Monthly Newsletter: September 2023 |
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Welcome to our Values in Action (VIA Isaiah) newsletter: Your quick guide to improving our community and the world at Temple Isaiah. For the newsletter archive, click here.
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.
The Shofar blasts create an awakening, a gift, a moment to choose again: who are we, and who do we want to be?
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We have replaced our regular ViA Community meetings with action! There will be times when we will gather to discuss our projects, so look for those general meetings.
For September, we are planning a Get Out the Vote postcard writing and schmooze-fest where we can write postcards encouraging voters in Virginia to register and of course schmooze as we write. We need you! Dates and times coming shortly.
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ICARE Volunteer Opportunity
September 3, 1pm – 3pm
White Pony Express, 3380 Vincent Road #107 Pleasant Hill
Sort food at White Pony Express and get to know your interfaith neighbors. This interfaith service project offered through ICARE is a great, simple project. Just show up! White Pony is highly reputable and is seeking to eliminate hunger and poverty by delivering the abundance of food to people in need in our county.
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Reverse Tashlich: A Jewish Waterfront Cleanup and Renewal.
September 17, 10:30am to 12pm at the Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline, Damon Slough.
Join in the mitzvah of being guardians of our seas and marine life. Reimagine the tradition of our Jewish ritual of Tashlich to confront the modern issue of marine pollution. Tashlich, traditionally observed on Rosh Hashanah, involves symbolically casting away sins or mistakes into a body of water, seeking forgiveness and a fresh start. In Reverse Tashlich, the symbolism is transformed to address a contemporary environmental concern. Instead of casting our sins into the water, we will remove our sins from the water by taking out plastic and other decries. Drawing on the spiritual renewal of Tashlich, we will reflect on how we can make sustainable choices, amplify our awareness of the harm pollution causes, take action together to protect our natural resources and express our commitment to creating a cleaner and healthier world. Please wear long pants and sneakers. Free parking.
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Refugee Assistance…. Urgent need for Welcome Teams to help JFCS settle newly arrived Afghan refugee families. As a member of a Welcome Team, help refugees find work, enroll their children in school, become familiar with their surroundings, etc. Contact Lisa Hirsch at lhirsch17@gmail.com if you are interested in joining a Team, new Teams forming or have any questions. JFCS can also use our help with the following:
1. Legal Support - JFCS needs pro bono attorneys to help with Afghan asylum applications. If you are interested, you can go online for more information at
2. ESL Tutors - This can be in person or via Zoom
3. Grocery Shopping for newcomers - buy groceries at your own expense and deliver them to clients
4. Adult Bikes - JFCS needs adult bikes in any condition.
5. Gift Cards - Target, Visa, Amazon and Safeway are preferred but they are grateful for anything. You can send them to the JFCS office at 2151 Salvio Street, Suite 350, Concord CA 94520 attn: Volunteer Services
Winter Nights’ 2023 team is looking for more members. We’d like 2-3 new members to help organize and plan for Winter Nights the last two weeks of December. If you and your friends want to participate in direct service to the unhoused community and can offer your time for a week or two at the end of the year, we need you! Winter Nights is a tradition for Temple Isaiah, and we are serving the larger community of Contra Costa by hosting this rotating shelter for two weeks. Let me or Rabbi Lawrence know if you are interested. Joani deVries joandevries2@gmail.com
Jewish Coalition for Literacy needs tutors! JCL has been serving Bay Area children and families for over 20 years! Interested in becoming a K-5 reading tutor? Don’t miss JCL’s NEW TUTOR online Orientation and Q&A session, Tuesday September 12 3:30 and Wednesday October 4 1 pm. www.jclread.org. contact Phyllis Edwards (925)200-5239 lafwards5@gmail.com
Join the Multi-faith ACTION Coalition to tackle the root causes of poverty. People from all faith backgrounds meet to identify issues, research potential solutions, and advocate by meeting with elected local and state officials, attending legislative visits, supporting bills, and writing letters. Contact Doug Leich, leichd@gmail.com to be connected with the task forces you wish to join. https://www.multifaithactioncoalition.org/newsletter/2022
Angel Network is a team of volunteers dedicated to offering comfort and support to members and their families in times of need and celebration. We help out with meals, visits, phone calls, greeting and get-well cards, and rides. We welcome our newborns with a small gift; deliver a “Mishe Bear” to young congregants in need of some TLC due to illness, visit our most elderly members and deliver holiday greetings/treats to them. We fund the Shiva Consolation Kits delivered to mourners, offer rides to members who are unable to drive to Temple services and programs. We need you! Getting involved even once or twice a year makes a big difference. To volunteer, please contact Greta Frantz at gf.angelnet@gmail.com or Denise Glicklin at dg.angelnet@yahoo.com. Remember: Angel Network is here for you. When a need arises, please call the temple office at 925-283-8575. For more details, visit temple-isaiah.org/values-in-action/angel-network
Join ARZA! The Association of Reform Zionists of America is the Israel arm of our Reform Movement. Temple Isaiah is an ARZA congregation. ARZA dues are just $50 per year and our support is critical right now. You can opt in to join ARZA and pay your ARZA dues when you renew your Temple annual commitment!
SUPPORT ISRAEL AND SUPPORT THE REFORM MOVEMENT! To read some background and helpful information in understanding the current issues in Israel, please click here.
Get Involved in Bay Area Environmental Actions. Receive useful information regarding local Bay Area actions and events dedicated to fighting the climate crisis. https://350contracosta.org
RAC-CA and PTS as a coalition are supporting SB 233, which will require most new electric vehicles (EV's) sold in California to have bidirectional charging capability by 2030. Bidirectional charging will unlock the potential for California’s millions of EV's to power homes during outages, lower energy bills for Californians, and make the whole electrical grid more reliable. In addition to benefiting individual homes and communal buildings, widespread adoption of bidirectional EV's would allow California to phase out fossil fuel-powered backup generators, cleaning up the air and improving public health for all.
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Temple Isaiah’s Mental Health & Wellness Webpage has Spotlight articles that seek to educate and bring awareness to a variety of topics covering mental illness, addiction, spiritual well-being, and more. To access these articles, please visit
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Mental Health Support for Adults
Monthly on Second Sundays at 3pm on Zoom
Upcoming Dates: September 10, October 8, and November 12
Whether you are going through a difficult period or have ongoing mental health issues, please join us for our monthly drop-in support group. We provide an opportunity to share and support one another as part of a nonjudgmental, caring community. Facilitated by Jacqueline Golub, a doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at John F. Kennedy National University. Free of charge and open to our Jewish Community.
Meeting ID: 850 2107 4973
Passcode (current password available in Shavua Tov) or join by phone at (408) 638-0968
Mental Health Support for Family Members: Fourth Mondays from 7-8:30pm online. Are you a parent, sibling, or child of an adult with mental health issues? This free drop-in support group provides information as well as the opportunity to share and support each other as you learn to help your loved one. Facilitated by licensed clinical social worker, Rosemarie Frydman, NAMI certified trainer Karen Cohen.
Tikkun Olam is NOW
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To contribute information to this monthly VIA newsletter, please contact co-editors
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