| A year ago when we started the BJC Doing Tzedek Project, we framed it around the teaching from Pirke Avot 2:5:
“In a place where there is no humanity, strive to be a human.” / בְמָקוֹם שֶׁאֵין אֲנָשִׁים, הִשְׁתַּדֵּל לִהְיוֹת אִישׁ After sending out the call, we almost instantly had 40 people sign up to join our chat groups, ready to mobilize, ready to show up to protect human rights, speak out against injustice and provide support to people in our communities. A year later, participation has more than doubled with over 100 people in our chat groups. This is where we are sharing needs and opportunities – sign-up sheets for delivering groceries and diapers, asking for financial support for people we know in crisis, sharing about events and ways to stay safe while remaining engaged. It is incredible. And it is all based on relationships. We are mostly helping people directly, rather than donating to another non-profit organization. Those organizations do great work, but we have found that these human connections mean that we are able to meet more specific needs and develop relationships in ways that can create ongoing understanding. We are amazed at the involvement of our tzedek contributions and we know people’s actual needs are being met. We have group chats focusing on specific issues including:
If you’d like more information about joining our chat groups please reach out to Rabbi Tamar Magill-Grimm. If you are looking for ways to make a donation through Beth Jacob, below are some ways to contribute to our tzedek efforts. To contribute to the direct support of people connected to members of our community who are in crisis, you can make a donation to Rabbi Tamar’s discretionary fund. |
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| To make a contribution towards our Tikkun Olam fund, those funds primarily help organizations meeting the important ongoing needs of members of the community, such as food shelves and soup kitchens. Many of those organizations are overwhelmed at the moment, so they definitely could use additional funds at this time. |
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We are incredibly thankful to the congregants who have contributed to this effort. You are making the world a little less broken. You are showing what it means to be a neighbor, what it means to be a mensch, what it means to be a human.