How Will I Change the World This Year?
Isaiah 58:5 reads: “Is this the kind of fast I desire, a day of merely depriving one’s body? Is it not the sharing of your bread with the hungry, the bringing of the wretched poor into your home, or clothing someone you see who is naked, and not hiding from your kin in their need?”
Volunteers Needed for Community Kitchens Thanksgiving Meal
The Jewish community will continue the tradition of providing festive holiday meals for those in need at Grace Episcopal Church in Woodlawn this Thanksgiving.
Temple Beth El, Temple Emanu-El and fellow community members are invited to help by donating Sam’s Club or Costco gift cards to Debby Thomas, volunteering to prepare and serve the Thanksgiving meal or by making a financial contribution to support Community Kitchens. Access the volunteer sign up form online here. If you’d like to donate financially, please click here and select “Community Kitchens” among the list of Temple Beth El funds.
If you’re considering volunteering, please consider that Community Kitchens has placed a premium on staff and volunteer safety during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Read about the precautions they have in place on the volunteer sign-up form here. If you have questions, please email Amber Richards.
Tzedakah
The [T]Be Involved Social Action Committee and Rabbi Stephen are encouraging charitable giving in connection to our Jewish holidays. As the Talmud states, the mitzvah of tzedakah is equivalent to all the other mitzvot.
Childcare Resources of Birmingham wants to give all children, regardless of their socioeconomic background, a great start in life. The organization provides training to preschool teachers, assistance to families and information to the community; this is particularly needed during these stressful times of a pandemic and a recession. Just as we include children in our Jewish community, we should support Childcare Resources in helping young children to become thriving members of our Birmingham community.
2.) Legacy of Hope Alabama (formerly the Alabama Organ Center)
November includes the annual Donor Sabbath weekend, which raises awareness across the country in local congregations for organ donation. Judaism believes that p’kuah nefesh, to save a life, is the highest mitzvah of all; rabbis teach that organ donation falls into this category. There are currently more than 1300 Alabamians waiting for a life-saving transplant. By donating to Legacy of Hope, you help its mission of educating Alabamians about the importance of organ donation, which can save lives.