Tikun Olam - תקון עולם 

Social Action at Temple Beth David   

Poverty Initiative

In addition to our ongoing programs, Social Action at Temple Beth David is again participating in the Union for Reform Judaism’s Poverty Initiative, engaging Reform Jews throughout North America in a serious commitment 

to fight poverty.

In past years, we collected 1,416 quarters to benefit Shalom Ethiopia’s Million Quarters Project to pay for food for needy Jewish families in Ethiopia.  100,000 quarters were collected as part of the Shabbat Lech Lecha effort in October 2004.   We also conducted two successful collections during the December holiday period. For the third year, the Lehan family brought winter coats to the homeless men at the Pine Street Inn. Hats, gloves, scarves and other necessities were collected for the homeless at the Shattuck Shelter. This year, we will renew our efforts to fight poverty at  home and around the globe!  Continuing projects from last year include:

   Fair Trade

Temple Beth David now purchases its coffee and tea from Equal Exchange in Bridgewater, Massachusetts.   Many coffee farmers around the world receive market payments that are lower than the costs of production, forcing them into a cycle of poverty and debt. Intensive coffee farming can also lead to pesticide pollution and deforestation.  Fair Trade works to correct these inequities by guaranteeing a minimum price for small producers' harvests and by encouraging organic and sustainable cultivation methods.  With the profits generated from receiving fair wages, coffee growers can invest in health, education, and environmental protection.  For information, or to purchase coffee for your home, contact Linda Noonan at lmnoonan@comcast.net.

 Heifer International’s Read to Feed

What do cows, chickens and goats have to do with reading?  This creative program encourages children and adults to earn pledges from family, friends, and community members for the total number of books read, or the amount of time spent reading. The more books you read, the more money you will raise to provide hungry families with farm animals.  The donations help impoverished families and communities become self-reliant by providing food, income producing animals, and the training to care for them in environmentally-friendly ways. Every family that receives an animal passes on the gift of its offspring to another family in need.  On Mitzvah Day, all readers bring in their collected pledges to the Heifer International table.  Contact Diane Grossman at dbgrossman@msn.com. 

 Ner Shel Tzedakah

Join with all Jewish denominations around the country to raise public awareness and educate the Jewish community about poverty during the Chanukah season.  Temple Beth David families will observe Ner Shel Tzedakah on the 6th night of Chanukah, December by teaching their children about the needs of those less fortunate and donating the value of the gifts they would ordinarily exchange (or the gifts themselves) to local or national organizations assisting the poor.