Social Justice
Hineni
Jewish World Watch
Greening of Our Synagogue
Bikkur Holum
Bereavment Committee
MATCH
B’nai Mitzvah
Mitzvah Makers
Social Justice
Living Judaism means living Jewish values, including the value of tikkun olam, repairing the broken world. At Temple Emanuel both social justice work and gemilut chassidim, acts of loving kindness, are woven into the fabric of congregation.
There are lots of different ways to get involved and to make a difference.
For questions about social justice work at Temple Emanuel, contact Janet Noah, Social Justice liaison to the Board of Directors.
FOR ALL AGES
HINENI
A faith-based community organizing project that began on Yom Kippur in 2004 that attempts to change the culture of the congregation through building trust that can lead to public action. The process involves one-on-one conversations between trained congregants and other congregations that aim to illuminate the real concerns people have about their lives. The issues that have emerged so far range from concern about our children and the very pressured lives they lead, to worry about older family members and the quality of nursing home or home care. As these concerns become clearer, individuals who have become involved have begun research actions to find out more about the issues so we can develop an advocacy strategy.
The project at Emanuel is part of a larger Los Angeles effort organized by ONE L.A. Just as these conversations are happening here, they are also taking place in other synagogues and in churches, schools, and community organizations in Los Angeles. ONE L.A. links Emanuel to others in Los Angeles wrestling with similar issues and has led to a wonderfully exciting connection with a South L.A. black church called Bryant Temple A.M.E. Church. We have studied Bible together, been guests in each other’s sanctuaries, and have celebrated Passover together as we shared stories of what we need to do together to make Los Angeles more of a promised land. Plans for the future include a series of Challenging Conversation around social issues, film screenings, a joint bus tour of Los Angeles, making music together, sharing our traditions through joint Bible study, and working together to make a difference in Los Angeles.
For more information, contact Diane Vanette
JEWISH WORLD WATCH
Temple Emanuel is one of over twenty local synagogues that is a member of Jewish World Watch, a Jewish effort to make sure the words “Never Again!” really mean “Never Again” for ANY people. Focused on the genocide in Darfur, Jewish World Watch is committed to educating our congregation about the atrocities going on right now and supporting efforts to ameliorate the desperate situation of the victims of the genocide.
For more information or to volunteer to be trained as a speaker, contact the co-chairs of JWW at Temple Emanuel; Judy Kandel and Veronica Abney,
GREENING OF OUR SYNAGOGUE
TEBH's Greening the Synagogue Committee is composed of members, students and staff committed
to making the TEBH community better stewards of the Earth.
The Global Climate Crisis is first and foremost a moral challenge stemming from our obligation as God's partners to leave the world in better condition than we found it. Knowing what we know about Global Warming... its causes and its impacts... how can we continue to act in ways which threaten the environment (air, water, food supply) which our children and grand-children will inherit? Knowing what we know, how can we continue to act in ways which endanger the lives and livelihoods of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people?
While there is still time to avert the worst of the potential impacts, the Greening the Synagogue Committee is working to educate the TEBH community and encourage changes in behavior and lifestyle to reduce our production of Greenhouse Gases. Beginning on Rosh Hashanah 2007, TEBH is undertaking a Greening the Synagogue Campaign to reduce the "carbon footprint" of the community by 20%. (The "carbon footprint" is a calculation of the amount of carbon-dioxide – one of the major Greenhouse Gases – which an individual or community produces or causes. This can result from various direct uses of energy, e.g. heating or gas consumption, as well as indirect uses, e.g. purchase of non-local produce or air travel.)
For more information on the Greening the Synagogue Committee or campaign, contact Richard Siegel.
BIKKUR HOLIM
It is a mitzvah to visit the sick. We need volunteers to visit congregants who are hospitalized or are home bound because of illness and age. Even an hour a month could make a difference in your life and in the lives of the congregants you touch.
To volunteer, contact The Chair of the Bikkur Holim committee Sandra Babcock
BEREAVEMENT COMMITTEE
When a death occurs, it is important to feel the comfort of a warm community. The Bereavement Committee is there to help with a minyan, to bring food, and to follow up with the mourner after the intensity of the first week and the first month. Often just a call from your synagogue makes you realize you are not alone.
Through this effort you might choose to learn to lead a minyan or just to be a comforting presence to someone who needs a supportive ear. For more information, contact Bereavement Committee Chair David Silber or Rabbinic Intern Jill Zimmerman.
FOR OUR TEENAGERS
MATCH: Money And Teenagers Creating Hope
This innovative program, beginning its fourth year, invites the teenagers of the congregation (ninth through twelfth graders) to become the board of an endowment fund of $250,000 that generates approximately $10,000 per year that the teenagers have to decide how to distribute. Each teen who participates “buys” a seat on the Board for $72 and commits to meet five times a year to study about tzedakah, create a mission statement for the Foundation, choose the issues and areas that ought to be funded, meet with philanthropists, research organizations, and ultimate advocate for his or her particular passion. Over the past three years the teenagers have distributed funds to local, national, international and Israeli organizations making a difference in the world.
For more information contact Rabbi Laura Geller
B’NAI MITZVAH MITZVAH PROJECTS
Each Bar/Bat Mitzvah student at Temple Emanuel is required to do thirteen mitzvah points. These points are earned through volunteering at social service agencies or by creating a mitzvah project of their own. In addition the students serve as counselors and role models for elementary school children at the monthly SYNAPLEX Friday night “Pay It Forward” Mitzvah Project.
FOR OUR CHILDREN
MITZVAH MAKERS
On SYNAPLEX Friday Night, the first Friday night of each month, the children of our congregation meet at 7:30 PM for a fun-filled project that makes the world a little better. Through a combination of learning, art, and games, kids do a social action project under the guidance of interns from the Hebrew Union College, with Bar Mitzvah students as counselors.
For more information contact Geoff Prass