Welcome to the Tikkun Olam Committee (TOC) Monthly Update

As we navigate the challenges and opportunities ahead, let us pledge to work together, support each other, not sit idly by, and seek to Do Justice!

The TOC is open to all congregants and offers a variety of ways to get involved in tikkun olam, the mending of the world. Please contact co-chairs Betsy Kingery and Fran Paver at tikkunolam@templeshalom.net to learn more, to get involved or to get more information about any of the matters described in this email.  

Below is a list of some upcoming programs and events that address some of our concerns and offer ways to take action. In general, we will be working with organizations with which we have an ongoing relationship, but we are open to your suggestions. Please feel free to reach out if there is an initiative that you are willing to lead.

We typically meet on the third Wednesday of each month. Our next (virtual) meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 19 at 7:00pm. Please let us know by emailing tikkunolam@templeshalom.net if you plan to attend so we can send you the Zoom link. 

• Wednesday, March 19: TOC Meeting (virtual)
• Sunday, March 23: Blood Drive
• Sunday, April 6: Food Policy Listening Session (virtual)
• Now through April 7: Maryland Legislative Session
• Wednesday, April 23: Sacred Grounds How to Garden (virtual presentation)
• Sunday, May 18: Sacred Grounds Plant Pickup Day

See below for more details. 

As we have mentioned in prior emails, the TOC is working to develop a draft food policy that would align our commitment to preserve our planet with our Jewish values. Currently, although there is no written policy, the practice has been to limit food served at Temple Shalom functions to Kosher-style menus. We have begun meeting with various Temple groups to solicit your ideas, thoughts and concerns as we go forward. 

Our next general virtual listening session (open to anyone in the synagogue community) is scheduled for Sunday, April 6 at 7:00pm. Please let us know if you’d like to participate so we can send you the Zoom link.

Note that any proposed policy will not include any changes to rental arrangements with outside parties or with synagogue members.  

Food insecurity is a growing concern for many in our community. Temple Shalom volunteers have begun stocking the kitchen freezer with delicious and nutritious vegetarian meals for those who can use some assistance during these trying times. Anyone in the synagogue community is welcome to supplement their own grocery purchases, as needed, by picking up an occasional meal from the Temple Shalom kitchen. You do not need to ask permission or fill out any forms. Look for the shelves labeled Food For Nourishment in the kitchen freezer.

A special thank you to everyone who participated in the inaugural cooking event on Sunday, March 9. Volunteers made vegetarian lasagnas, casseroles and baked ziti. These were placed in the Temple Shalom kitchen freezer and are available to congregants and staff who need some assistance.



The team managing this initiative will also send out periodic requests for specific items. If interested in helping with this ongoing initiative, contact Michael DeLong at michaeldelong94@gmail.com. 

We have only 680 unclaimed addresses left (out of 2000) for the off-year Virginia Primary election! The campaign will begin on March 14; postcards must be mailed between April 20 and May 30. To sign up to write for this campaign, please fill out this form. If you are new to postcard campaigns with Reclaim Our Vote, you will get a separate email from Betsy Kingery with easy-to-follow instructions for how to access addresses, scripts and other necessary information.

For more information about the Reclaim Our Vote organization, with guidelines and a video on postcarding, click here. 

2025 ADVOCACY

Maryland Legislative Session: January 8 - April 7 

As noted in our last newsletter, we are following two climate-related bills currently under consideration by the Maryland General Assembly. Here is an update: 

Maryland Data Center Impact Analysis and Report (HB0270)

• Data center development is gaining momentum in Maryland. Data centers are large physical facilities that use enormous amounts of energy to operate and provide computing power and data storage. This proposed bill requires a comprehensive study of existing and planned data centers in Maryland regarding energy and water use, air pollution, land use and positive and negative financial impacts to the state and to ratepayers' electricity costs.
• Good news! The Maryland House passed HB0270 on February 14 and referred the bill to the Senate. The Senate's Education, Environment and Energy (EEE) Committee held a public hearing on March 13. If EEE votes favorably, the bill will then be sent to the full Senate for review and a vote.

Responding to Emergency Needs From Extreme Weather (RENEW) Act of 2025 (HB0128; SB0149)

• The RENEW Act would require any company that has emitted more than a billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions between 2000 and 2020 and sells its products in Maryland, to collectively pay a one-time fee of $9 billion. The bill will provide a revenue source for climate change adaptation and mitigation infrastructure projects and efforts to address the health impacts of climate change on vulnerable populations.
• The Maryland House held a committee public hearing on January 23, but has not yet taken a vote with a favorable or unfavorable position. The Senate held a committee hearing on February 13 and decided to amend the bill to call for a study of the issue rather than require payment of the one-time fee. In most cases, at least one chamber needs to approve this bill by March 17 for any chance of passage during the 2025 legislative session.

We are also supporting passage of two GVP bills during the current legislative session. Committee hearings have been held for both bills, however, neither has progressed further in the legislative process as of March 13.

Family and Law Enforcement Protection Act (SB0943; HB01050)

• This bill will help prevent victims of domestic abuse from gun violence by their abusers. It will strengthen court and law enforcement protocols for domestic violence protective order proceedings by ensuring swift and mandatory removal of guns from abusers who pose a risk of escalating violence that could lead to serious injury or death of abused women and their families Click here for a fact sheet. 

Comprehensive Community Safety Funding Act (HB0387)

• This bill imposes an 11% excise tax on profits from the sale of firearms in Maryland. It will provide a sustainable source of funding for proven life-saving initiatives to prevent gun violence and address its impact on individuals, families and communities. Click here for a fact sheet.

Sign up now to Pledge to Plant three free native plants! Twenty-five Temple Shalom members have already pledged to plant and we need twenty-five more to reach our goal. Click here to make your pledge.



Wednesday, April 23 at 7:00pm Naomi Edelson, Senior Wildlife Director at the National Wildlife Federation, will host a virtual presentation of the Sacred Grounds “How to Garden” workshop. Register here to learn how to put your faith into practice by planting native in your own yard or in pots. Everyone is welcome.

Opportunities to Help Recently Arrived Refugees

Homes Not Borders is launching a Newcomers to Neighbors Program. An interested refugee family will commit to working with Temple Shalom volunteers for 4 months for wraparound services such as acculturation, job readiness, finances and friendship. No financial commitment on our part required.

Lutheran Social Services is also eager to welcome volunteers to help with job readiness, resume writing, mock interviews and the like.

Contact congregant Karen Green at karengreen301@gmail.com, to volunteer and/or for more information about either opportunity. Helping others is a great way to relieve stress and prompt gratitude for what we do have. 

Save the Date: Our next blood drive is scheduled for Sunday, March 23 between 9:00am and 3:00pm at Temple Shalom. Once again, we will be working with INOVA Blood Donor Services. Invite other local friends and family, including non-Temple Shalom members, to participate. To make an appointment, click here. Contact Glenda Cohen-Green at spencemoll@aol.com or Deborah Hutton at deborahbeth@gmail.com.