This week's Torah portion, done Hollywood style. Photo by Aaron Harvey via CC
This Torah Tidbit is brought to you by Repair the World and our grantee-partner American Jewish World Service (AJWS). Check out the full dvar tzedek on which this excerpt is based at AJWS.
This week’s Torah portion, Vayera, is the stuff of Hollywood movies – an epic tale of right and wrong, and the story of one man fighting against the odds to stand up for what he believes in. Vayera recounts the story of Abraham (played here by a bedraggled George Clooney, naturally) trying to convince God not to destroy the people of Sodom and Gomorrah for their moral corruptness. In doing so, he puts his own relationship with God – not to mention his own life – on the line.
Read more from this week’s dvar tzedek author, Leil Leibovitz, below the jump – but be warned, there are some serious spoiler alerts in there.
Tomorrow on 11/11/11, celebrate Veterans Day with service. Photo from ServiceNation.org
What do wrestling star The Rock, First Lady Michelle Obama, and you have in common? One word: Service.
The Rock, the first Lady are just some of those who have signed on to Mission Serve, Service Nation‘s initiative which challenges Americans to celebrate this Veterans Day (11/11/11!) with a day of service. The initiative will honor the efforts and spirit of the veterans and military families who make a commitment to our country (and whose ranks include many Jewish veterans), while strengthening our shared communities with service projects that benefit all. And guess what? Tons of people have pledged a whopping 10 million hours of service already through the initiative, and nearly 4 million hours have been served. Have you pledged your hours yet?
Just a sampling of awesome projects tomorrow include:
In New York City – Assembling care packages with the USO for military service members at Yankee Stadium.
In Denver – Hiking trail maintenance with the Sierra Club.
In Honolulu – Building a teaching garden with military school children at joint base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
Participating in service projects is a great idea any day of the year – but tomorrow’s Veterans Day event offers the extra opportunity to dedicate your service to the men and women who serve our country through military service.
How do you plan to recognize and serve on Veterans Day? Let us know in the comments below, or click here to find a Mission Serve project near you.
Each year, The Forward nominates the top 50 American Jews making an impact in their field.
Who are your heroes? Those who inspire you with their commitment to their passions and the world? The people who live a life guided by their values, and who help others do the same? Each year, The Jewish Daily Forward asks itself those very questions in creating the Forward 50: an annual list of American Jews who made an impact in their fields.
As in years past, this year’s list highlights many heroes working in the field of service and social justice. It may be no surprise considering the Jewish tradition’s longstanding commitment to and legacy of tikkun olam, but we think it’s worth special mention. Check out some of the top nominees below. They’re kind of awesome.
By now you’ve probably read the news, heard the commercials, or seen the posters of candidates around your town – or campus- advocating for, well, something. Now it’s your turn to give your opinion–and vote.
While today’s election day won’t be choosing the next U.S. President (that’s next year), off-year elections (like today’s), elect the local politicians who can directly shape your city, your school, and your neighborhood. If you’re over 18, the best way to get involved, of course, is to vote – or register to vote for next time. Find out more about voting and registering in your state here.)
But whether or not you’re voting today, Election Day also serves as a reminder to get involved in our communities. America is most certainly not run by politicians alone. As citizens, we also have the power to shape our neighborhoods, and our world, for the better. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Learn and teach about the election. Familiarizing yourself and your friends about democracy and the voting process can (surprisingly) be lots of fun. Check out The New York Times’ list of 10 creative ways to teach about the election.
Improve the Election Process: Americans Elect is a cool new organization with some radical, non-partisan ideas about how we might change the election process for the better. Learn how to get involved here.
Attend a community board meeting. Every town – and often neighborhood — has a community board which hold meetings where they debate and decide on issues that are important to the neighborhood. Run by local volunteers, many of these meetings are open to the public. Find out when your neighborhood’s next board meeting is and check it out!
Write a letter! What’s on your mind? Write to your local congress person to let them know what’s important to you. Or, check out Change.org, an amazing online petitioning organization that allows anyone to sign or start a petition. People around the world have used Change.org to help foster human rights. Will your petition be next?
Thank a city employee. City employees — like the bus drivers, mail people, public school teachers, and garbage/recycling collectors – keep our towns and cities running. At the risk of sounding all Mr. Rogers-like, find out who these “people in your neighborhood” are, and remember to thank them for the work they do every day.
Remember: you can help make a difference in your own community.
What’s on your mind this election?Let us know – or tweet us @repairtheworld.
Happy Monday! Hopefully you had the opportunity to participate in one of the more than 200 events that happened around the country for Global Hunger Shabbat this past weekend. If not, no worries – there are still plenty of opportunities to get involved with Repair the World grantee-partner AJWS’ Reverse Hunger campaign between now and Thanksgiving. To get you inspired, here is your weekly roundup of service and social justice-related stories from around the web.
Ritual Well published a lovely kavannah (spiritual intention) or prayer for ethical consumers to say when thinking about and making purchases.
The Forward celebrated 10 young Jews (age 21 and younger) who are making a difference in their communities and “embracing the age-old Jewish principles of tikkun olam in exciting new ways. It’s quite an inspiring list!”
Jewish Ideas Dailywrote about (and shared some great video) young Jews in America who “aim to get Jews closer to their food—both by producing food according to Jewish agricultural law and by concerning themselves with the ethical and environmental implications of how the food gets to their plates.”
Tablet Magazine featured an interesting profile on Nathan Lewin – a lawyer who once helped prosecute Jimmy Hoffa, and now is a top litigator, along with his daughter, for Jewish causes.
What are you repairing? Tweet @repairtheworld, using #iRepair.
Leaving the status quo behind in Lech Lecha. Photo by Valentine Ottone via CC
This Torah Tidbit is brought to you by Repair the World and our grantee-partner American Jewish World Service (AJWS). Check out the full dvar tzedek on which this excerpt is based at AJWS’s website.
This week’s Torah portion, Lech Lecha, explores what it means to start fresh: to do what Abraham and Sarah did, leaving our familiar lives behind with nothing but uncertainty ahead. It asks us to break the status quo and chart a new path towards the future. Not easy tasks. And yet, being willing to start anew is a challenge as relevant and absolutely necessary for us today as it was to Abraham.
This week’s Dvar Tzedek author, Adina Roth, writes:
Avram, with his vision of monotheism, becomes an agent for change in the Torah, and his task to move—“lech lecha”—becomes a compelling model for tikkun olam today. With its emphasis on departure, the lech model challenges us to leave behind all unjust systems in order to create a better world.
For example, this approach is what drives the Occupy Wall Street movement, with its calls to reject business models that perpetuate disempowerment and inequity and replace them with new, more equitable practices. As a model for social change, lech creates distance between a corrupt reality and a more hopeful vision.
Whether you choose to occupy or just mix things up a bit, why not look ahead toward a more just-world? Check out the rest of Adina’s dvar tzedek commentary on AJWS’ website here.
Children stock a food pantry during Jewish Social Action Month last year. Photo courtesy F.E.G.S Health and Human Services System in Long Island.
With the hectic high holidays behind us and Hanukkah nearly two months away, the Hebrew month of Cheshvan can feel lonely. But thanks to Jewish Social Action Month (JSAM), we hope it will be a month of celebration, volunteerism, learning and service. Throughout the month of Cheshvan (Oct 28 – Nov 26), JSAM will give people of all ages and background in New York City, Westchester, and Long Island a chance to volunteer for local tikkun olam projects and make a difference in other people’s lives.
This year, UJA-Federation gave out grants to over 100 organizations to collaborate on social action projects that will help bring together old and young, immigrant and native born, Orthodox and Reform to work towards a common purpose. Participants can do everything from stocking shelves at a local food pantry or cleaning up a nearby park, to volunteering with special needs kids and visiting patients in veterans hospitals.
Below is a small sample of the UJA-Federation supported projects looking for volunteers like you. (Check out the full list and find out how to get involved here!)
Make dinner: Teen volunteers will have the opportunity to prepare dinner for individuals and families in need at the JCC in Manhattan on Sunday, November 13, from 2:30pm – 8:30pm.
Pack supplies. All are welcome to join Congregation Emanu-El of Westchester for a program to sort medical supplies to ship to Africa. The event will be held on Sunday, November 6, from 10:00am – 2:00pm.
Hang out with seniors. The Tanger Hillel at Brooklyn College is looking for volunteers to spend time with senior citizens by sharing stories and enjoying cultural outings. This will be once a week at noon for four weeks until December 13.
Tell us how you’re volunteering! or tweet @repairtheworld, using #irepair.
*Josh Spiro, a writer at UJA-Federation, contributed to this article.
In 1800, the world had 1 billion residents. According to the BBC, the world’s 7 billionth baby, a girl named Nargis, was born today in India. Population growth has a huge impact on our communities, our health and the health of the planet. And some experts suggest that the world cannot sustain such a large, and growing, population.
Find out more: Watch the captivating video by National Geographic below. Then check out the 7BillionActions blog put out by the United Nations Population Fund focused on how we can make better use of our shared resources as our population continues to climb. (You can submit your innovative ideas for change on the UN Environmental Program’s Twitter page or Facebook page.)
Happy Monday. Hopefully you had a great weekend (and if you’re on the East Coast, didn’t get stuck in the early snow!) This week’s link round up is filled not only with the usual inspiring service stories from around the web, but also with opportunities, tips and ideas on how to get involved, make a difference and make your innovative project (or project idea) the best it can be.
AVODAH’s blog featured a post by corps member Lev Hirschhorn about his experience at the Occupy Chicago protests.
The Huffington Post announced a call for video submissions from social innovators who want to share their stories with a large, influential audience. The deadline to submit is Nov 18.
The HuffPo also published a helpful round up of 5 rules to know when raising money for your big idea.
Relatedly, the HandsOn Blog offered 5 tips for how to communicate your organization or idea’s message effectively and efficiently.
DoSomething.org launched a Step up to Bullying campaign to help students fight back against bullying in their schools and let others know about it. The deadline to submit (and potentially win some great prizes) is today so check it out!
And to end on a feel-GOOD note, GOOD’s 30 Days of Good Challenge reminds everyone to get some fresh air and some exercise by taking a walk on their lunch break.
Repair the World works to inspire American Jews and their communities to give their time and effort to serve those in need. We aim to make service a defining part of American Jewish life.
