Upcoming Activities and Events
Tikkun Olam means “Repair the World,” and at Temple Isaiah, that means helping others, caring for ourselves, protecting our planet, and living our values through service, community-building, and learning. In the spirit of play (word-play, that is!), religious school families will receive regular communications about upcoming events to help us re-PEAR the world! This page will be updated to reflect activities, events, and opportunities for temple members of all ages to do their part to make the world a better place.
Volunteer
Suitable for Community Members of All Ages and Stages:
- The Welcoming the Stranger Committee could use volunteers to provide transportation, shopping, and other supports for the Afghan family we are supporting. Please contact Don Detweiler (dondet@detmavin.com) to learn more.
- Make bagged lunches at home to deliver to a local homeless shelter. Contact Sally Hubescher (sally.huebscher@me.com) to volunteer.
- Bring a package of brown rice or multi-grain crackers to the JF&CS Family Table collection area inside the Temple Isaiah front doors at any time the building is open. These food items feed 400 local families in 100 nearby towns.
- Deliver memorial candles to bereaved congregants on the first yahrzeit of a family member. Contact Carol Sacerdote (carolrsacerdote@gmail.com) to volunteer.
- Help out at the Lexington Interfaith Garden. Contact Joyce Greif (lexjoyce@msn.com) to volunteer.
- Contribute your time and expertise to help support the Afghani evacuee family Temple Isaiah's Welcoming the Stranger Committee is sponsoring. Click here to find out how to help.
- Make sandwiches at home for a community day program in Waltham. Contact Barry Glass or sign up for a Tuesday slot.
Learn
- Click here for easy ways to protect our planet by making the smallest of changes to your daily life. Brought to you by the Temple Isaiah Green Team. If you would like to join the Green Team, please email Holly Rossi, vptikkun@templeisaiah.net).
- Learn how you can get involved in reproductive justice with the information sheet from Temple Isaiah's Reproductive Justice team.
Join a Committee
- Social Action Committee (contact Holly Rossi at vptikkun@templeisaiah.net)
- Reparations Group (contact David Green at latkeman@comcast.net)
- Wellness Group for BIPOC TI members (contact Holly Rossi at vptikkun@templeisaiah.net)
- Green Team / Environmental Justice (contact Holly Rossi at vptikkun@templeisaiah.net)
- Composting (contact Leah Baigell at lbaigell@gmail.com)
- Mental Health Committee (contact Cynthia Piltch at cpiltch@gmail.com)
- Welcoming the Stranger Committee (contact Don Detweiler at dondet@detmavin.com)
- Caring Community Committee (contact Harriet Silverman at gsslex@aol.com or Barbara Levine at bmuse8@comcast.net)
Give Tzedakah
- “The Welcoming the Stranger Committee is supporting an Afghani refugee family for at least the next year. Make a donation to "Social Action Fund — Welcoming the Stranger,” and your contribution will be used to provide rent and home assistance, health care support, education, food, and more for the family.”
- Contribute to aid and support efforts for those suffering from the war in Ukraine, including but not limited to the Jewish community in Ukraine. The URJ is supporting the World Union for Progressive Judaism Ukraine Crisis Fund. A local effort is the Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) Ukraine Emergency Fund.
- Temple Isaiah’s Social Action Fund supports projects ranging from refugee resettlement to Mitzvah Day to the work of the Mental Health Committee. Please consider contributing by clicking here and choosing “Social Action” from the dropdown menu of funds.
- Bring tzedakah to each religious school class (a dime or a dollar, it all helps) to contribute to a group donation.
Write Letters/Postcards
Join the URJ’s efforts in support of reproductive freedom:
- Support the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would create a safeguard against state laws that restrict access to abortion and other reproductive choices.
- Repeal the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal health insurance to cover most abortion care.
- From the Reparations Committee: HR-40 is the House Bill on Reparations that calls for creation of a commission to study: 1) An apology for past harm (slavery and its aftermath) and 2) Practical ways to make reparation. The bill is currently in committee, has 197 sponsors in the House. Read about why Reform leaders support this bill, and write to your representatives to ask this bill be taken out of committee and be put to a floor vote. Both URJ and RAC has supported the Reparations movement and specifically expressed its support for HR-40.
