Like many of you, the past weeks have weighed heavy on my heart and mind. It is difficult to feel hopeful and a bit of a challenge to feel grateful as we prepare for Thanksgiving. However, being aware of all the good that members of our Congregation and the broader community do each day to repair the world can be a remedy to the sadness that surrounds us. We hope you will join the efforts of the Tzedek Team by completing a shift at the Freedge, supporting our new Afghan friends, becoming educated on Gun Violence Prevention and Reproductive Justice or joining Newton Neighbors with their holiday gift card drive. It may make you feel better and will surely help others.
With best wishes for a happy and healthy November and Thanksgiving Holiday. Marion Pollock Tzedek Newsletter Editor
November 3rd, 7:30pm Adult Dinner and Torah at the Table: Join us for delicious Mediterranean food. This month's topic: Music, art, and history - meet the Ashori family Let's gather for a healing night of music, art, and history at the Adult Dinner following the November 3rd Shabbat B'Yachad service – a bright light in this difficult season. We’ll share the inspiring story of the Ashori family - the newest Afghan family that our TSARP (Temple Shalom Afghan Resettlement Project) is helping. The four remarkable young people of the Ashori family will share their brave stories of leaving Afghanistan, along with their incredible sitar music and artwork. Register here
Gun Violence Prevention In October, the Massachusetts House voted to pass H.4135, An Act Modernizing Firearm Laws. This much needed bill would strengthen our gun laws, including a ban on assault-style weapons, tightening restrictions on unregistered "ghost guns," and prohibiting the carrying of firearms in schools, polling places, and government buildings. The Senate will be considering this bill soon. Please reach out to your Senator in support of Bill H.4139 to modernize our firearms laws.
Reproductive Justice Initiative The Hadassah-Brandeis Institute on the Brandeis campus is offering interesting repro justice programming. The TS Reproductive Justice Initiative invites anyone interested to attend with us. On Thursday, December 7 at 12:30 pm, there are two programs that we can attend at the Kiznick Gallery in the Women's Studies Research Center at Brandeis University.
Following the discussion, we can tour the art exhibition Deeply Rooted: Faith in Reproductive Justice. It is described as "An ambitious, multidisciplinary exhibition that looks at abortion and reproductive justice through the lens of faith, bringing Jewish feminist artists into dialogue with artists from other faith communities and backgrounds". This installation is running from November 2 - December 14, 2023.
Please email Susan Goodman or Wendy Case: 1) if you are interested in attending on December 7th and 2) if you are interested in carpooling.
Newton Neighbors: The Great 2023 Giving Thanks Gift Card Drive This November marks our fourth year of seeking to close the food insecurity gap during the holidays. In 2022, one-in-three Mass families reported running out of food or reported not having enough money to purchase food every month. This is a heartbreaking fact and our goal is to help put food on as many neighbor's tables as possible this holiday season.
Last year, thanks to your generosity, Newton Neighbors served 150 families throughout Newton, Brockton and Waltham with supermarket Gift Cards! We are launching this much-valued program again in 2023 and we hope you will help. Our goal is to distribute gift cards of values between $50 - $100.
Here is the GREAT news: The Village Bank has kicked off our drive with a $2,000 donation! With every dollar raised, Newton Neighbors will purchase gift cards for distribution to our neighbors in time for Thanksgiving and the winter holiday season.
Help us meet our goal through your generous donations. All of the families and distribution partners will be so grateful. Here is the link to donate! Our Newton Neighbors community is wonderful. Thank you for all your support, and may the joy of giving and the peace of the season be with you and yours.
