Preparing to move bags of food for donation from the Temple Beth Sholom lobby were (from left), Social Action Chair Naomi Mirowitz, Rabbi Bryan Wexler, and TBS Mitzvah Day Chair Jeannie Frank Teller.
To ring in this year’s annual Community Mitzvah Day, the South Jersey Jewish community stepped up to host virtual or cautious in-person projects due to the surge of Covid. In honor of Tu B’Shevat and Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the events served as remembrance of the civil rights leader and the importance of sustaining a healthy environment.
Over a dozen organizations participated in charitable projects, including the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey; Katz JCC; Kellman Brown Academy (KBA); Samost Jewish Family and Children’s Service (JFCS); BookSmiles; Moorestown Jewish Association (MJA); PJ Library; South Jersey Men’s Club; Politz Day School; and many area synagogues.
At KBA, a group of 12 students called the “Kvutzah” volunteered to pick up trash on the school’s property and surrounding areas. Mira Berman, a seventh-grade student, first conceived of the group for her bat mitzvah project. It was created in partnership with Jewish Youth Climate Movement (JYCM), a national organization that allows Jewish youth to combat climate change.
1. In front of Temple Emanuel were (from left), Susan Marinoff, Katie Malitsky, Sam Dutkin, Lois Levine, Cindy Wasdick, and Phil Wasdick.
“I want to create a more sustainable environment and there is no better place to start than right in our own community,” Berman said. “This is why we chose to host our first cleanup at KBA.” The “Kvutzah” has plans to organize more environmentally-friendly events in the near future.
For Temple Beth Sholom in Cherry Hill, the primary goal was to feed and clothe those in need. They donated food and toiletries to the JFCS Betsy & Peter Fischer Food Pantries and coats to the active-duty service people and their families at Joint Base McGuire- Dix-Lakehurst. They also packed 205 lunches for Camden’s Neighborhood Center and Joseph’s House, two organizations committed to tackling poverty and homelessness. A learning session with HIAS-PA, making decorations for patients’ rooms at Voorhees Pediatric Hospital, and baking cookies for Lucy Outreach in Camden were some of the other ways volunteers gave back.
2. Mira Berman and the “Kvutzah” of KBA students hold up their collected trash on Community Mitzvah Day.
For over 10 years, TBS congregant Lisa Jacobson-Katz has helped bake dog treats for local animal shelters. She said that the community is composed of people and animals whose struggles differ from their own. “I think it is important to have our young members think that the world is not just about them as individuals and that we have to care for our community at large. It is important to foster empathy and sympathy.”
Rabbi Bryan Wexler of Temple Beth Sholom said that on the heels of the scary hostage situation at Congregation Beth Israel, engaging in Mitzvah Day felt all the more powerful. “Engaging in these meaningful projects and programs as a community helps to honor Dr. King’s legacy and connect us to the work to which he dedicated his life: working towards equality and helping all people feel heard, seen, and loved,” he said. “On Mitzvah Day and every day we as a TBS community and as the Jewish people, dedicate ourselves to being a source of light and love.”
3. Using recycled materials to plant parsley for Passover at Cong. Sons of Israel were (from left), Sara Leah Linetsky, Cara Spector, Ruby Levy, Alise Levy, and Atara Hershenson.
Despite scaling down their involvement due to Covid, Temple Emanuel in Cherry Hill still set up a bin collection to support the JFCS food pantry and BookSmiles, which provides gently used books to children in the area. They also supplied the Camden County Women’s Center with fleece blankets.
In the same vein, Temple Sinai in Cinnaminson set up a collection bin in their parking lot for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to send to the Cathedral Kitchen Camden and held a blood drive for the American Red Cross. In the main sanctuary, members made Linus blankets for area children’s hospitals, baked dog treats for local animal shelters, and wrote cards for soldiers and first responders.
Moorestown Jewish Association, which fosters relationships through innovative community based programs, made utensil packets for the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen. The South Jersey Men’s Club donated kosher non-perishable food items at the Katz JCC on behalf of the JFCS food drive. PJ Library hosted a “Cards of Caring” program, where people could send letters or drawings to lift the spirits of older adults at Aleph Home Care. The Katz JCC, which offers a wide array of programs and services for community members of all ages, accepted sponsorships for its “Friendship Fence,” a row of wooden silhouettes in honor of campers or special milestones at the award-winning JCC Camps at Medford.
4. Sebastian and Lisa Enda dropped off donations at the JFCS Betsy & Peter Fischer Food Pantry.
Over 125 people engaged in several take-home projects at Cong. Beth El in Voorhees. Projects included beading mask holders and planting succulents for seniors, making blankets for Veterans, and donating children’s books to schools and hospitals. Meanwhile, Cong. M’kor Shalom in Cherry Hill collected citrus powder packs for patients undergoing chemotherapy. They chipped in non-perishable food to JFCS, and as part of a multifaith group project, collected furniture for Afghan families resettling near or in Camden.
Adath Emanu-EL in Mt. Laurel set up a drawing delivery project to benefit “Color A Smile,” which sends pictures to senior citizens and troops overseas. To help alleviate hunger in the community, Cong. B’nai Tikvah-Beth Israel in Washington Township collected non-perishable food items for Peter’s Pantry.
To commemorate Tu B’Shevat, the “Jewish New Year of the Trees,” Congregation Sons of Israel hosted a variety of youth programs. Using recycled materials, they planted seeds for the spring, facilitated a book swap, and made cards for seniors. For Young Israel of Cherry Hill, middle school girls attended a fruit decoration class while younger children had fun with arts and crafts.
Sherri Jonas, Samost Jewish Family & Children’s Service director of volunteers and Community Mitzvah Day chair, said that despite Covid, the community managed to come together to achieve acts of kindness. “We had to postpone the in-person piece, but our Chemo Comfort Bags will be created in the spring with the help of Cherry Hill East Interact students.” Jonas also noted that two young teens told her how much fun they had deciding which projects they wanted to do. “Our beautiful community comes together every year, no matter what is going on in the world, to share our joy of giving back through mitzvot. What could be more rewarding than that?”
[EDITOR’S NOTE: Many organizations and synagogues participated in Community Mitzvah Day. It is not possible to publish all the information and photos from the day. The article above is a sampling of the organizations and activities involved.]
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