Through direct service, community organizing and advocacy, we want to make a difference in the lives of others: our own members at their time of need, the under served in our communities, and the common good. From one-time opportunities to long term volunteering, from working with Temple members to engaging in larger coalitions, we believe we can begin to repair a broken world.
Participate in ViA Isaiah - Temple Isaiah's Values in Action initiatives for our mission to engage in acts of Tikkun Olam throughout the year by making a positive impact on education, hunger, homelessness, and more. Below is just a sample of the opportunities to help those in need in our community and our neighborhood. Learn more at www.temple-isaiah.org/viaisaiah
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Questions? Please call us at
(925) 283-8575.
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What's Happening at ViA Isaiah
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Jamie Gracer
ViA Isaiah Chair |
Passing on compassion from one generation to the next...and the next
Our Temple Isaiah community works tirelessly to provide food and shelter security for those in our community. The bags upon bags of donated food during our High Holidays warmed our hearts, as we entered the sanctuary to pray for health and life for us all. We reflected on how best to use our precious days in the year to come. How can we best instill this impulse to help others in our children and grandchildren? Their job is difficult given that they are part of the "Selfie Generation." Rabbi Shanks suggested in her Yom Kippur sermon that we all read the book, UnSelfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World by Dr. Michele Borba to learn more about this. I also recommend for parents to read with their children a non-political book named, It's Your World: Get Informed, Get Inspired & Get Going! by Chelsea Clinton. We know that doing acts of loving-kindness creates a sense of meaning and connection. One easy way to begin is to regularly ask at the dinner table, "Who did you help today?" Our superb youth education at Temple Isaiah has always taught the value of doing tzedakah. ViA Isaiah is working to create additional opportunities for youth and families. One coming up very soon is our annual Winter Nights Shelter program. Here is the link to learn more and sign up: www.temple-isaiah.org/wn
L'shalom, Jamie Gracer, Chair
ViA Isaiah - Temple Isaiah's Values in Action
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Tzedakah
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We are pleased to announce our recipients of Tzedakah funds collected in our Sanctuary foyer through September 2016:
Contra Costa Interfaith Housing (CCIH) and Loaves and Fishes.
All tzedakah funds raised between October-December 2016 support the Winter Nights Fund.
The ViA Isaiah Discretionary Fund provided supplies for the JFCS New Friends refugee resettlement families,
supported
the
Multi-faith Action Coalition housing security fund
, and The
Urban Farmers toward the purchase of a new van.
Special thanks to member Kendra Fried of Neshamah Yoga Wellness, volunteering her time for a three night yoga series and the participants who helped raise $378 for the JFCS New Friends refugee resettlement program.
The word tzedakah (Hebrew: צדקה) comes from the Hebrew word tzedek, meaning righteousness or justice. It refers to the Jewish practice of giving money in order to help those less fortunate, using our financial resources to create a more just and righteous world.
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Yasher Koach
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We wish to thank the generous volunteers who helped to meet the need for meals and supplies at the Shelter Dinners in Martinez last week (A ViA Isaiah Initiative and Project of Women of Isaiah).
We couldn't be more proud of our community. The pantry and every course was filled with over 100 volunteer slots.
Click here for our photo gallery; more details, including daily reports, are located at
We also thank all of our b'nai mitzvah kids for their thoughtful and inspiring mitzvah projects. Read more about the mitzvah project in the Friday Shabbat Shalom email and the printed Shabbat Announcements each week.
Want to say Yasher Koach and give kudos to any ViA Isaiah volunteers in the next e-newsletter?
Yasher koach (YAH-shehyr KOH-ahkh)
Hebrew. Literally, straight strength. Figuratively, may you have strength, or may your strength be increased. A way of congratulating someone for performing a mitzvah or other good deed. In essence, you are wishing this person the strength to continue doing this good thing, and you are also recognizing the effort that the person put into doing this good thing.
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Education
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LAFTY Teens help prepare food for the Winter Nights Shelter
Education and Youth Programs at Temple Isaiah
Social action and social justice are an integral part of our education and youth programs at Temple Isaiah.
The youngest members of our community at Gan Ilan Preschool learn about being part of a caring community through the Angel Network, Adopt-A-Preschool, Mitzvah days, and more.
Our Kulanu families with children in grades K-6, Camp Kefli campers in grades K-8 and youth groups (Anachnu, Simcha and LAFTY) participate in local ViA Isaiah opportunities, such as The Urban Farmers and Winter Nights Shelter, and initiatives with a broader scope through NFTY - The North American Federation of Temple Youth.
Our JQuest program for kids Pre-K-7th grade is rich with social action and social justice education and engagement.
Please click here to learn more about Tikkun Olam at JQuest.
Each JQuest class also helps our Temple Isaiah community directly through the Angel Network, Buildings and Grounds Committee, and more.
7th graders are immersed in social action throughout the year with innovative Mitzvah Corp opportunities including; Save The Bay, Glide Memorial Church, JFCS, as well as a 7th grade fund grant making curriculum, and more.
Our b'nai mitzvah teens work closely with our clergy on a meaningful mitzvah project, as an important part of of their right of passage into adulthood.
11th and 12th graders now have the opportunity to participate in a Tzedek (Justice) internship to enhance their leadership skills learned during the 7th grade Mitzvah Corp program.
Jewish Coalition for Literacy
Can you read this? That means you can help a child who can't. In just one hour a week you can help a student learn to love reading. Take part in this rewarding tikkun olam program and help a child succeed. Join the Jewish Coalition for Literacy as a volunteer reading tutor and make a difference in a child's life.
Wednesday, December 7, 2016 from 1:00 - 4:00 pm in the Adult Lounge
Tutors Needed in Pleasant Hill, Concord, Richmond and El Cerrito . Tutoring is usually for classes K thru 3rd between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. However, tutoring may be requested after school hours.
Contact: Judy Pam Bycel at
jpbycel@jcrc.org
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Homelessness
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Crew Chief Tricia Zucker (left) with Brunel and Miriam Brutus,
getting ready to serve Halloween dinner at the Martinez Shelter.
Contra Costa Interfaith Housing (CCIH)
Contra Costa Interfaith Housing (CCIH) provides permanent, affordable housing and vital support services to homeless and at-risk families and individuals in Contra Costa County. Temple Isaiah has been a long-time supporter of CCIH.
*
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this year's Backpack Drive. It was a huge success with over 200 filled backpacks donated by CCIH supporters including Temple Isaiah.
* Temple Isaiah is participating in the Spirit of Giving by providing holiday gifts for a family of seven. Please help make this formerly homeless family's Christmas a special one by signing up to donate a gift here:
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0a4daca72bab9-ccih2
We can provide you with a donor receipt.
* Ruby Slippers: There's no place like home, CCIH's annual fund raiser, will be held February 4th. They are currently collecting donations for the live and silent auction. To donate a gift card or other item or service please sign up here:
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0a4daca72bab9-ruby
CCIH can provide a receipt for your donation.
* CCIH's family apartments site in Pittsburg (Los Medanos Village) has need for afterschool homework tutors for their elementary school age residents. If you know someone who can make a weekly afternoon commitment let us know and we will put them in touch with the volunteer coordinator.
* We will be hosting the Garden Park Apartments tenant dinner on February 9. So be on the lookout for a meal prep sign up.
From Co-chairs: Amy Faltz and Pat Reyes
Jewish Family and Community Services of the East Bay
New Friends Refugee Resettlement Program - Volunteers Needed!
During the High Holy Days, Rabbi Shanks made an appeal for new volunteers for our refugee assistance program. Together, we will settle new refugee families fleeing the Middle East violence. Syrians and Afghanis desiring to come to our community are assigned by international refugee assistance agencies to the Jewish Family and Community Services of the East Bay. We assist the JFCS-EB by providing the direct services the families need.
This work is perfect for individuals and families, young and old, as well as friend groups or your Havurah. The bulk of the help we provide comes during the first few months after the the family arrives. You will not only be helping new citizens learn about our community and culture, you and your children will learn about the wider world from them. These families arrive here with only their luggage and live initially with an "anchor family" that is part of their community. This anchor family agrees to receive them before they are allowed to come the U.S. The JFCS mostly assigns us those with anchor families in the Concord area.
Temple Isaiah Welcome Group activities include setting up an apartment they and their anchor family locate, assisting with job ideas and resumes, and helping young and old practice English. They need medical check-ups, Social Service interviews and trips to the DMV. Children must be registered in school. We helped two children get involved in the local Afghan youth soccer program. We named our program New Friends with the expectation of creating long lasting bonds for everyone involved. Let me assure you, you are never alone in doing this work! We have a New Friends Committee that assists each Welcome Group and problem solves when questions arise. The family is assigned a JFCS case manager who speaks their language and actively directs us at all times. The JFCS entirely manages the finances that the family receives as new citizens and gives them needed household items upon arrival. They also have a storage unit filled with donated items for furnishing apartments. Additionally, both the JFCS and TI have donation funds to help pay for extra "stuff."
Mt. View Emergency Family Shelter
A ViA Isaiah Initiative and Project of Women of Isaiah
Serving homeless families with children in need of emergency housing, this shelter supports up to 13 families at any given time. Yasher Koach to the countless volunteers that helped from October 31-November 4, 2016 and mark your calendars for March 20-24, 2017. Details at
www.temple-isaiah.org/shelterdinners
Project Hearth
Assists Shelter Inc. primarily by providing emergency funds to pay utility bills and/or short term rent to people at risk from becoming homeless.
Contact: Jill Douglas at
prkhere@comcast.net
Shalom Bayit
Assembling bags on Monday, December 5 at 6pm in the Adult Lounge
Please help Women of Isaiah provide Chanukah Gift Bags for the Women and Children of Shalom Bayit (a program dedicated to ending domestic violence in Jewish Homes). We need to purchase Chanukah Holiday items to be put in each bag - there are specific items which can be found on the signup sheet here.
Thank you to the Women of Isaiah kick off attendees this year donating Judaica to Shalom Bayit.
Wardrobe for Opportunity
Wardrobe for Opportunity works in partnership with the community to assist low-income individuals to "Find a Job, Keep a Job, and Build a Career."
* Clothing and Accessories Drive -Participate in temple-wide clothing and accessories drives. Donate, help sort , load vehicles and deliver to WFO Boutique in Concord.
* Sorting and Displaying Clothing and Accessories at the Boutique - Mon and/or Fri mornings, 10-12 help sort and hang clothing, etc. at the Concord Boutique
* Outfitting Both Male and Female Client - learn how to dress clients appropriately for job interviews and new job placements and have 1 hr. one-on-one appointments with the clients to dress them.
Winter Nights Rotating Shelter
December 18 to January 2
Please heed Isaiah's call to "share your bread with the hungry / and to take the poor into your home" as we transform our oneg area and social hall into a warm, caring and safe haven for 30 homeless "strangers" in families with children. We need over 400 volunteers to welcome them with "open hands" and help in so many ways: cook & serve meals, shop, read stories, lead arts & crafts & music & games, wash dishes, stay overnight, plan holiday parties, host excursions, and more! It's an amazing mitzvah of empathy and tikkun olam. Share your light at Winter Nights! Volunteer registration is open now at
www.temple-isaiah.org/wn.
Questions? Ideas? Contact
infowinternights@gmail.com
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Hunger
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Volunteers at the Kulanu Shavuot Harvest with Anshei Isaiah and The Urban Farmers
Contra Costa Food Bank
Please check your mailbox for the annual "Turkey Drive" mailing to feed the hungry in our county during the holidays. Last year our congregations combined help raise over $100,000!
High Holy Day Drive for Hunger in Contra Costa County
We are proud of our annual High Holy Day food drive collecting over 5,000 pounds to feed countless hungry members of our county! Donations are needed year-round of nutrient-rich, shelf-stable foods in cans, plastic containers and boxes within labeled expiration dates.
Contact: Nadav Rave at nadavrave@comcast.net
Loaves and Fishes
Loaves and Fishes of Contra Costa operates five dining rooms from Martinez to Oakley where it serves free hot lunch Monday-Friday. Its free food pantry distributes over a ton of groceries each week.
* Help Serve Meals - Join fellow TI congregants to prepare food for approx. 2 hours the 3rd Thursday of every month from 9:00-11:00 a.m. Work takes place at the catering kitchen at Loaves and Fishes in Pittsburg.
Contact: Phyllis Ceaser at
pceaser@astound.net
* Perpetual Food Drive to benefit Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry - One Sunday a month, join fellow congregants in collecting food. The food pantry is critical as it helps bridge the weekend when the soup kitchen is closed! Seeking Food Captains, who will coordinate, as well as food donors!
Contact: Stacii Gerson at
staciigerson@yahoo.com
Shelter Lunch Program
The 1 hour Mitzvah that feeds 65 people! JQuest sponsors a project that reaches out to the hungry in our own community. On several Sundays throughout the school year our JQuest families have the opportunity to work together in Temple Isaiah 's kitchen preparing lunches for an adult transitional shelter in Concord. This is a shelter where the lunch meal is not usually provided. We are the only agency providing lunch and our efforts are greatly appreciated. In addition, toiletry donations are always welcome and can be brought to the Temple Kitchen on the dates of the shelter lunch program. For more information please contact Shelter Lunch
coordinator Amy Skepner at
amy@skepdev.com
.
The Urban Farmers
The Urban Farmers focuses on feeding the hungry local produce harvested from backyard fruit trees and gardens. Donations go to local hunger relief agencies.
* Donate excess fruit by registering your trees on The Urban Farmers website: www.theurbanfarmers.org or call (415) 806-7005. Purchase a fruit tree from The Urban Farmers to feed future generations. Plant the tree on your property or donate it to a needy family.
* Join a harvest team and have fun doing light work outdoors to help Urban Farmers harvest backyard fruit. Help from home with tasks, such as responding to e-mails or writing articles.
Volunteers needed for the Charlotte's Harvest persimmon gleaning in Vacaville on
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Community of Care
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Temple Isaiah youth in the community visiting with seniors
Angel Network
The Angel Network's mission is to assemble a group of volunteers who offer comfort and support to Temple members and their families in times of need. Volunteers receive the training necessary to engage in acts of loving kindness as they reach out to the Temple Isaiah community with helping hands and caring hearts. When a need arises the Angel Network can respond with: supportive phone calls and notes, providing meals, offering rides for appointments, errands and Temple events, visiting the sick in the hospital or home, ongoing friendly visits and healing circles. The Angel Network
has 138 volunteers - people who send cards. prepare meals, provide rides, run errands, visit sick and/or homebound, outreach to seniors, Last year (2015) we had contact with about 130 congregants - many receiving multiple services over time.
Neighbor to Neighbor (N2N)
Neighbor to Neighbor (N2N) is an on-going interfaith alliance with our neighboring faith communities of Lafayette Orinda Presbyterian Church and the San Ramon Valley Islamic Center.
Our focus is on learning about each other's faith principles and worship, establishing strong connections between our communities, joining together for hands-on, direct-service efforts of social justice and speaking in one voice against incidents of prejudice that arise in Contra Costa County. We welcome your participation in this important and gratifying communal outreach. If you would like to be part of Temple Isaiah's Neighbor to Neighbor cohort, please contact Rabbi Shanks:
rabbi.shanks@temple-isaiah.org
or (925) 283-8575.
Thank you to all of the volunteers who donated toiletry items to the Neighbor to Neighbor Community-wide Interfaith Service Project to Help Those Without a Home.
Reutlinger Community for Jewish Living
A 110,000 square foot multi-services facility in Danville that is home to 180 residents living in the Sukkat Shalom Skilled Nursing unit, the Assisted Living apartments, Tikvah Enhanced Care Center or Traditions Memory Care Center. Their mission is to "add life to years". J
oin fellow TI members in volunteering your time and interests to run different fun activities with the residents. Terry Matzkin has been running Bingo at Reutlinger for over 10 years!
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Multi-faith ACTION (Advocates & Communities Taking Initiative 4 Our Neighbors) Coalition
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Multi-faith ACTION Coalition received the "Community Ally of the Year" award
at the Contra Costa County Labor Council Labor to Labor dinner September 2016
Multi-faith ACTION (Advocates & Communities Taking Initiative 4 Our Neighbors) Coalition
Multi-faith ACTION Coalition comprised of Contra Costa County residents working together to address the root causes of poverty through advocacy and public policy change. Our shared values and our experiences as faith groups providing food, shelter and other services make us strong voices for those in need.
We are organized into task forces focused on five key areas of poverty: Housing/Shelter, Food Security, Job & Economic Security, Health and Education. We also have committees working on budget, planning, communication, outreach to congregations etc. Read below for recent updates...
Governor Signs Key Legislation
Advocates of the Multi-faith ACTION Coalition wrote and called the Governor's office in support of AB 2406 regarding Junior Accessory Dwellings ordinances to add more affordable housing for vital workers and we succeeded -- he signed the bill and it has an urgency clause. We now need to work with local cities to make this housing option more accessible.
Racial Justice
Love thy neighbor is central to many faith teachings. The Multi-faith ACTION Coalition has formed a working group around racial justice because all our neighbors are not being loved nor treated justly by our society. We strive to work with others who have racial justice as their mission and add our voices demanding change. Join this work by contact Rev. Will McGarvey eye4cee@gmail.com or Doug Leich leichd@gmail.com
Education
The Education Task Force is now meeting at St. John Vianney Catholic Church, 1650 Ygnacio Valley Rd, Walnut Creek in Mullen Commons on the first Thursday of each month from 2:30-4:00.
They are looking at mandatory kindergarten, reducing absenteeism and increasing mental health support at schools as ways to help children living in poverty now improve their chances of a better life in the future. Can you join the conversation and help identify public policies that need to be changed to help these children? Please contact MFAC if you want to join the Task Force.
Want more information? Check out this study by the Attorney General's office. https://oag.ca.gov/truancy/2015
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Get Inspired! Get Involved! Make A Difference!
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