Tikkun Olam

The goal of Temple Beth Shalom’s Tikkun Olam Committee is to involve as many congregants as possible in our programs to give them a taste of the mitzvah of tzedakah. We hope that through our programs they will start to nurture the tzedakah concept in their own homes. Toward this goal we have a large number of programs throughout the year.

Our volunteers participate in the monthly Kosher Food Bank in South Orange. We cook and staff the Soup Kitchen in West Orange 6 times a year. We collect old eyeglasses and hearing aids for “New Eyes For the Needy”, toiletry samples for Project Rachel (a home for battered Jewish women and their families) and Isaiah House (a home for battered women and their children), and cell phones for crossing guards and battered women. Food that is left over from s’machot is brought to JESPY House (a home for developmentally disabled adults) throughout the year. We collect cans of food during the entire year for distribution to several local food pantries. We utilize the monies that are collected at the morning and evening minyanim to support Neve Hana (an orphanage in Israel), Ethiopian Jewry in Israel, and other recognized charities.

From time-to-time we sponsor speakers at Friday evening services. In the past we have sponsored speakers from the Rachel Project, The American Jewish World Services and others.