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Temple Shalom Mitzvah Day is tikkun olam in action

Jennifer Goldstein and Eliana Berson plant flowers for the Interfaith Hospitality NetworkTemple Shalom’s social hall, sanctuary and meeting areas were bustling with activity on Sunday, May 4, as over 100 of the Jewish community spent the morning volunteering for the annual Mitzvah Day.

The morning began with breakfast provided by Colorado Springs Hadassah, and an opportunity to mix, mingle and get to know other congregants and their families.

“This is one of the most important and fun things Hadassah does every year in Colorado Springs,” commented Sue Mullin, president, Hadassah chapter of Colorado Springs.

Now in its ninth year, Mitzvah Day continues to evolve as an important part of the synagogue’s outreach effort to the local community and a ritualized way for the community to demonstrate tikkun olam.

This year, with trash bags in hand, many of the adult and teenage volunteers spread out to different parts of the city to clean up park and greenway areas with members of the city’s Parks and Recreation Dept.

Three different sections of parks were cleaned up by the volunteers during the morning.

Similar to many other cities across the nation, with budget constraints for nearly every city service, including park maintenance and upkeep, local parks and recreation staff welcomed the volunteer help. Several staff were on hand to help coordinate the volunteer efforts.

Kate Mirer, age 11 and a fifth grader at DaVinci Elementary School described Mitzvah Day as “just a great way to make the environment better.

“It’s just a good thing to do, give blood to save someone’s life or help clean up parks. Whenever you have a chance, you should do a mitzvah.”

Another group of volunteers spent the morning planting flowers and doing yard work for the Interfaith Hospitality Network in downtown Colorado Springs.

Preschool and elementary school aged children spent the morning creating artwork and cards for adults in a local assisted living facility.

Religious school teachers and parents worked together with the morning on various art projects which will be delivered to the assisted living facility.

Temple Shalom’s religious school includes approximately 88 students in addition to 16 in the preschool and a pre-B’nai Mitzvah class.

Prior to the Mitzvah Day, congregants were asked to collect toiletries and other personal items and deliver them to Temple Shalom.

During Mitzvah Day, a group of volunteers put together gift bags filled with important items such as shampoo, to deliver to TESSA, a local agency for victims of domestic and sexual violence.

Outside the synagogue, the Bloodmobile was parked and ready for volunteers to donate blood. Coordinated through Centura Health’s Penrose – St. Frances Hospital, the blood drive has been an important aspect of Mitzvah Day for many years.

As a former Peace Corps volunteer in Africa and an international traveler, Leslie Rutberg had hoped to volunteer as a blood donor but was unable to since the requirements are strict for people who have traveled to countries where certain diseases, such as malaria, are common.

Rutberg and her two sons, Elliott and Oliver, participated in the arts and crafts activities during the morning.

Nicole Unger celebrated her Bat Mitzvah in 2013 and recognizes the connection between her Bat Mitzvah community service project and Mitzvah Day. “When you help others, you make them feel like you’re there for them. It’s all about helping the world and giving back.”

For her community service project, Nicole focused on helping people with disabilities. In addition to raising over $200 for the Paralympics, she helped out at Paralympic swimming events by carrying wheelchairs, canes and prosthetics for the athletes competing in swimming competitions.

To understand the experience of those who are blind, Nicole spent a day with a blindfold, going about her regular activities without the benefit of sight.

“I realized how much I have to be thankful for, and how people with disabilities must learn to adapt and find different ways to do things.”

Nicole and her family also volunteered at the local Warrior Games in Colorado Springs.

For Nicole, participating in activities at Mitzvah Day is part of her upbringing and her Jewish values. Social action is part of her identity and she looks forward to the Temple Shalom Mitzvah Day each year.

What better way to spend a Sunday morning than being part of a congregational effort towards tikkun olam?

Copyright © 2014 by the Intermountain Jewish News




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