This past weekend was such an incredible blessing, from Erev Shabbat to yesterday evening!
On Erev Shabbat, we launched Mitzvah Weekend with words of Torah shared by congregants Beth Berman and the Sonneborn family. 50 people showed up for Hadvalah at WSCAH (West Side Campaign Against Hunger) for a beautiful ritual, followed by lots of hands-on fun, stocking and re-packaging food for WSCAH’s pantry. And on Sunday morning—despite the heavy rain—we still welcomed almost 300 mitzvah-doers into our building, plus sending an additional hundred congregants out into New York City to feed the hungry, connect with the elderly, provide emergency food kits, and paint the parish hall at our neighbors’ Church of St. Matthew and St. Timothy.
New this year, our “tzedakah station” was a hit. Each participant was given a ticket upon check-in that they could place into one of six boxes, each representing a charity selected by clergy. Each ticket represented $5 each—and we raised over $1,000 collectively for the Jerusalem Shelter for Battered Women, Pink Fund, CRS Food Drive, Fortune Society, Earthjustice, and Southern Poverty Law Center.
“By three things is the world sustained: by Torah, by worship, and by loving deeds.”
Pirkei Avot 2:1
Each participant this weekend made an important contribution to our community by sharing their Torah, loving-kindness, and energy with us and our program partners. We cannot thank you enough!
Below are just a few of the photos from the various events that took place—you can find even more on our Facebook page. Photo credit to Tricia Baron.
With heartfelt gratitude and pride, enjoy the photos!
