The Social Action Committee reflects the spirit of Tikkun Olam and Tzedakah within the CBE community by encouraging participation in a wide range of charitable activities, community service projects, and social justice initiatives.
Any amount you can give will help in this race against time. Donations to Haiti Relief can be added to the contributions already collected through the Hebrew Read-A-Thon sponsored by our Religious School by mailing a check payable to AJWS (American Jewish World Service) and mailing it to CBE or by donating on line to AJWS’s Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund. Alternatively, you can donate on line to CJP’s Haiti Emergency Relief Fund.
Upcoming Events
HGRM
On Sunday, April 11th, we will be working at HGRM again from 1-4pm. Please consider joining this group. If you can't make it for the entire time just come for part of it. Contact Maida Fund at maida.fund@hp.com if you have any questions or if we can count on you. If you can't make it but can donate some goods, go to the HGRM website to see what they need (www.hgrm.org).
Passover Food Drive
We'll be holding a Passover food drive so congregants have a place to donate their chometz. Food bins will be in the lobby the week of March 22nd and will be picked up on Sunday, March 28th after religious school. Here is an opportunity to clean out your cupboards and help others at the same time.
Cor Unum on Easter Sunday
Once again we will be helping serve dinner at Cor Unum Meal Center in Lawrence on Easter which falls on Sunday, April 4th. Those families that attended last year had a wonderful experience but we can always use more help. If you or your family will be around that day and can give up a few hours please contact Karen Coll at karencoll@verizon.net. Little kids can join as well.
Holocaust Commemoration Service for Yom HaShoah
The Greater Boston Holocaust Remembrance Day/Yom HaShoah Observance will take place Sunday, April 11th, 10am at Faneuil Hall. It will honor the Survivors and pay homage to the millions who perished.
This year they will welcome Israeli Cabinet member, Yuli Edelstein. The commemoration is a family-oriented event which includes a wonderful inter-faith youth choir and a moving procession led by the survivors to the New England Holocaust Memorial for the Mourners' Kaddish.
CBE is one of the co-sponsors of this event.
Blood Drive
We will be partnering with Kerem Shalom to hold a blood drive at CBE on Mitzvah Day, Sunday, May 2nd, from 9am - 2pm. To sign up contact Judy Budiansky at 978-263-3061 or budian@bethelohim.org. Anyone 16 years and older (16 with parental consent) can donate as long as you are 110 lbs. and in good general health. ID is required. We need 60 donors to make this work. In addition, we need 10 people to work a one hour shift helping with registration and handing out refreshments. If you can do this please contact Eddie Rubin at erubin@alum.mit.edu. FREE RED-SOX T-SHIRT TO ALL PRESENTING DONORS!
If you are interested in volunteering but haven't seen anything that fits the bill, let us know and we'll work with you to plan an appropriate activity. Over the next number of months we're thinking of renting a bus (no charge to you) and helping out at a facility in the Boston area. It could be Cradles to Crayons in Quincy where we'd put together care packages for kids in need, Rosie's Place in Boston where we'll serve a meal, Jewish Family & Children's Service Family Table in Waltham where we'll pack up and distribute food to families in need, or something else. Let's work together to get everyone to volunteer at least one time between now and the end of the year. If any of the above activities interest you or you have other ideas, let me know. I look forward to hearing from you.
Recent Events
On March 14th, Maida Fund and a crew of nine (Susan Cohn-Child and her son, Orna Shohet and son Gil, Doug Wood, Deborah Berger and her husband Larry and son Aaron and friend Jacob, and a member and her son whose name I don't have...sorry) helped out at HGRM on another busy day. It's wonderful to have some new congregants there working with many of our regulars. For those with junior high or high school students looking for community service hours this is a wonderful volunteer activity. You can do it with them or if they prefer to go on their own just drop them off.
I'd like to use this opportunity to thank Ellen Maiman for leading this activity for the last two to three years. We went from nothing to having a regular monthly crew due to her perseverance and commitment. Though she is stepping down from running this, I know we'll see her there because it's hard to get HGRM out of your system. Maida Fund has agreed to take over and considering that she's been Ellen's right-hand woman ever since we started working at HGRM I know she'll do a wonderful job.