Social Action Ongoing Activities

Family Table Monthly:  This Project of Jewish Family and Children’s Services (Waltham) is delivering two weeks of food monthly to approximately 150 families. Each month, Temple Sinai has been providing 30 packages of raisins and 30 packages of crackers (whole wheat preferred). Some food is collected by Religious School Classes. You may deliver additional food to the Family Table container in front of Heidi Smith Hyde's office. Additional food is purchased as a result of donations made by the Board of Trustees. The food is then delivered each month to Family Table in the week prior to the scheduled distribution. This year our food contributions will add up to approximately $1,500.

Environment: The goal is to increase recycling at Temple Sinai and to provide information that will help the greening of Temple Sinai and the community. In collaboration with temple administrator Linda Katz, we have purchased recycling wastebaskets for the Religious School Classrooms and some offices and placed them in strategic locations. Linda has initiated other environmentally-friendly changes, among them using only recycled paper for office and bathrooms and switching to more efficient light bulbs wherever possible. We are continuing to work on effective recycling to try to substantially increase the recycling of 1) paper and cardboard and 2) bottles, cans, and plastic. New environmentally-friendly guidelines are provided for the Onegs.

Past Social Action Related Activities (Sept, 2008 - present)

• Sept 14, 2008: CPR training organized by Mike Klau.
• Oct  8-9, 2008: High Holiday Food Drive for the Grow Clinic for Children (Ullmann/Wen Family, Chairs). 
• Oct 26, 2008: Information session and discussion on Question One (Income Tax proposition).
• Sept - Nov, 2008: Voting Initiative, including voter registration, absentee voting and collecting pledges to "Vote No on Question One".  
• Dec 25, 2008: As part of Project Ezra, temple members prepared a meal at the Anna Bissonette House and time spent with the residents (Sheila Shulman, chair).
• Jan 16, 2009: Martin Luther King Weekend "Community Service" Program. We learned how elderly individuals in the Boston area community have been helped through volunteer one-on-one programs.
• Jan 25, 2009: Approximately 30 Sinai members visited the ISBCC (Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center) mosque. The afternoon included tours, a question and answer session, watching afternoon prayers and kosher food. On May 17 approximately 20 Temple Sinai members and 20 Muslims from ISBCC visited Temple Sinai. A visit to the sanctuary, a presentation of Temple Sinai and Reform Judaism by Rabbi Vogel, individual study sessions and food were part of the afternoon.
• March 8, 2009: Showing of James Carroll's "Constantine's Sword" followed by a discussion with interfaith clergy, including Rabbi Vogel, at All Saints Parish. This program was sponsored by the Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries and the RUAH Spirituality Institute.  
• March 20, 2009: Annual Daffodil Shabbat (Ellen Blinder, Chair), where over $1200 was raised for the American Cancer Society.
• March 20, 2009: Dr. David Gordis, President Emeritus of Hebrew College, spoke on "Interreligious Dialogue: Obstacles and Opportunities". 

• March 29, 2009: Mitzvah Day. 120 members worked on a variety of projects.

• April 5, 2009: Pre-Passover Learning sponsored by the Adult Learning Committee. "Are We Slaves? or Are We Masters? Pesach and Social Justice". Leaders were Marya Axner, Regional Director of the Jewish Labor Committee's New England Office and Rabbi Vogel.

• May 17, 2009: A group from the from the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center visited Temple Sinai. See above for details.

Areas and Sub-Committees

Darfur: To keep the congregation informed of the situation and to advocate. 

Environment:  See details (above) of this on-going activity.

Healthcare: Continued following of the Massachusetts Healthcare for All program.

Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO): Attendance at various functions to provide information to help us to evaluate whether we will eventually join.

Handicap Elevator : To improve access to the handicap elevator. New signs have been added to each of the elevator locations. This is still a work in progress.

Iraq War (Nancy Greene, Chair): To keep the congregation informed about on-going activities. Information was provided on the Iraq War Rally and March sponsored by United for Peace and Justice in October 2008. 

Muslim Initiative (Enid Shapiro, Chair, with Rabbi Vogel): To enhance interactions and understanding. 

Publicity : To keep the congregation informed of all activities related to Social Action, updated information is published in the Sinai News and on the web site.  Information is also included in the weekly Sinai Update when an event draws near.