Mitzvot B’Yahad / Social Action Committee
The Mitzvot B’Yahad Social Action Committee is an umbrella group for many social action activities such as providing food for the needy (Cook for a Friend and Mitzvah Food Pantry), environmental issues, helping the sick and social issues. Members of the Committee work on all or some of these endeavors. The Committee was recently able to switch from plastic plates to glass plates for synagogue functions and instituted a recycle program.
Mitzby meets six times per year on zoom. The committee is a vehicle for congregants who want to respond actively to social issues such as food insecurity and helping local families in crisis. We plan two educational speaker programs per year, one being the annual Reitenberg Memorial Lunch and Learn. Recent speakers include Josh Fields, founder and Director of The Next Step Programs, Fran Held, Founder and Director of the Mitzvah Circle Foundation, Cantor Amy Levy and Jen Mosher from Champions for Cheltenham. We seek to educate ourselves and Beth Sholom congregants about the ongoing needs of our larger communities. Mitzby coordinates activities for the Martin Luther King Make a Difference Day held every January.
Mission Statement
The Mitzvot B’Yachad/Social Action Committee (Mitzby) is an umbrella group which includes The Merow Family Mitzvah Food Pantry, Cook for a Friend, Helene’s Heroes Red Cross Blood Drive, and Champions for Cheltenham, an interfaith initiative based at Keneseth Israel involving Beth Sholom, Adath Jeshurun, Sharei Shamayim, and the Calvary Church in Wyncote. This group seeks to support Cheltenham Township school children and their families in need of material help due to difficult financial or emergency situations.
Contact Marjorie Boxbaum for more information.
The Beth Sholom Mitzvot B’Yahad Social Action Committee continues to focus on food insecurity. Due to the downturn in the economy and an increasingly aging population, there is a growing need to help those who cannot fully afford enough food to survive. This battle to fight hunger is more critical than ever. Current economic indicators show that the number of hungry people in America will only continue to grow. Today, one in four American children struggles with hunger. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 17.2 million children are at risk of hunger all across the country. Hunger is a reality and a daily struggle for many Americans. Ironically and sadly, they are living in one of the richest countries in the world. This should be unacceptable to all of us. Follow this link to see what you can do.
Beth Sholom volunteers in the Mitzvah Food Pantry and Cook for a Friend programs are already working to combat this problem in our own community. The growing numbers of people who come to our Mitzvah Food Pantry each week very much appreciate the fresh produce they receive. Our Cook for a Friend volunteers ensure that many homebound senior citizens, who might otherwise do without food, have a hot, nutritious meal each day. The ongoing work of all of these volunteers helps people in need and, at the same time, helps us as Jews to take concrete action and fulfill our responsibility of ma’akhil r’evim – feeding the hungry.
