Welcome to our monthly Values in Action (VIA Isaiah) Newsletter: Your Quick Guide to improving our community and the world at Temple Isaiah.

VIA ISAIAH IS…a collection of groups within Temple Isaiah who offer opportunities to temple members to serve those in need and to make our community more just through education, advocacy and direct service. Our efforts are grounded in the Jewish values of tikkun olam, repairing the world. Everyone is welcome and needed in this effort. For details of what we do and who to contact, please click here.

-Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Tell Congress to Act Now to Pass the Budget Reconciliation Bill that addresses climate change. The Clean Electricity Payment Program (CEPP) is our best bet to meet American climate goals. Your calls and emails matter. Share with your peeps in other states! Contact: jackiemann@att.net

Comfort the Mourner with the new Shiva Project through Angel Network. By joining the Shiva Project, you will support those in our community who are mourning and fulfill the commanded mitzvah of comforting the mourner. For more information, please contact Greta Frantz at gf.angelnet@gmail.com or Denise Glicklin at dg.angelnet@yahoo.com

Be a Patient Escort for Planned Parenthood Walnut Creek. Judaism values life and affirms that protecting existing life is paramount at all stages of pregnancy; a fetus is not considered a person under Jewish law and the interests of the pregnant individual always come first. Walnut Creek Planned Parenthood needs the support of patient escorts to help our patients find safety outside its health center. To become a patient escort, please complete the attached form: https://www.weareplannedparenthood.org/a/patient-escort-signup Contact Adina Zinn adinajzinn@yahoo.com with questions.

Started by our own Jackie and Jeff Mann, 350 Contra Costa works with a broad coalition, including Interfaith Climate Action Network of Contra Costa County (ICANCCC).Go here to learn more and sign up for upcoming actions http://350contracosta.org And, join a “Becoming a Climate Activist” circle, one of the Isaiah Circles (small groups) starting after Yom Kippur. Look for details soon to sign up in Chaverware.

The Temple Isaiah Racial Justice Task Force is partnering with Shelter Inc to help our Contra Costa neighbors learn about and access this $5.2 billion dollar program and keep them in their homes. Volunteers are calling renters to answer questions and verify appointments. We are also planning outreach to East and West County congregations to make sure those in need are able to apply for ERAP. To join our efforts, please email Sue Adler-Bressler at suejab2@gmail.com. For more details, click here.

If you need a meal, a driver to an appointment, or assistance in any way, reach out to the Angel Network by calling the temple office. And if you are well and have even a small amount of time to be an Angel, please volunteer to be an Angel, please email Greta Frantz at gf.angelnet@gmail.com or Denise Glicklin at dg.angelnet@yahoo.com.

Jewish Family & Community Services East Bay (JFCS) will resettle 200 refugees in the fall  Email adodson@jfcs-eastbay.org if you can help.  They also need Target gift cards. Mail directly to JFCS- East Bay, 2151 Salvio Street, Suite 350, Concord, CA. 94520.

Due to the Covid Delta variant, we are postponing Mitzvah Day until next spring. But you can still participate in our Covid-Safe version: Provision Donation Day on October 24! Donate cleaning supplies and diapers, used books and other provisions to fulfill the needs of various organizations in the area. For details and to give, go to https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4DAFAD2AA5F49-mitzvah

Become a tutor for a struggling primary grade student in underserved East Bay schools. Isaiah has provided volunteers for over a dozen years at Coronado Elementary School in Richmond. Other opportunities available in Oakland, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill and Concord Contact Susan Mautner s.mautner@comcast.net 510-334-3705

Sign up online for Upcoming Virtual Tutor Training Sessions:

Monday, October 25, 2021 (4:30 pm - 6:30 pm) Wednesday, November 10, 2021 (4:30 pm - 6:30 pm). More information at https://www.jclread.org/new-tutor-training-info-2

Our Racial Justice Community Outreach Group has been exploring ways to personally address the issue of racial inequity. Each of us can support a Black owned business in Contra Costa County. Click here for lists of black-owned bakeries, restaurants and catering companies in Oakland, Antioch and Pittsburg. Click here to learn 6 reasons why it’s important to support black-owned businesses

Donate to help pay for college applications. Here’s an opportunity from our Racial Justice Community Outreach Group to make a difference. Pittsburg High School has 60-100 students annually who do not qualify for fee waivers when applying to colleges, but they cannot afford the $50-75 per college application fee. To donate, click here. Donations are tax-deductible and you will receive a donation receipt. For details and questions, email Susan Rideout susanrideout5@gmail.com

Reduce your carbon footprint. The most important step is to divest your finances from fossil fuels and the banks that finance them. Register for the 350 Contra Costa newsletter to sign up for a webinar on October 24th at 4 pm. Contact: jackiemann@att.net

Learn What Jews of Color experience. Jew of Color face discomfort at synagogues. Learn about their experiences so Temple Isaiah can become a more welcoming place to all

Check out a list of organizations that support racial justice on the Lafayette Town Hall Theater page: https://www.townhalltheatre.com/act-against-racism

 

Temple Isaiah’s Mental Health & Wellness Webpage has monthly spotlight articles on a variety of topics covering mental illness, addiction, spiritual wellbeing, and more. To access these monthly articles, visit https://temple-isaiah.org/community/mental-health-and-wellness/ and scroll down to “Monthly Spotlights”. Questions? Contact dimakieve@gmail.com

Starting October 5, meetings will take place on the first Tuesdays of the month in the Beit Knesset or Zoom at 7pm. All are invited!  

Join Zoom Meeting at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87127659434

Meeting ID: 87127659434

Passcode: virtue21

Join by phone at (408) 638-0968.

Join a Greenfaith Event Faith 4 Climate Justice Rally at the Marsh October 17. Stand with our interfaith partners as we unfurl our Sacred People Sacred Earth banner across the marsh from a major oil refinery in Martinez. We'll call for climate justice and care for the vulnerable with banners and signs, music, and prayers. Contact: jackiemann@att.net

Our Mental Health and Wellness taskforce offers the following support groups that are open to all. Questions? Contact dimakieve@gmail.com or visit https://temple-isaiah.org/community/mental-health-and-wellness/

Tuesday, October 12, 2021 - 08:00pm (with additional sessions on Oct. 19 and Oct. 26) 

Please join us for this three-part series, entitled Understanding the Impact of Whiteness & White Dominant Culture: A space for white Jewish/Jewish Adjacent people (those of us who are not Jewish but are partnered with a Jew, part of a Jewish family, or interested in Judaism) to engage in antiracist skill building, stamina, and resistance.

Note: Participants can attend the first session only, or all 3 sessions.

To contribute information to this monthly VIA newsletter, please contact co-editors

Judy Carney at judy.carney0@gmail.com or Terri Moss at terrimoss55@gmail.com

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