SOCIAL ACTION COMMITTEE
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Social Action Committee
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The mission of the Social Action Committee is to make Judaism’s commitment to the principles of Tikkun Olam an integral part of everyday life within the congregation. The committee organizes projects, events and experiences through which we can help repair our world locally, regionally, and globally through action and advocacy.
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Click on any of the icons below to learn more about the Social Action Committee here at COS-SJCC and what we do!
Enjoy some photos below from some of our most recent events!
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For more information, please contact our chairs Stacey Sacks or Heidi Block.
Mitzvah Day
We held our first annual community-wide Mitzvah Day on May 21, 2023 where over 100 congregants representing every generation engaged in many mitzvahs. We assembled toiletry kits and made sandwiches for homeless people, packed period products, knit baby hats for Overlook Auxiliary, planted fresh vegetables in our garden, toured the WAE Center and prepared books for burial. And, our ELC kids raised close to $24,000 for March Fourth, an organization that seeks to ban assault weapons! Look for an announcement about our second annual Mitzvah Day to be held in May 2024. Planning will begin in January and we are open to new projects and recipient organizations.
Family Promise
Family Promise COS-SJCC has proudly volunteered with Family Promise, a wonderful organization that supports families who are at risk for or are experiencing homelessness. They provide prevention, diversion, and shelter programs geared toward long-term independence. For many years, for two weeks in January and two weeks in July, our social hall became a temporary home for families needing safe shelter, meals, and friendship. Since the onset of the Covid pandemic, Family Promise had to change the shelter model, but these families still need our support. We continue to participate by making monetary and food donations, donating grocery store gift cards, household supplies, seasonal needs, and delivering home-cooked meals to the Family Promise guest families. We look forward to being involved in other Family Promise Union County activities and programs. For more information on how you can get involved, please contact Elaina Luboff at elainal1215@aol.com or leave a message at (908) 230-1507.
GRACE
Grocery Distribution GRACE (Giving and Receiving Assistance for our Community’s Essentials) was formed during COVID and continues to provide grocery distribution weekly in Summit. Every week 70-100 volunteers help unpack, store, bag, and distribute up to 16,000 pounds of food and supplies to share with 2,200-3,300 community members. On the first Thursday of every month, a group of SJCC congregants help unload and pack groceries for distribution at the Summit Community Center.
Knitting Baby Hats
Our congregants knit baby hats and booties for Overlook Hospital newborn babies. We first knitted hats leading up to our first Mitzvah Day and a group of volunteers continues to meet and knit together on an ongoing basis. We provide the materials and knitting lessons for beginners.
Hospital Visits
Overlook Hospital Visits We visit sick Jewish patients at Overlook hospital on a weekly basis. Contact Maurice de Picciotto at mdepicciotto@aol.com for more details.
Food Drive
Throughout the year, we organize various drives such as the Yom Kippur Food Drive, which in 2023 benefitted Family Promise, SHIP, and Bobrow Kosher Food Pantry. Each year, we collect turkeys to donate to the Community Food Bank in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. In addition to your participation, we seek your ideas for future mitzvot in order to continue our service to the community.
