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Social Action Programs

SOCIAL ACTION- CLIMATE & REFUGEE/IMMIGRANT ISSUES

Hello, Social Action Committee and All Those who strive for Tzedek (Justice) and act with Chesed (Loving Kindness),
 
Climate Covenant 2022
 
The time has passed that individual action – recycling, composting – is enough. We must come together as Reform Jews and join with others across lines of race, faith, and wealth in joint action to end our dependence on fossil fuels and stop global warming. A move toward more sustainable, clean energy will also make us less susceptible to energy spikes, as we see especially now, due to international turmoil, significant weather events, and the whim of fossil fuel providers and refiners.
 
Please join me (Stacey Farber) as part of CGOH's delegation for the launch of Climate Covenant: A RAC-NY Multi-Year Campaign to Combat Climate Change.  
 
Register via Zoom on either  Tuesday, March 22, 7 -8:15 pm  or  Wednesday, March 23, 12 -1:15 pm .  
 
You may join whichever zoom is most convenient, but you will need to register in advance to get the Zoom information. Speakers on the launch will include, among others, Rabbi Jennie Rosenn from Dayenu and Shiv Soin from TREEage, a youth and BIPOC-led climate justice group.
 
Please also save the date for our upcoming Capital Region Retreat, which will be held on May 22, 2022 from 10am - 2pm at Congregation Beth Emeth. It will be an exciting, rich opportunity to network with other Reform Congregations in the Capital Region, as well as come together and tackle one of the largest issues facing us today - climate change.
 
Again, please register for one of the two Zoom launches and spread the word!
            ________________________________________________
 
USCRI (United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants) Volunteering
 
A week ago we commemorated a Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) Refugee Shabbat during Friday night services. We were joined by Sara Lowry, Staff Attorney for USCRI-Albany, and Johanna Uber,(Department of Justice) DOJ-accredited representative to USCRI. They shared with us the refugee's journey through the many phases and many years ... and we learned that a very, very small number of those refugees actually make it to the U.S. to only, again, begin a difficult, confusing, exhausting journey toward permanence and sustainability (if they get the significant resources required). 
 
This is where you come in ... and thanks to many of you who have already reached out asking how to help.  USCRI very much welcomes the assistance of volunteers and item donations. To volunteer, please find the USCRI Volunteer application attached. You may volunteer as an individual and/or as part of a CGOH group event.
 
When completing the application, please see the question: How did you hear about USCRI-Albany?
  • If you wish to volunteer as an individual only, please write:  CGoH: Individual
  • If you wish to volunteer as a CGOH "Good Neighbor Team" member for group events only, please write:  CGoH: GNT
  • If you would like to volunteer as an individual and for CGOH group events, please write:  CGoH: Both
 
Some of you expressed interest in the Clinics, and I've been told that they *absolutely* have a need for individuals who are comfortable doing front-desk intakes. If there are specific activities - such as clinics or maybe working the donation warehouse - please feel free to specify these activities in your application, even if there doesn't appear to be a "check box" for them.
 
When you have completed your application, please send it to Kate Shelly at KShelly@uscrimail.org. Her email (and mailing address) is on the application, as well. Kate will let me know who is interested in CGOH group events, and I will be sure to include you in communications of upcoming activities.
 
Please stay tuned for more information about a CGOH item donation drive. If you would like to donate items, in the meantime, please see USCRI-Albany's regularly updated Amazon.com wish list:  https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/BKDL53F1316Y?ref_=wl_share
 
I know this is a lot of information ... but, we welcome your big hearts and whatever efforts you can put forth for these urgent needs!
 
Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions.  Best wishes. Todah Rabah.
 
Stacey Farber

SOCIAL ACTION PROGRAMS

TIKKUN OLAM

The Jewish idea that each person in partnership with God is responsible for doing their share to make the world a better place. At Gates we have embraced this tenet of Tikkun Olam, repairing the world. We reach out to those in need in our community and address many issues of social and economic injustice through our diverse projects locally, nationally, and in the world. Our mission is to help those at risk, the ignored, and neglected, the elderly and the very young who live in poverty and despair.

GET INVOLVED

By reaching out to people in need, we not only help to repair the world but also strengthen our Jewish identity and provide an important example of our values for our children. We can’t do it without our volunteers. For additional information or to volunteer, please contact the temple office at 518-374-8173.

MITZVAH DAY

Mitzvah Day is about the spirit of volunteerism and giving back that has come to be one of the hallmarks of Gates.

We were and will continue to be the light- in our community, to our neighbors, and to those who most need to see light in the darkness. Thank you to everyone who participated in making each year’s Mitzvah Day a success!

BACKPACK PROGRAM

When local kids go hungry, we have their backs! 

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Contact the temple office or email us for more information.

  • Mitzvah Day

  • REGIONAL FOOD BANK: Help to sort and pack food. Children welcome.  For additional information on the Regional Food Bank www. Regional Food Bank.net

  • Sisterhood Volunteer Opportunities

  • PLEASANT VALLEY/KEANE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: mentor reading or math; play chess with kids.

  • SCHENECTADY DAY NURSERY: read to and play with kids.

  • BIG BROTHERS/BIG SISTERS: be a Big to a needy Little. Get together twice a month.

  • DARFUR EFFORT: help organize educational awareness activities.

  • GREEN TEAM: help on a project to make the Gates community environmentally friendly.

  • HOLIDAY HELPERS: Deliver Thanksgiving food baskets to residents at B’nai B’rith House; Prepare a dish for the annual Thanksgiving  and December holiday dinner at the Lighthouse homeless men’s shelter; Holiday home hospitality-Passover Seder, High Holy Days… for our local college students away from home.

​​​​​​​ TZEDAKAH COLLECTIONS

  • SICM Food Pantry
  • Pleasant Valley Elementary School
  • William C. Keane Elementary School
  • Bethesda House
  • YWCA Domestic Violence Shelter
  • Welcome the Stranger Refugee Assistance

OTHER PROJECTS

  • Food Assistance Programs
  • Info Etc
  • Interfaith Activity/Black-Jewish Relations
  • Bethesda House
  • Save Darfur
  • Hamilton Hill Arts Center
  • Universal Health Care
  • Lighthouse Homeless Shelter holiday meals

AWARDS

Union of Reform Judaism’s Irving J. Fain Award for Excellence for our work with…

  • 1995: Temple Community Service Corps
  • 2001: Pleasant Valley Elementary School
  • 2007: Schenectady Day Nursery

The Schenectady Day Nursery’s Special Friend of the Year Award in 2005

The Schenectady School Districts’ Golden Apple Award in 2004 for our mentor and tutoring program

 

 

Fri, March 31 2023 9 Nisan 5783