Mitzvah Mall 2016, Interfaith Build, CUMAC Wish List, Aid Syrian Refugees, Family Promise, Feed Our Hungry Neighbors, Memories and Materials, Social Action Drives
Mitzvah Mall 2016 Planning Underway First Team Tzedek Meeting on November 11, 7 to 9 pm
Join Team Tzedek in planning the best Mitzvah Mall yet!
Our 10 Mitzvah Mall charities are on board. Now it's time for Team Tzedek to gather, brainstorm and begin partnering with these diverse, well-deserving grassroots organizations to help raise money and awareness for their causes.
"Be quick in performing a minor mitzvah as much as a major one; and flee from transgression, for mitzvah goreret mitzvah, aveirah goreret aveirah, one mitzvah leads to another, and one transgression leads to another."
Pirkei Avot 4:2
Paterson Habitat for Humanity's Interfaith Build
November 5 and 6
Barnert Temple teens (16+) and adults are invited to participate in an Interfaith Build for Paterson Habitat for Humanity on Thursday, November 5, or Friday, November 6.
We will work together volunteers from the Christian and Muslim faiths to build stronger ties with each other and our surrounding communities. Click here to see the full flyer.
Please note this is a School Holiday for most towns (Teacher's Convention). Volunteer days go from 7:45 am to 2:30 pm. No construction experience is necessary...just a desire to serve those in need.
Please notify the coordinator for this event, Rich Edelman, if you are interested in participating. E-mail Rich at edelmanr@optonline.net.
HELP MAKE A DIIFERENCE!
CUMAC Wish List 2015
Barnert Temple will once again participate in the CUMAC annual Wish List program to provide holiday gifts to children living in poverty in Passaic County. CUMAC is a former Mitzvah Mall Charity. Many of the Wish List recipients are victims of abuse or neglect, have the added burden of residing in a homeless or battered women's shelter, or are coping with chronic or terminal illness such as HIV/AIDS. These children are especially in need of a happy holiday season. We have a list of children and gifts they would love to receive.
If you would like to participate by granting their wish and purchasing their gift, please contact Steve Kiel at (201) 797-7965 or smkiel@outlook.com. All gifts must be delivered to the Temple no later than November 22.
Hear The Call. Be The Call.
The Syrian Refugee Crisis - You Can Make A Difference.
Three things we can do:
1. Go to the HIAS (formerly called the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) website (HIAS.org - look for the "Global Refugee Crisis - How You Can Help"):
- Sign the online petition to President Obama: "Commit to resettling in the United States 100,000 of the most vulnerable Syrian refugees, allowing more individuals and families to start new lives in safety and freedom." - Call your Senator, House of Representative Members using the HIAS script requesting support for the increase in refugee funding and legislation to improve the lives of refugees.
HIAS - the only Jewish organization whose mission is to assist refugees - whomever they are and wherever they are, through action and advocacy. HIAS.org
IsraAID - is a humanitarian aid agency helping people all over the world and providing millions with vital support for over a decade. http://www.israaid.co.il/
Jewish Coalition for Disaster Relief (JCDR) - brings together the experience, expertise, and resources of North American Jewish organizations that seek to assist victims of natural or man-made disasters outside of North America on a non-sectarian basis. http://www.jdc.org/jcdr/
Volunteer For Family Promise Day Shelter This Sunday November 8, from 11 am - 2 pm
Volunteer this Sunday for Family Promise. It's a great family-service opportunity: kids are welcome and many have used this for their Mitzvah Project. Your role is to just be a presence at the shelter while the regular weekly staff is not working. There are currently 4 families in the program with children ages 2 - 12. You may play with the children there, read a story or just chat with the parents. It is an important and rewarding service that enables working homeless families to have a "home base" where they can spend the day.
Contact Temple member Donna Meyer at (201) 681-7044 or meymail121@gmail.com to sign up.
Feed Our Hungry Neighbors
As school starts, can you imagine if you were a Bergen County parent who could not afford to feed your hungry children? Many of your neighbors will turn to the Center for Food Action in order to put food on their tables.
You can make a difference! Food donations are accepted at Barnert Temple, and financial donations can be made to The Center for Food Action by clicking here.
The Center for Food Action purchases many of the basics that go into emergency food packages - things like peanut butter, soup, pasta and fresh items such as eggs and vegetables - because food donations are just not keeping pace with the need.
The thought of having a child or a senior citizen or anyone in our area going hungry is unacceptable. Your help is urgently needed to make sure that this doesn't happen. Your gift will help ensure that local families will be able to put food on their tables this summer.
DONATE today. Send a check payable to Center for Food Action to:
Center for Food Action
192 West Demarest Avenue
Englewood, New Jersey 07631
Social Action Drives
We are Always Collecting Food: Check out the On-Line Option for Donating Food!
Local food pantries are struggling to meet demand. We're always collecting food in the Atrium, but now you may also donate food through the click of a button. Click here for our Barnert Temple Food Drive webpage at yougivegoods.com. It's simple! Select the food you would like to donate and pay on-line. All purchases will be delivered to the Center for Food Action in Mahwah.
Winter Coats and Jackets : We are still collecting for children and adults. Please donate new or gently used coats and jackets today! They will be donated to the Paterson community through CUMAC (Center of United Methodist Aid), a 2009 Mitzvah Mall Charity.
New Toiletries, Cosmetic Bags, Toiletry Bags: Center for Hope and Safety (formerly Shelter Our Sisters, a 2002 Mitzvah Mall Charity) still need items. Full sizes or the small bottles of shampoo, conditioner, lotion and bars of soap from hotels are great! New cosmetic bags and toiletry bags are needed as well!
Please drop off your contributions in the baskets in the Atrium.
Contribute to the Mitzvah Mall Archives:
Share Memories and Materials So Others May Benefit From Our Experience
Team Tzedek is collecting all photos, memories, agendas and handouts from past Mitzvah Malls to use for a Power Point we will be creating to share with Temples and other organizations that would like to create similar programs. If you have anything you would like to share, please send it to Mitzvah Mall Archivist Florette Lynn at faygel@optonline.net.
We are Always Collecting Food:
Winter Coats and Jackets :
Team Tzedek is collecting 