Social Justice is the unifying mandate of Reform Judaism, central to who we are and what we do in contributing to Tikkun Olam, repairing the world -- through direct service, Tzedakah (Righteous Giving) and advocacy.
Join us!

DOROTHY L. SEROTTA Z”L (1921-2009), for whom our committee is named, was a driving force for social action on every conceivable level for more than 50 years. We will honor her and others upon whose shoulders we stand on January 28, 2022, as part of TI’s Centennial Year Program.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Gary Brown, Patty Craven, Everton Dias, Raziel Levidis, Ivonne Linares (Chapman Volunteers), Diane Lindner (Virtual Tzedakah Box), Elaine Litvak, Aidan McAdams (TIFTY), Alice Miller, Carla Neufeld, Grace Wright-Pazdra (RAC), Michael Sagmeister (Food Drive), Suzie Sponder (Chapman Xmas Eve Carnival), Judith Stopek (Homestead), Bunny Uriarte, Tom Wharton, Paula Xanthopoulou (Chair), Julia Zaias.
PROGRAM NOTES: Our Yom Kippur Social Justice Hour was dedicated to the millions of people suffering from Food Insecurity and HUNGER. Our very special guest was long-time Temple Israel member and esteemed neurosurgeon, Dr. Barth Green. Click HERE to watch that amazing presentation and hear his inspiring words for Social Justice: “It’s up to us to make sure that every day of our lives we do a mitzvah.” Please also view our “Call to Action!”
Sewing classes have resumed in Homestead under the auspices of the Farmworkers Association of Florida following a summer focused on vaccinations and the effects of extreme heat on the outdoor work force. Temple Israel had previously delivered 12 Brother sewing machines w/covers and all the accessories needed for those classes thanks to the generosity of our Temple Israel Family. Women and a few men are learning new skills to support their families. Current classes are being staffed by Por Todos, a non-profit formed during Covid which also helped fund last year’s Thanksgiving meal for 500 farmworker families. Temple Israel is partnering with Por Todos by donating fabric for 100 paneras to be sewn by the farmworkers and sold full of donated goodies to underwrite this year’s Thanksgiving meal. Stay tuned… 
October 16th is World Food Day (“The future of food is in our hands”). The Temple Israel Food Drive is now in its 9th month fighting Food Insecurity and HUNGER because of a dire need that has not gone away. The problem is enormous everywhere, but no less in our own backyard. In 2020, 60 million Americans depended on food banks for their next meal; your own neighbor or co-worker may be going hungry. How can anyone excel in school, work a second job or worry about the right to vote when constantly denied sustenance?

Food collected at Temple Israel in October will be delivered to LOTUS HOUSE, a women’s shelter doing truly remarkable work with 500 homeless women/children in Overtown, just blocks from our synagogue. A portion of the non-perishable items collected there are distributed to neighbors on the first Saturday of every month. Please be generous as we lean into the centrality of Tikkun Olam, doing our part to repair the world.

NEEDED non-perishable items: Tuna (cans and pouches), granola bars, cereal (single-serve and family size), snacks (single-serve: chips/popcorn/fruit snacks/etc), beans (canned or dry), tomato products (sauce, paste, diced, pasta sauce), individual-sized bottles of water.

Contributions can be dropped off at the Temple office M-F/9-5 PM following Covid protocols. To give from the comfort and safety of your homes, use INSTACART. Select the non-perishable items, pay online, and have the groceries delivered directly to Temple Israel...Thank you!
Temple Israel of Greater Miami
137 NE 19th St.
Miami FL, 33132
The Religious Action Center’s Racial Justice Campaign continues to focus on the Freedom to Vote and passage of the “For The People Act” (H.R.1/S.1). The campaign is shifting from lobbying to phone banking: click HERE to attend a timely update/training on October 6th. Register HERE to receive RAC updates directly. Keep connected to RAC-FL, too...The RAC continues to call on the Jewish Community to support the people of Haiti. You can help via Project Medishare for Haiti.
People fleeing Afghanistan desperately need assistance! HIAS -- begun on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 1881 -- is the oldest resettlement organization in the world, drawing on Jewish values and history to provide vital services to refugees and asylum seekers: “We understand that their stories are our story.” Learn more HERE and take action to help Afghan refugees HERE!
“…morally speaking, there is no limit to the concern one must feel for the suffering of human beings, that indifference to evil is worse than evil itself, that in a free society, some are guilty, but all are responsible.”
~ Abraham Joshua Heschel