Social justice is a cornerstone of my programming. Helping others in need is a crucial element of Jewish practice. It’s both how we bring the divine into our daily lives and how we become a Jewish people that is a light to the world.

Pictured: Teen Social Action Thanksgiving

Teen Social Action Thanksgiving

My largest social action event of the year! Teens and parent volunteers cook thanksgiving dinner and write holiday cards for 150+ recipients who wouldn’t otherwise have a holiday meal. I collaborate with three local organizations: McKinney Terrace, Don Bosco Community Center, and Neighbor-to-Neighbor to distribute meals.

Pictured: teens from Temple Sholom and youth group from First Congregational, Greenwich write holiday cards to send with Thanksgiving meals.

Midnight Run

A synagogue-wide effort to collect and distribute food, clothing, blankets, and personal care items to the homeless poor on the streets of New York City. From the Midnight Run Organization: “The late-night relief efforts create a forum for trust, sharing, understanding, and affection. That human exchange, rather than the exchange of goods, is the essence of the Midnight Run mission.”

Pictured: Temple Sholom delegation prepares to bring supplies collected by the entire congregation to New York City.

Seventh Grade Curriculum

As part of my curriculum of the positive Jewish values culled from explorations of the Holocaust, I bring students on three days-of-service to local non-profits: Adopt-a-Dog (humane animal shelter), Neighbor-to-Neighbor (soup kitchen and clothing donation), and The Nathaniel Witherell Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center.

Pictured: seventh graders carry donations into Neighbor-to-Neighbor.

BBYO (Teens)

Under my leadership, the Temple Sholom BBYO chapter has won the regional Service Shield two years in a row (2019 and 2020), an award given to the BBYO chapter with the greatest cumulative service hours, surpassing chapters with more than twice as many participants.

Pictured: BBYO 2019 with Service Shield