Social Action

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Tikkun olam - "repairing the world" is a hallmark of Reform Judaism as we strive to bring peace, freedom, and justice to all people.

See the latest in our Social Justice efforts in our Tzaddik newsletter!

Residents of Community First! Village enjoy dinner served by Temple Beth Shalom members in 2018.

Volunteer for Our Community First! Village Dinner

on Dec. 19, 2019

It's becoming an annual, community-connecting tradition! Members of Temple Beth Shalom once again will host and serve a dinner to residents at Community First! Village on Thursday, Dec. 19. (Check out last year's fun!)

Volunteers needed:

* Help cook the food on Dec. 17 -18

* Transport food to Community First!, set up, serve, and help clean up on Dec. 19.

If interested, please email Judi Lefton or Carol Brown. Or call the temple office to get in touch with these dinner organizers.

Service and Advocacy are who we are and what we do here at Temple Beth Shalom. We have two committees, Community Service and Advocacy, that organize a number of wonderful ongoing projects, as well as periodic events, throughout the year.

The Community Service Committee meets monthly to fine tune projects we're working on. We encourage you to join us! Your participation in Service and/or Advocacy at Temple Beth Shalom will allow you to help heal the world, make new friends, and feel really good... we promise!

Our Social Justice Coordinator, Jason Taper, works with the Austin Reform Jewish community to create a sustainable formal structure for us to work together on social justice issues. He organizes with clergy and lay leaders to promote community initiatives like poverty reduction, refugee relief, and criminal justice reform.

Interested in service or volunteer opportunities? Please visit our Volunteer page or check out our current projects below.

Current Projects

Family Eldercare	Offer relief and support to family caregivers by providing care to their loved ones in the home.
Interfaith Hospitality Network	Setting up/tearing down bedrooms, meal service/prep, playing with children and helping them with homework, and staying overnight with guest families.
Knitzvah	Knitting/crocheting hats,scarves, and gloves for those in need in Austin.
Meals on Wheels	Deliver meals to homebound elderly, disabled and needy individuals.
Mitzvah on Wheels	A project to eliminate transportation barries that prevent some of our members from fully participating in Temple Life.
Mental Illness	Interested in issues of Mental Illness? Contact Ilene Gray or Laraine Lasdon for details about trainings, meetings, NAMI Sponsored walks, and more!
Mitzvah Projects	Special projects in our religious and Hebrew school as well as our students b'nai mitzvah projects.
Mobile Loaves and Fishes	Preps/serves food and creates micro-homes for the homeless
Women's Storybook Project	Record mothers at Gatesville prison reading a book to each of their children and then send the book and CD or tape with the mother's voice to the child.