearinghouse for whatever social action activities are going on within the Temple.”
As an example, the council organized the temple’s Mission to New Orleans during the Veteran’s Day weekend. This delegation of 25 congregant families were a part of a United Jewish Appeal sponsored trip to help in the post-Katrina rebuilding of the city. Amy Grossman, former council chair, organized this trip, designed to involve Temple families with children 12 and older. These families actually got to tour the Ninth Ward and host a party for children at one of the FEMA trailer parks.
Deciding which issues to address and raising awareness
The council meets to discuss what their priorities are in pursuing social justice, explains co-chair Stein. “And everyone has different ideas to contribute….which is why the whole idea of the Council is fantastic. What we came away with is a broad slate of programs to address local, national and international issues.”
The council also spends a good deal of time trying to raise awareness as well. Part of pursuing social justice is teaching congregants what the issues are and how to advocate on behalf of causes which are important to Reform Jews. The Council encourages its congregants each year during the High Holy Days to participate in its social action programming.
Providing shelter, food and helping the environment
Other recent Council activities have included the Temple Beth El Shelter during the weeks of November 5 and November 19. Temple Beth El is the area host as part of the Northern Westchester Emergency Shelter Partnership, providing overnight shelter and hot meals, including Thanksgiving dinner, for day laborers and others who need a place to stay during the cold winter. As part of the program, several temple youth have collected jackets, coats and other winter gear for those who benefit from the temple shelter.
As part of Temple Beth El’s focus on the environment and climate change, the council is currently creating a Going Green Handbook. The booklet will provide numerous ways that everyone can help to protect the environment in their everyday lives; collecting ideas for this booklet is a congregation-wide activity. Further to this goal, the Council will host Congresswoman Nita Lowey and Congressman John Hall at Temple Beth El on January 13 as part of a program about the environment and global warming.
The Council also organizes Food Patch package activities on a regular basis at the Food Patch location in Millwood under the leadership of Stephanie Spiegel, former council chair. The latest event on October 28 involved more than 30 people (including children 6 and older) who packaged food to be distributed to the needy throughout Westchester.
Throughout its many programs, the council looks for ways to involve the congregation’s children in its various activities. As Stein and Dinhofer explain, “that is one of our goals, to try to find a way to coordinate programs so that a broad range of people in the temple can participate. And especially for us, our children are young and if we’re going to spend our time committed to social action projects it’s really for them, so they can learn and understand why it’s important to do this.”
Rachel Rosin is a congregant of Temple Beth El and has been its volunteer publicist and advertising director for the last four years.
Copyright 2008 NewCastleNOW.org