Tikkun Olam Monthly Report

Tikkun Olam Update – September 2024

The Tikkun Olam Committee (chairs and other leaders of TO committees and projects) met on August 26 and shared goals and concerns of each committee as well as their needs from the VP for Tikkun Olam and this collaborative group. Janet underscored her intention to help promote the work of TO, in line with the board’s emphasis on engagement, and the group agreed to move forward immediately with two action steps:

1. Compile and provide a handout at High Holiday services, akin to that typically provided by Adult Ed, to outline upcoming activities TO and how to get involved. Janet is working on this with TO chairs, in coordination with Lisa Korklan, VP for Adult Ed, who has generously offered to put together the handout in time for the holidays.
2. Improve coordination and flow between the TO work of our committees and that of the youth and education programs. Janet met briefly with Shoni and spoke with the Cantor about this. Both responded enthusiastically to  meeting with the TO Committee after HH and we’re planning that meeting for Monday, Oct. 28. Also in forwarding the goal of enhanced collaborations, Shoni suggested that we have someone from the ed committee join the TO Committee on an ongoing basis. Janet will follow up with Jane and Sarah to put this in place.

Additionally, Janet is working with Cantor Vera regarding the cantor’s TO work. Janet, Cantor Vera, and Rabbi Josh are scheduled to meet October 23 to flesh out thoughts on this role.

I know it’s unusual to put a poem into our monthly report, but this past Shabbat we read  Parshat Shoftim, which includes the phrase “Justice, justice you shall pursue.” I came across this poem, entitled “Pursue,” which I’m including in gratitude for the work of all those dedicated to Tikkun Olam. It’s an honor and a continual source of inspiration to work with all those who devote time and effort to repairing our world.

— Janet Strassman Perlmutter, VP for Tikkun Olam, TikkunOlamBE@gmail.com

Pursue, by Rabbi Rachel Barenblat (also blogs as The Velveteen Rabbi)

August 18, 2018

Run after justice
the way an eight-year-old
runs after the ice cream truck
chasing its elusive music

sandals slapping asphalt
until panting, calves burning
you catch it
and taste sweetness.

Run after justice
with the single-minded focus
a thirteen-year-old
brings to their phone.

Run after justice
the way the mother
of a colicky newborn
pursues sleep.

Run after justice
whole-hearted and open, as though
justice were your beloved
who makes your heart race,

whose integrity shines
like the light of the sun,
who makes you want to be
better than you are.

Antiracism Working Group

The Center for Common Ground, a non-partisan voter mobilization organization affiliated with the Religious Action Center of the Reform Movement, empowers voters of color in voter-suppression states. In partnership with the Center for Common Ground, the Antiracism Working Group held its third monthly postcarding event on September 5. We were joined by members of Congregation Or Atid and B’nai Torah Metrowest. Participants wrote and addressed get-out-the-vote postcards to rural Black voters in Georgia.

Contacts: Judy Goldberg and Karen Blumenfeld  

Blood Drive

The next blood drive is November 13.

Contact: Shirley Hui

CAST

Contacts: Martin Brauer and Andy Goldberg

Green Team

Contact John Harper to connect with a Green Team member. Join their list-serv by emailing greenteam-subscribe@members.bethelsudbury.org.

High Holiday Food Drive

Deb Oppenheimer has agreed to chair Beth El’s HH Food Drive this year. Deb brings many years experience co-coordinating Beth El’s HH food and products drive as well as deep knowledge of the local agencies addressing food insecurity. Deb is working with Shoni on this collaborative effort. She, Shirley Hui, and Esther Heimberg are contacting the organizations Beth El will contribute to this year A Place To Turn, the Food Pantry and the Care Pantry, and Voices Against Violence, A pre-holiday letter will go out to the congregation in the next few weeks.

Contact: Deb Oppenheimer

Inclusion Committee

• Had a productive meeting with new Tikkun Olum VP, Janet Straussman Perlmutter to discuss future plans and questions about including Diversity in our title: (e.g. Inclusion and Diversity committee); increasing volunteers and adding  new committee members; overall goals and purpose for next year. Discussion also included decisions to move more towards mainly consulting/supporting other committees and members, and not program planning or setting up speaker engagements, as we have done in the past. 

• Question of policy establishing a Fragrance-Free Section/Temple would be on the agenda for the next Inclusion meeting.

• Sent out information on Bboards regarding Keshet programming and resources on Dangers of Project 2025 and ways to become active.

• Worked with the Coordinators for High Holidays, Esther Heimberg and Jocylyn Bailin and Alice Waugh of Communications and Marketing to update Instructions to Ushers both to be handed out to ushers and to update usher instructions on the members only page of Beth El website.  Also, updated new All gender bathrooms on the Accessibility section of the Diversity, Inclusion, Accessibility section of the Beth E. website.

• Generated a list of things to be considered by the board before/after High Holidays (having a fragrance-free policy, railings, etc.). Will send to Jerry Kazin (President) this week.

Contact: Maxine Haron or Carrie Fuchs

Sanctuary Committee

Contact: Carl Offner

A number of us went to the CASA (Metrowest Workers Center) “Convivio” in Framingham, which was previously announced at Beth El.  It was a great experience for those of us who were there.  We had a lot of good conversations; people were really happy to see us, and we met volunteers from other communities who help out CASA as well (and the food was good!).

We have started our project of accompanying refugees who are seeking asylum to their interviews and court appearances.  We work in pairs — at least one person in each pair speaks Spanish (at least to some extent).  We are not lawyers, nor do we interact in any formal way with the immigration or legal authorities.  There are already lawyers who do that. Our main function other than actually driving people is reassuring people by being with them. For people who are now in a foreign country where they quite likely do not speak the language, and who are appearing in a legal or quasi-legal proceeding where they feel intimidated, this is a very big deal, and we are happy to do this work.

We will be having an open meeting at Beth El on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 7:30pm to discuss and explain how we have been doing this work, how easy and useful it has been, and how others can join us.

We have started discussing plans for our annual HIAS weekend which will likely take place in early February. At this point, we’re tossing around ideas. One thing we have pretty much decided is that as before, we will raise money, and this year will split the money raised between HIAS and CASA. Both these organizations not only help people and families individually, but also work at systemic change — changing government policy, which is a fundamental goal of the Sanctuary Committee.

Tzedek Scholarship Fund 

Contact: Janet Buchwald