Social Justice
The Jewish value of tikkun olam, the sacred work of repairing our world, has always been an essential value of our community and an important expression of our spirit.
Meaningful volunteer opportunities that make a real impact.
Jewish tradition teaches that we should not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief, but to be energized in our ability to make a difference, saying…
“You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to neglect it.” - Pirkei Avot 2:16
Tikkun Olam, the Jewish tenet of repairing the world, is an opportunity for all of us to strive to leave the earth better than we found it, and we are proud to be a synagogue that cares deeply about justice work. The Shaaray Justice Team, our social justice committee, actively creates opportunities to learn, organize, and take action, so that together we can bring justice and healing to our neighborhood, city, nation, and planet. Explore our current areas of work, find an opportunity you connect with, and get involved.
Civic and Voter Engagement
We work toward ensuring that every eligible voter in the United States can freely exercise their right to vote, and that each vote counts. Nationally, we participate in the efforts of the Reform Jewish Movement to help fight voter suppression by writing postcards and making phone calls to voters who live in states with strong patterns of voter suppression.
At home, we work toward making Temple Shaaray Tefila a 100 percent voting congregation, meaning every eligible voter casts their vote for every election. We also work to inform the congregation of voter registration deadlines, events such as candidate forums, and resources that can help members exercise their right to vote.
Community Organizing
Our congregation is a member of Manhattan Together-Metro IAF, a city-wide community organizing network that brings leaders across lines of difference together to get at the root causes of issues we would like to collectively address in the city. Past and current issues we have worked on with this network include affordable housing, access to mental health care, gun violence, transportation, education, and more. To learn more about this work and to get involved, please email Rabbi Mosbacher.
Environmental Justice
As Jews we have an obligation to care for the earth. We advocate for actions and legislation addressing the issues causing and resulting from climate change and work with Temple leadership and partner organizations to both educate our community and provide information for change, focusing on local New York City issues. We are proud to work with Dayenu and RAC-NY on issues of climate justice.
Food Insecurity
Food insecurity is a very real problem in our community, and more widespread than many realize. We are committed to delivering nourishment to our most vulnerable neighbors of all ages.
- Backpack Buddies (BB)
Backpack Buddies works to reduce food insecurity for young children in our New York City neighborhood. Through our partner organizations, LSA Family Service, the Association to Benefit Children, and the Keith Haring School, the program provides nutritious, non-perishable, shelf-stable food to children who receive free meals during the school week. Founded in 2015, Backpack Buddies began by serving 10 children. Today we proudly provide more than 10,000 meals each year.
Each week, our student volunteers come together to pack bags of enough food for a weekend of breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks - food that often stretches to feed an entire family. Together, we make sure the children of our neighborhood have what they need and no child goes hungry.
Backpack Buddies is made possible by the generosity of our community.
Donate Here
(Please note: On the donation form, under 'Type', select Backpack Buddies)
- Wednesday Soup Kitchen
Our Soup Kitchen team makes bag lunches for 100+ guests every week. We make cheese sandwiches, and bag bagels and desserts to add to the shelf-stable items that are bagged by our SK team.
Gun Violence Prevention
We aim to organize those who are concerned about the widespread gun violence in our country. We advocate for safe gun legislation and work to find ways to address this dangerous and devastating epidemic. Our senior rabbi, Rabbi Joel Mosbacher, is a national leader in fighting for gun safety. He serves on the national strategy team of the Metro-IAF, and is a national co-chair of Metro-IAF’s Do Not Stand Idly By campaign to reduce gun violence. We partner with these and other local and national organizations to advocate for safe gun legislation, and to solve the gun violence epidemic in the US.
Mental Health
We are committed to the premise that access to healthcare is a basic human right and there is no stigma associated with the need for mental health care, as mental health is an essential part of basic good health. To this end, we offer education and support for Shaaray Tefila members experiencing mental health challenges in their own lives. We also raise awareness of mental health issues, including suicide prevention, alternatives to police-crisis intervention, and promoting mental health insurance parity in local hospitals.
We were recognized for our seven-part mental health series on how the city treats and responds to those living with mental illness with the Irving J. Fain Social Justice Award from the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC). Read the article to learn more about our award winning program series.
Reproductive Rights
Reproductive justice is the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, that each person should have agency and autonomy over their own bodies. We are guided and inspired by the Jewish value of kavod habriyot, the respect for individual dignity. We care about women’s physical, emotional, and spiritual health. We create opportunities for our members to explore the wisdom of Jewish teachings, from what ancient texts can teach us about infertility, to the contemporary uses of the mikvah. We address issues affecting the reproductive lives of women, including abortion, contraception access, and comprehensive sex education.
Rights of Asylum Seekers
As Jews, we were once refugees and immigrants. We feel that it is incumbent upon us to help modern-day refugees and immigrants to our country. We advocate for legislation to protect refugees and immigrants, directly support refugees who have settled in the United States, and educate our community about current issues.
Interested in being a part of our Social Justice efforts?
Reach out to Rabbi Jill Rubin via the link below to join our social justice listserv - get the latest upcoming events and real time opportunities to take action delivered right to your inbox.
Join the Shaaray Justice Listserv
