Social Action

If I am only for myself, what am I?
Hillel, Sayings of the Fathers

The Social Action Committee sponsors many community service activities in an effort to reach out to our greater community. Our goal is to raise our congregation's awareness of social responsibility, and to offer social action opportunities for our members to perform mitzvot.

The committee sponsors several key events throughout the year to encourage members of the congregation to engage in both individual and communal acts of giving.

Some of the activities we are currently involved in are the following:

Volunteering
Every Monday and Wednesday, volunteers from the Temple teach English As A Second Language at the Don Bosco Center in Port Chester. Spanish is not a requirement to teach these classes that are well attended by local day laborers. The classes meet from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. If you wish to participate in this worthwhile endeavor, please call or e-mail our Social Action Chair.

Our Special Friends at HOPE House
HOPE House - Having Opportunities for People Everyday is a rehabilitative clubhouse where people recovering from mental illness find the support and resources they need to pursue their goals and dreams. Located in Port Chester, our congregants have many opportunities to reach out and help. Festive meals are prepared and served during holidays and other activities often take place at the clubhouse during the year.

Mitzvah Day
Mitzvah Day is an important annual event which provides the entire congregation (actively involving the religious school families and the youth group) the opportunity to join together and perform mitzvot as a congregation family.

Some of the Mitzvah Day activities have included:

Cooking for the hungry in the temple kitchen.
Visiting children while creating a craft project at Andrus Children's Home and at Children's Village.
Painting the cafeteria and planting flower beds at a Head Start Center.
Visiting and entertaining residents in two nursing homes as a junior choir.
Sharing a craft project with residents in a nursing home.
Playing Bingo with adult residents at Burke Rehabilitation Center.
Grooming, walking and playing with dogs and cats at local animal shelters.
Making care packages for the children of clients at My Sisters' Place, a shelter for battered women.

Midnight Run
The Social Action Committee provides funds and volunteers for the Midnight Run, a program that brings clothes, food, and some friendly conversation to homeless people in Manhattan.

Sponsor Jewish Immigrant Families
The Social Action Committee has helped several Jewish immigrant families become self-sufficient, and eventually thrive in America! The Social Action Committee has aided these families in their adjustment to life in the United States by assisting them in finding and furnishing apartments, as well as, offering summer camp contacts, college scholarships, and employment opportunities.

Remember: Check the Temple calendar of activities each month for food delivery days and Social Action Committee meetings that all are invited to attend!

Join the Social Action Committee in performing a mitzvah! Suggestions are always welcome.

Please call or e-mail our Social Action chair: Emily Cohen (914) 381-1260, mailto: emilycohen@optonline.net