Temple Emanuel Social Justice Committee

Vision Statement

Al HaTorah, V’al HaAvodah, V’al Gmilut Hassadim. This passage from Pirke Avot reminds us that we must include acts of kindness guided by love and Torah in our lives. This is not simply a sentence we chant as we carry the Torah, but in fact it is a charge to live our lives with these guiding principles. As a leader in South Jersey and Reform Judaism, Temple Emanuel accepts this responsibility, and will not separate ourselves from our community and our world.

Guided by the teachings of Torah, the Talmud, and all Jewish learning, Temple Emanuel will both lead and participate with others as we work towards justice and equality for our world. With a multi-faceted Tikkun Olam program, Temple Emanuel will focus on three pillars of Social Awareness – our Caring Community for our Congregation, our Social Action initiatives in our neighborhoods of South Jersey, and our Social Justice program for equality and rights issues around the country and the world.

We will respect diversity – both in the world and inside our own congregation. Everyone is worthy of dignity and our Social Justice program will be an informed and educated program allowing for the debate of complex social and economic challenges of today and tomorrow. Through conversation, collaboration, debate, and action, we will create an impact as we work together for a better tomorrow for ourselves, our friends, our neighbors, and all with whom we share the world.

 

Mission Statement

The Torah teaches us that “Justice, Justice Shall You Pursue,” and we will both listen and act. The Social Justice program originates from Temple Emanuel’s dedication to the realization of a society that is diverse, inclusive, and equitable and that values the worth of all. The mission of our Social Justice Program at Temple Emanuel is to educate congregants about concepts, theories, and methods related to social justice, to integrate ethical practices for solving social inequities, and to lead and participate in actions to create social justice in our congregation, our community, our state, our nation, and our planet.

Want to get involved? Click here to get in touch with the committee chair and get more information!

 

Temple Emanuel Social Action Committee

It is believed that volunteering is actually good for your mental and physical health, so says a wonderful article in the New York Times titled “Why doing Good Is Good For The Do-Gooder.” “Research suggests that these community social connections are as important for resilience to disaster is as physical material like disaster kits or medical supplies,” explained Ichiro Kawachi, a professor of social epidemiology at Harvard’s School of Public Health. “Voluntarism is good for the health of people who receive social support, but also good for the health of people who offer their help.” That being said, its no wonder everyone on the Social Action Committee is always smiling. Weather you are on the giving or receiving end, everyone touched by our committee  has come away grateful, feeling good, and Happy.

The Temple Emanuel Social Action Committee has fed, clothed, comforted and furnished for people that we have never even met. We made hundreds of Thanksgiving feasts and made Holiday gifts, thousands of Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, thousands of Chemo Comfort Bags filed with snacks for chemo patients at MD Anderson at Cooper Hospital, and made celebrations possible for more people than we could even count.  We even donate our blood, bone marrow and internal organs to others. We stock food pantries. We volunteer for and with many organizations. We are an incredible village.

Interested in joining the Social Action Committee? Contact Robin Rubin at [email protected] today for more information.