Upcoming Events
Personal Care Items Needed
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that "Calls to the 211 social services hotline show demand for shelter in Milwaukee County increased significantly in the first half of the year." As you travel in the next few months, we urge you to collect sample sized toiletries and personal care products from hotels or other places and bring them to the synagogue. In our coat room there still is a basket set up to collect these items which we donate to several shelters in Milwaukee including Repairers of the Breach, Sojourner Truth Peace Center, Cathedral Center and the Guest House.
Lo Alecha
Hamleacha ligmor
V’lo atah ben chorin
L’hibateil mimena
Hayom Katzar
V’hamlecha m’rubah
The day is short
And there’s much work to be done
We can make a difference
WE can turn the world around
When we make a difference
It goes round and round and round
Got to make a difference
While you’re still around
Lo Alecha
Lo Alecha
On the occasion of our congregation’s 150th anniversary, Emanu-El Bne Jeshurun asked singer Craig Taubman to compose a new song focused on these words from Pirkeh Avot – The Ethics of our Fathers.
This verse was chosen for its deeper meaning – the idea that we are all obligated to give back to our community and to go above and beyond the call of duty for our fellow human beings; and it has rested at the center of our congregation’s identity since it first opened its doors in 1856.
Today, our Social Action Committee works day in and day out to fulfill the mission of tikkun olam – of “repairing the world” – through a series of projects that benefit the neighbors beyond our doors. Welcoming the participation of every member and every family, we seek ways to involve, educate, and inspire all of our congregants to uphold the obligations of our tradition and history, and to realize the dream embodied by the words of the Torah: Tzedek, tzedek tirdof – “justice, justice you shall pursue!”
Over the past decade, our rabbi and several congregants have played a leading role in Tikkun Ha-Ir. This project – whose name literally translates to “repairing the city” – encourages the local Jewish community to build a more just Milwaukee through study, social action, and civic engagement. Working alongside Conservative, Reconstructionist, and Orthodox congregations and the Hillel Foundation, Tikkun Ha-Ir affords us the opportunity to rally Jewish residents of every denomination behind a common cause of social justice, and to participate in a series of regular activities and meetings that enrich the lives of those in need, as well as our own.
As part of Tikkun Ha-Ir, participants can:
- Volunteer on the first Monday evening of each month at the Cathedral Center, a shelter for homeless women and children
- Serve warm meals on the third Wednesday evening of the month at the St. Vincent de Paul Meal Site
- Join Brunch and Learn sessions, where social justice topics are studied, explored, and discussed from a wide variety of perspectives 4 times a year
Further information on this endeavor can be found at Tikkun Ha-Ir’s website: www.thi-milwukee.org.
One of the core elements of tikkun olam entails feeding those who cannot feed themselves or their families. Here are some ways you can get involved:
Our Congregation’s Food Bank Fund
A fund set aside to provide programs and support for the hungry helps in:
- Sandwich Day – the second Wednesday of each month wherein congregants make sandwiches which are donated to the Guest House Shelter. The materials are purchased through the fund
- Yad L’ Yad a program of Chicago Action for Jews of the Former Soviet Union- the congregation with the help of Chicago Action sends money to purchase food for our sister congregation in Simpferopol in the Ukraine where they have experienced continued acts of discrimination and violence
- Food Emergencies in our community or around the world wherein the Food Bank Fund is used to provide assistance.
Bimah Basket Program
Donate $36.00 to our Bimah Basket Fund. Your donation will be acknowledged with a sign next to the Bimah Basket at the entrance to the sanctuary, in the service bulletin for Shabbat, and in HaKol. The money will be directed to the Jewish Community Food Pantry.
Guest House Dinners
On December 25 and at other times during the year, our congregants put together meals to be served at the Guest House, the city’s largest publically funded shelter for homeless men.
High Holy Day Food Appeal
Each year at the High Holy Days we coordinate a food drive that supports the Jewish Food Pantry, the Hunger Task Force of Greater Milwaukee, and Second Harvest
Food Barrels
A barrel for food collection is always place in the synagogue in which to donate actual food items. The food is sent to the Jewish Food Pantry or Hunger Task Force of Milwaukee on a regular basis
CROP Walk
Our congregation sponsors a team of walkers to raise money and awareness of hunger in America - Locally this is coordinated by the Interfaith Council and it involves more than 100 churches, mosques and synagogues
MAZON
A Jewish Response to Hunger Each year at Yom Kippur, Thanksgiving, and Pesach our rabbi and the committee make a public appeal for people to make a donation to this important Jewish fund. We also ask people to consider making a donation of 3-5 % of the cost of food for their personal celebrations to MAZON
There are a variety of additional opportunities to take action in our community. Please check out some of the following programs:
Blood Drive
Every July our congregation coordinates a blood drive with the Blood Center of Wisconsin. Anyone who is 17 years or older, is generally healthy, and weighs more than 105 pounds is encouraged to donate.
Winter Clothing Drive
Each year from the end of November until the third week of December we collect winter clothing to be donated to COA (the Children’s Outing Association) and for their preschool reading program HIPPY.
Purim Mitzvah Project
Each year we participate with other Jewish organizations in the community in a Mitzvah Project or we have our own Mitzvah Crib program to donate new or gently used baby and toddler supplies to Penfield Children’s Center, the Cathedral Center, and other social service agencies.
Glean Machine
A project of Tikkun Ha’Ir, we, along with numerous other congregations collect new and gently used clothing and household items to be donated to a number of social service agencies in the community
Clothing Barrel
A barrel is always place in the synagogue, in which to donate gently used clothing to be donated to shelters or social service organizations.
Tzedakkah Box
Our congregation proudly displays our beautiful Sol Dorf Tzedakkah box in the foyer of our building. The recipient of funds changes each month.
Mitzvah Day
occurs annually to involve congregants of all ages in projects to repair our world.
Food Donations
If you are looking for a place to donate food after a large event or if you are looking to get involved in a Mitzvah Project, please contact the synagogue office for current lists.
Social Action Committee
Our Social Action Committee works closely with our Sustainability Committee and Strongly encourages our congregation to be always mindful of our impact on our environment.
The Social Action Committee usually meets once a month on Sunday mornings beginning at 9:45. Please contact the Synagogue Office for the next meeting. Guests and new members are always welcome.
The Social Action Committee receives continual direction from the Union For Reform Judaism and their Religious Action Center. We have had active participation in the National and Regional Consultation for Conscience and other programs.
Tikkun Ha-Ir of Milwaukee
Union for Reform Judaism
Union for Reform Judaism’s Religious Action Center
Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life
Chicago Action for Jews in the Former Soviet Union
Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger
Save Darfur