52 Weeks=52 Actions: Week 9, 10, 11 & 12

Here are the 3rd set of four weeks. Websites and contact information are here for where I volunteer or donate in case you are interested.

Week 9/March 20, 2013

 Research/Monetary contributions

On Sunday of this week I returned home from my Inter-faith trip to Israel in which I met with Palestinians and toured in the West Bank. In addition to doing research I wanted to make a contribution to someone working on peace relations in Israel. Rabbis for Human Rights I have known about for some time and when I received the recent email about Palestinian farmers having problems accessing their lands it hit a nerve. I could hear the Palestinian in Faqu'a talking about how the security fence had divided his farm land and how he was no longer able to cultivate a great part of it. I am not naive and read an email from someone in my group,  a note that  he had a Jewish friend who had lived in Israel on the other side of the same land and told simiIar stories but from another point of view. We need to listen to both stories and then somehow move on. I decided to send RHR a $36.00 contribution.

Rabbis for Human Rights

Rehov HaRekhavim 9
Jerusalem, Israel 93462
Tel: +972.2.648.2757 | Fax: +972.2.678.3611
e-mail: info@rhr.israel.net

http://rhr.org.il/eng/

Week 10/March 27, 2013

 Monetary contributions

I wasn't gone for Pesach/Passover this year so I needed to sell my chametz to someone. Well of course I didn't NEED to sell it I can hear some of my friends saying so perhaps I choose to do so. I could have sold it to my shul or to many other places however Chabad happens to be right down the street from my house and I have gone to their services once in a while and their events so I let them take care of this issue this year. The custom is to then contribute a small sum for getting this service and even if they are not where I go all the time I was happy to contribute. It was in honor of all the outreach they do bringing many Jews back into Judaism because of their approach.

American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad)

2110 Leroy Place Northwest
Washington, DC 20008 USA

202-332-5600

http://www..afldc.org

 Week 11/April 3, 2013

 Hands On/Monetary contributions

The Adas Israel monthly email arrived in my inbox as a reminder to make food for the homeless shelter Luther Place:

We need food for 25-30 people.   Due to Passover, you may not want to bring certain items.  That's fine.  Only offer to bring whatever you are comfortable doing. 

I was one of those who didn't want to buy any chametz (grains) so instead of offering to get rolls I looked for something else in the email to get/make.

Here is what we need this month: Entree – 3 people to bring an entree for 8-10. 

Salad and dressing  or veggie (broccoli, green beans, etc.) for 25-30

Macaroni/potatoes – offer to make part or all!

Bread – whole grain rolls or loaf of french/italian-type bread 

Fruit – e.g., 30 clementines, melon, berries, or another fruit

Dessert – 2 cakes, 30 brownies, 60 cookies, etc. 

 

I decided to offer to make the salad and dressing. I offered, got it and after inquiring about more detail found out that several containers of pre-washed lettuce was desired along with several bottles of salad dressing. This is such an easy way to contribute that I am really going to try and give something each month. We shall see. 

N Street Village

1333 N Street, NW, Washington, DC

Tel: 202-939-2076    Fax: 202-319-1508

http://www.lutherplace.org/ministries/social-justice/n-street-village

Week 12/April 10, 2013

 Monetary contributions

I was reading the Facebook message of a rabbi friend of mine visiting in Israel with her family. She was planning on going into the West Bank with a group I had never heard of. Immediately I went to the website and read about them. In their mission statement it said "Encounter is dedicated to strengthening the capacity of the Jewish people to be constructive agents of change in transforming the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." That was great and hooked me in and so I continued to read about what they see as the problem and how they are going about trying to solve or perhaps help. I liked everything I read and while I can't take part in any of their trips for the moment who knows about the future. In any case I can certainly contribute and so I did.

Encounter
25 Broadway, Suite 1700
New York, NY 10004

http://www.encounterprograms.org/donate