Tikkun Olam is the social action arm of Temple Beth Abraham. Tikkun Olam, literally means, “to heal the world.” The mission of TBA’s Tikkun Olam team is to inform, engage, and mobilize our members to build a better world. We do this globally and locally, as Jews, as citizens, and as members of the global community. Projects include donating to a local food pantry, bringing food and supplies to homeless people in NYC, helping to rebuilding communities hit by natural disasters, and coming together to perform mitzvot. We hope, with these and other acts of Tikkun Olam, we can help make the world a better place.
The co-chairs of the Tikkun Olam Committee are Lisa Bergman and Jennifer Lewin. You may reach them at tikkunolam@tba-ny.org.
Join Us!
We invite you to explore our opportunities for meaningful learning and service — both virtually and safely in person. Together as a community, we’ll work to meet the extraordinary need created by the pandemic and address the deep-rooted inequities in our society.
Please reach out to us to attend our next meeting or to make suggestions. Tikkun Olam would like to help you make your idea happen!
YOM KIPPUR FOOD DRIVE
Many thanks to everyone who donated to Feeding Westchester and the Community Food Pantry of Tarrytown & Sleepy Hollow as part of our Yom Kippur Food Drive. Together, we raised $427 for Feeding Westchester—enough to provide 1,287 meals for our neighbors in need!
It’s not too late to give—every dollar makes a difference.
Visit bit.ly/TBA-YK-FW-FoodDrive to contribute to Feeding Westchester and designate TBA as your partner in this important effort.
Visit www.ttshpantry.org/donate to contribute toThe Community Food Pantry.
HELP SUPPORT LITERACY BY FILLING A BACKPACK!
Many thanks to Lisa Bergman for once again organizing Temple Beth Abraham’s backpack drive for the families of La Asociacion de Familias Hispanas de los Tarrytowns (AFHT). Many thanks also to the ten TBA families for funding this effort so that all the children who participated could be ready for in-person learning this fall. The children and families were extremely grateful for the backpacks filled with school supplies and shared notes of appreciation to TBA!
LIGHT ONE CANDLE – COMING IN DECEMBER!
“Light One Candle” on your menorah to help bring joy to local families this holiday season!
The “Light One Candle” program gives the power to purchase gifts to parents of La Asociación de Familias Hispanas de los Tarrytowns (AFHT).
More details coming soon!
We will begin accepting donations on December 5 at Family Shabbat Services!
We are looking for someone to coordinate the Midnight Run program at Temple Beth Abraham. Please contact tikkunolam@tba-ny.org if you are interested!
In a thousand relief missions per year, Midnight Run volunteers from churches, synagogues, schools and other civic groups distribute food, clothing, blankets, and personal care items to the homeless on the streets of New York City. Late-night relief efforts create a forum for trust, sharing, understanding, and affection. That human exchange, rather than the exchange of goods, is the essence of the Midnight Run mission.
Midnight Run is not a solution to homelessness. Their goal is to forge a bond between housed and homeless people by establishing a foundation of sharing and caring from which solutions may evolve. Through Midnight run, volunteers come to see the homeless as real people, not a commodity. And homeless men and women learn that meany mainstream adults and teenagers have commitments and concerns that go beyond theri own lives and families.
Midnight Run – 97 Main Street – Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522 – (914) 693-7817 – www.midnightrun.org
JUDAISM AND ORGAN DONATION
Temple Beth Abraham sponsored a webinar in May, 2022 about Judaism and Organ Donation. Please let us know if you would like to view the recording.
We would like to thank all our panelists and cosponsors:
- Andrea Danziger, family of organ donor
- Alan Ganek, organ donation recipient
- Cantor Margot Goldberg, Temple Beth Abraham
- Susan Kronish Grotenstein, Moderator, Temple Beth Abraham
- Rabbi David Holtz, Temple Beth Abraham
- Rabbi Ari Perl, VP, Multicultural Engagement, LiveOnNY
- Stuart Skolnick, Executive Director, Temple Beth Abraham
- Click HERE to see a list of the cosponsors for this event
WAYS TO VOLUNTEER
At Temple Beth Abraham
- Check in on loved ones. The TBA Connects team is more than 40 strong and has been making calls to all the members of the Congregation, with extra focus on seniors and those who are socially isolated. To join the TBA Connects team, please send an email TikkunOlam@tba-ny.org.
- Help TBA Seniors and Others Get Online.
Opportunities for Adults, Teens, and Families
UJA Federation of New York. Volunteer from home by virtually connecting with those in need. There is a link to many opportunities for families and adults, as well as for school children who may be need volunteer hours. Click HERE for opportunities to volunteer.
DOROT. Click HERE for DOROT’s volunteer page. For volunteers ages 18 and up.
Volunteer New York! This page (click here and then scroll down) features many volunteer opportunities for families and adults, like card-writing initiatives, art projects, and mask-making instructions. It also lists ways to help in the community including at food banks and meal delivery services.
Donations
Feeding Westchester. The organization is not accepting donated goods now, but your monetary donation will be used to source and safely distribute food to the food insecure in Westchester. Click here to make a general donation and here to watch a News12 feature (from July 26, 2020) from the organization.
The Community Food Pantry of Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown. The Community Food Pantry is also accepting donations.
Donate Blood. While current needs are being met, the American Red Cross and the New York Blood Center are urging donors to keep appointments to ensure a steady supply during the during this time.
Are you passionate about a cause? Please email us at TikkunOlam@tba-ny.org.
Lisa Bergman and Jennifer Lewin, Tikkun Olam chairs
