Tikkun Olam (Social Action) Fund

We have made a lasting difference in this world. We have showed up when it mattered most, raised money and collected items for those in need, and put a smile on so many people's faces. If you would like to further support these types of programs and actions at TBE, please donate to our Tikkun Olam Fund by contributing to our atrium Tzedakah box this month, or clicking the link and selecting the Social Action Fund in the drop down menu on the donation form.  

Spring Collections!

There’s always an opportunity to contribute something to our ongoing Spring collections. Look for bins and signs in the TBE Atrium. And, grab a friend and help us out by signing up for a sorting or delivery slot.

Family Table provides healthy food on a monthly and emergency basis to individuals and families in need. Their mission is to end hunger in the Greater Boston Jewish community while serving people who need assistance, regardless of religious affiliation. Volunteers are needed to help setting up the pantry and delivering food. All ages are welcome and encouraged to volunteer when accompanied by an adult.

Please join CASA as we help prepare and serve a delicious lunch at Rosie’s Place, a sanctuary for poor and homeless women located in Boston's South End. Rosie's Place provides a safe and nurturing environment that helps poor and homeless women clients maintain dignity, seek opportunity and find security in their lives. Up to 12 volunteers needed.

The Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence (of which our TBE Congregants to Prevent Gun Violence is a founding member), is asking us to affect change through legislative action. In particular, we are trying to get the "Extreme Risk Protective Order Bill" (ERPO) to pass. This bill would establish a civil procedure for temporarily removing guns from and revoke gun licenses for people who pose a significant danger of causing physical harm to themselves or others. State Representative David Linsky of Natick, who filed the extreme risk bill last year, said it’s designed to help prevent situations like the school shooting in Parkland.

The Coalition will provide you with materials and support, and match you up with others in your district. All you need to do is sign up at the link. Even if you know your representative is already supportive, we need them to make it this bill priority or it won't move forward.

Our friends at the MIRA Coalition (Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition) are organizing the biggest lobbying day of the year for immigrants, refugees and allies. After a brief speaking program, you will have the opportunity to meet with your legislators and advocate for priority bills.

Are you worried about high heating cost? Do you want to cut

your utility bills? Learn ways to reduce your energy usage and

make your home more comfortable and efficient. This seminar

will review available programs that help reduce energy usage.

Bring your oil, gas and electric bills to find your benchmark

energy rating. Sponsored by the Wellesley Council on Aging

Come join the fun and help raise funds for Family Promise and the families they serve. Temple Beth Elohim is proud to be a support congregation in the Family Promise Metrowest network, which helps families transition out of homelessness. Join the TBE team at the link!

Please join us in conversations, reflection, sharing and learning, as we continue to think about various life transitions, the challenges and opportunities they can hold, and how our Jewish traditions can support us. It is a time to share experiences, support, compassion, resources and wisdom, and to consider what our Jewish faith and community can offer through these difficult times. These gatherings are open to all, for one, two or all of them. All that we ask is that you RSVP in advance, so that we know how many to expect.

Please join us on Saturday, April 28th from 12:30 to 2:30 for a Shabbat Luncheon to discuss immigration and explore how we can act individually and as a community to make a difference.

Please join with us as we are led in text study by Rabbi Karen and begin a discussion of ways TBE can be supportive of us and how we can support each other. Rabbi Karen Landy is a graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and serves as rabbi and staff chaplain for Hebrew Senior Life at NewBridge on the Charles, and as the rabbi of Havurat Shalom in Andover, MA.

Robert Stern, TBE Member and nationally recognized expert on Alzheimer's Disease, will explore important aspects of Alzheimer's such as symptoms, progression, and what the latest research can teach us about preventive measures and treatments.

Robert Stern will help us understand how to be better caregivers to friends and family members with dementia. We will understand the new reality being faced, as well as caring for caregivers. 

This year’s Evening to Remember will honor our TBE values and our community-wide accomplishments. The evening will include a cocktail hour and super silent auction; a program interwoven with prayer, music and personal tributes; a paddle raise with an inspirational goal; dinner, dancing and DJ. Proceeds from the Evening to Remember support the TBE Fund which underwrites the overall budget subsidizing all aspects of the our community’s operation — including Tikkun Olam. Please join us.

We would love to help you identify ways to get more hands on with your support of Tikkun Olam at TBE. 

We will have the following openings next year. Now is a great time to let us know if you might be interested in lending a hand — a great way to get started is to connect with our committee chairs and learn about the role this spring. 

Family Social Action Chair

Family Social Action organizes amazing and meaningful volunteer opportunities for families with children in kindergarten through 5th grade.  It is also a wonderful way to connect with other TBE families and do hands on community service work with your kids. We are looking for someone to chair this initiative to help coordinate these amazing opportunities to repair the world.

Contact Julie Kreiss for more information

Family Table Coordinator/Liaison

Family Table is Greater Boston's only Jewish food pantry. As a community, we are responsible for supplying 50 cans of salmon and 50 boxes of whole grain cereal for meal delivery to families in need each month. We need someone to be a TBE liaison to Family Table, to guide TBE staff in communicating the ongoing need for donated items across various TBE groups, and to help coordinate the distribution of the donated items.

Contact Julie Kreiss for more information

Want to join or be a co-leader of a Tikkun Olam Initiative?

There are so many ways that we can pursue our passions around social justice. Now is the time to take the next step on your Jewish Journey.

Contact Sandy Aronson for more information

What is your vision for TBE's future? Sign up to join a community conversation and lend your voice to our planning. With more than 30 Hazon Project conversations in congregants homes and at TBE in March and April, this is a great opportunity to share your ideas. RSVP for meal and discussion at the link.

Are you passionate about social justice? Are you interested in traveling to Israel? We are exploring a trip to Israel that has a heavy social justice focus. Would you be interested in taking this kind of trip? Let Sandy know your thoughts by replying to this email.

Our Purim Carnival was such a great success! Learn how our 6th and 7th graders have helped repair our world. Page 16

TBE Member Janet Goldenberg explains how local organization Yad Chessed is helping community members in need. She also explores how we can help! Page 18

Ma'asim Tovim Group Leaders Needed

Volunteer alongside our 6th and 7th graders and guide them through conversations about social justice.

Contact Sandy Aronson for more information

Volunteers Needed for TBE Literacy Program

Share your love for reading with children in a one-to-one setting. Join our literacy team at the Potter Road School in Framingham for a rewarding volunteer experience reading with a child (or two) for one hour during the week. No prior experience required.

Contact Judy Zimmerman for more information

Be a Big Brother or Big Sister

Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters, one of the nation’s oldest mentoring organizations, transforms lives through friendship. Be a mentor to children and adults with disabilities. Approximately 40 Little Brothers and Sisters, and a roughly equal number of adults with disabilities, are waiting on a right-fit match.  

Contact Joni Kusminsky to be a big!

TBE Physicians - Retired, Semi-Retired, In Industry and In Practice: 

Use your clinical expertise and make a difference - join us for an easy, fun, flexible and rewarding opportunity! The MAVEN Project seeks primary and speciality care physicians to provide advice, mentorship, and education via telehealth technology to clinic providers working in underserved communities. Join TBE Member Lisa Bard Levine in this exciting and meaningful opportunity! Click the link to learn more or volunteer.

This Mitzvah Moments monthly e-newsletter provides a monthly snapshot of upcoming Tikkun Olam events, with links to more information. The goal of the newsletter is to improve communication, lift awareness of Tikkun Olam events and provide opportunities for the TBE community to come together throughout the year to combine community, compassion and connection.

The ultimate goal of Tikkun Olam at TBE is to provide integrated “Mitzvah Moments” throughout the year which enable the whole temple community to participate in direct service opportunities, education about social justice, and/or collection drives—thereby linking our Jewish values to the act of doing/serving, compassionate giving, and affecting change—in ourselves and in the world around us.