Days like Sunday make me proud to be a part of our Temple Beth El community. One of the privileges of being me on Mitzvah Day is that I get the opportunity to move from project to project on campus, dropping in and seeing all of the beautiful cards, journals, bags, and pillows being decorated, the sandwich assembly line, the seeds being planted in the community garden, not to mention the many bags being stuffed full of snacks, summer, and school supplies, toiletries, and so much more. And that is only what is happening in the Temple Beth El and Bernstein Education Buildings! We had congregants spread out all over this city on Sunday, tidying up at Sterling Elementary school, fishing garbage out of our waterways, painting a home with Habitat for Humanity, putting on carnivals at the Alexander Youth Center, making meals at Hospitality House, and simply spending time with folks who could use a kind face. I love the energy, I love the variation of faces, young and young at heart, and more than anything, I love that we all choose to come together to live out the Jewish value of tikkun olam, world repair. Thank you to all of you for showing up and doing the work.
Mitzvah Day could not happen without the help of so many staff members and congregants. Karen Greenblatt was the mastermind of the entire day this year, putting in countless hours starting all the way back in October to bring this all to fruition – thank you Karen, for wrangling captains and donations and helping ensure staff could be helpful leading up to and on the day of the event. Thank you to all of the staff who worked with Karen, but particularly Susan Jacobs, Julie Dalli, Sue Hummel, Nathalie Friedlander, and Kayla Thomas. Thank you to our religious school teachers who show up at Mitzvah Day every year and join in on the fun, sometimes working multiple projects in one morning! And finally, a huge shout out to all of our captains – without you, we simply could not run these wonderful projects.
