Tikkun Olam Committee Together, we can repair the world.

Welcome to the Tikkun Olam Committee (TOC) Monthly Update. The TOC is open to all congregants and offers a variety of ways for congregants to get involved in tikkun olam, the mending of the world. Please contact co-chairs Betsy Kingery and Fran Paver at tikkunolam@templeshalom.net to learn more or to get involved. For more information about social action at Temple Shalom, take a look at the Temple Shalom website.  Join Our Next Meeting   Although we typically meet on the third Wednesday of each month, we will not have a meeting in April. Our next (potluck and in person!) meeting will be on May 15, at 6:30pm. Please let us know by emailing tikkunolam@templeshalom.net if you’d like to attend the meeting so we can give you the location details.

Upcoming Events Climate Shabbat, Friday, April 26, 7:30pm Speaker: Joelle Novey, Director Interfaith Power and Light DMV 4th Annual Congregational Climate Day of Learning, Sunday, April 28, 9-11:30am (details below) Apartment Setups, May 5 and June 9 (details below)

Spotlight on Refugee Resettlement Efforts Afghan Family: We are pleased to report that the Afghan family we have been helping since last spring has successfully settled in Woodbridge, VA. With Temple Shalom's support, we were able to fund their flights to the United States this past November, and provide rent for six months. The family now has a furnished apartment and is connected to the local Afghan community. A local Jewish congregation has also agreed to help the family. The children are registered in school and the adults are actively looking for work. All seven of them are healthy and well. A huge thank you to each and every member of the Temple Shalom community who helped bring this family to safety in the United States, which undoubtedly helped save their lives. It was truly a mitzvah.   Apartment Setups: The TOC continues to work with Homes Not Borders (HNB) to help resettle recently arrived refugee families in the DMV. Our next setups are scheduled for Sunday, May 5 and June 9, from 9:30am-1pm. To volunteer for one (or both) of these dates, click here. For more information, email Maxine Greenberg at greenbmax66@gmail.com.  Another way to help is to donate items directly to HNB. For a list of items currently needed, check out Donate Items - Homes Not Borders.

4th Annual Congregational Climate Day of Learning Sunday, April 28, 9-11:30am Sponsored by the TS Religious School & the TOC This event is geared towards teens and adults. (PreK—5th Grades will celebrate the same morning with their own engaging environmentalist Jewish programming.) This year's guest speaker, Temple Shalom member Ellen Marcus, will share her involvement in the Montgomery County Weed Warrior program and the many ways people of all ages can get involved in strengthening and supporting our local ecosystem. We'll learn a bit about non-native, invasive, and native species and the ways in which they help or harm the ecosystem. Following the presentation, Ellen will lead participants in an Ecology Rescue - walking around Temple Shalom property and removing invasive plants. If you plan on participating in the Ecology Rescue, please wear or bring the following materials: Gloves, gardening tools, closed toed shoes, long sleeves, and long pants/jeans. To register, click here. Come prepared with questions!

Gun Violence Prevention 2024 Maryland Legislative Wrap-Up   The Maryland General Assembly 2024 session ended on April 8 with great results--three of our four priority bills were passed and now await Governor Moore’s signature!   Priority bills awaiting the Governor’s signature: Gun Industry Accountability Act of 2024 Requirements for School Active Shooter Safety Drills or Trainings Establishment of the Maryland Center for Firearm Violence Prevention and Intervention   Click here to read about these bills.   THANK YOU to everyone who responded to our Action Alerts, with special thanks to those on our TOC email list who contacted legislators in response to quick-turnaround requests for advocacy. We’re pleased to report that over the course of the 2024 session, we were able to enhance our congregation’s impact by sharing resources and coordinating advocacy efforts with our partners at Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence, Moms Demand Action, and congregations in the DC Area Interfaith GVP Network. It’s been a true team effort!   THANK YOU AND CONGRATULATIONS to two Temple members who have been key GVP advocates in the General Assembly: Senator Jeff Waldstreicher (Dist. 18), the primary sponsor of the Gun Industry Accountability Act. He did an amazing job of shepherding this bill through a very challenging legislative process. Delegate Jared Solomon (Dist. 18), the primary sponsor of the Active Shooter Safety Drills legislation. He succeeded in seeing that the bill received unanimous approval by both the House and Senate.

Voter Engagement

Temple Shalom Gets Out The Vote! Temple Shalom GOTV writers sent 3000 postcards ahead of the Virginia primary! GO Team!  We are not done yet. The Center for Common Ground’s Reclaim Our Vote efforts will continue throughout the primary and general election season, reaching out to Black voters and other voters of color. Stay tuned for the next campaign beginning in May. For more information, or to join the postcarding team, email tikkunolam@templeshalom.net.

Shepherd’s Table  On the first Monday of each month, Temple Shalom sponsors several volunteers to help serve dinner at Shepherd’s Table in Silver Spring. Shift hours are 5-7:30pm. Upcoming dates are May 6 and June 3. Contact Vickie Rocha at rochawitz@gmail.com for more information.

Other Volunteer Opportunities  From the Jewish Climate Action Network, DMV: Interfaith Earth Day Service of Celebration, April 18, 10-11am, Capitol Visitor Center SVC 201. Show Congress the commitment of our faith communities to a safe, healthy, just Earth for all. Click here to register.   The DMV Abortion Practical Support Network is looking for volunteers to help those people entering Maryland for abortion services. Click here for more information.    VoteRIders, is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization, which provides voter ID education and help with voter ID requirements in all US states. Volunteer activities include staffing virtual letter-writing and texting teams that reach out to eligible voters in key states to ensure that voter ID laws don’t prevent anyone from having a voice in our democracy. Click here for more information.

Are You Keeping Up With Tikkun Olam Committee Action Alerts and Activities?  We encourage you to sign up for the TOC email list to ensure you receive timely updates about our activities. Some of our initiatives are time-sensitive and the fastest way to get our message to you is via the email list. If you aren’t already on the list, please contact us at tikkunolam@templeshalom.net to let us know you want to sign up. Thank you!