Make A Difference This Thanksgiving...

For more images from our 

Annual Turkey Drive click

With Thanksgiving approaching, TSTI members were involved in multiple efforts this week to help fight hunger in our community. On Wednesday, we took our monthly turn at the InterFaith Food Pantry of the Oranges. Every month when we go, there seem to be more people needing help. We distributed groceries to 62 families this week - a significant increase from just a few months ago. While we are so happy that we can help, we are concerned about having a constant source of food items to give out.

On Sunday, we staffed a table at Whole Foods in West Orange, which is running a November food drive to benefit the Pantry. The Pantry receives no government funding, so we rely on food drives and donations to meet the need. That’s why our “Bring One” program is so important. If we (only!) served 60 people a month, we would need 960 cans/boxes of food just for our week’s distribution! 

And in between, we were the local site on Saturday for the annual Thanksgiving Turkey and Food Drive for the Community Food Bank on NJ, the central organization that provides food to organizations in 18 of NJ’s 21 counties (the InterFaith Food Pantry is a member organization).  We collected 85 turkeys (down a bit from last year, but enough for 1275 turkey dinners) and two large bins of groceries. We also for the first time handed out information about food stamp opportunities and local pantries to the more than 15 cars that stopped and asked if we were handing out (rather than collecting) turkeys. 

If you help at the pantry or the Turkey Drive you see evidence of hunger right in our midst. There’s also been news to read about hunger in America recently, and it's unfortunately not good news. According to a study released November 15 by the US Dep't of Agriculture, almost 15 percent of US households lacked enough money to feed themselves at some point last year . What is termed "food insecurity" means that financial constraints caused 17.4 million people (!!!) in this country to skip meals, run low or out of food, or were unable to purchase balanced meals. 

6.8 million of these households — with as many as 1 million children — had ongoing financial problems that forced them to miss meals regularly. Read more here.

The Star Ledger ran a front page story this week highlighting how 810,000 NJ residents who live below the poverty line make choices like eating at soup kitchens so their children can eat what’s in the cupboard. "In their own stark words, Jerseyans depict the harsh reality of poverty".

Let’s all be thankful this week that we can share in the bounty of family, friend, and a festive meal. And turn that thanks into action: when you shop for Thanksgiving (or just any day), pick up some extra cans of non-perishable food and drop them in out bins! 

Chanukah Tikkun Olam

            

Chanukah Tikkun Olam

Eight nights of Chanukah too often equates with eight nights of presents. Why not set aside at least one night of Chanukah for your family to jointly do an act of kindness towards others? Check out the TSTI Tikkun Olam page for a dozen family-friendly suggestions to get you started. 

The Annual TSTI Thanksgiving Turkey and Food Drive for the Community FoodBank of NJ

Thanksgiving Turkey and Food Drive for the Community FoodBank of NJ:

TSTI is again the local collection site for the annual Drive for frozen, never thawed, turkeys and non-perishable food. Drop off in our front circular driveway on Saturday, November 20 from 9:00 am - 2:00 pm (sharp)!  For your convenience, TSTI members can also place frozen turkeys in TSTI's main freezer the week of the Drive. 

According to figures released by the Census Bureau in September, 810,000 New Jerseyans were living below the poverty line in 2009, an increase of more than 50,000 people in our state in one year! More and more people who have never had to ask for help before are turning to emergency feeding programs, including the 305 charitable organizations in Essex County that receive food from the CFBNJ (the InterFaith Food Pantry of the Oranges is a member agency of the CFBNJ). The turkeys, food and dollars you contribute to this Drive allow the CFBNJ to help these programs provide a traditional Thanksgiving dinner to their clients. The requests this year are higher than ever before. 

The need is overwhelming, and the FoodBank is counting on all of us!

Torah and Tikkun November 12, 2010

WEEKLY PARASHA

Parasha Vayeitzei Genesis 28:10 - 32:3 After deceiving Isaac and claiming Esau's birthright, Jacob leaves Beersheba and travels to Haran to the home of his uncle, Laban. On the way, he dreams of a ladder stretching from the ground to the heavens with angels going up and down.  In the dream, God promises the land to Jacob and his descendents. When Jacob arrives in Haran, he falls in love with Laban's younger daughter, Rachel. Jacob works for seven years with the promise of marrying Rachel, but Laban tricks him into marrying his older daughter, Leah. With a promise of another seven years of labor, Jacob is able to marry Rachel also. Jacob fathers eleven sons and one daughter while living in his father-in-law's household.  Now a successful man, he decides to take his wives and children and return to the land of his father.

TIKUN OLAM... REPAIRING THE WORLD

To find a list of Mitzvah Opportunities on our website, click on: MITZVAH OPPORTUNITIES Bring One:  Hunger exists in our community every day.  Due to the great need,we will be collecting non-perishable food at TSTI  on an ongoing basis all throughout the year.  Please drop a can in our collection bins EVERY TIME you come to Temple.    Help needed at the Food Pantry:   TSTI will staff the Interfaith Food Pantry of the Oranges next Wed., Nov. 17, 9:15am to 11am. Due to the holidays, we will staff the Food Pantry on the 3rd (NOT the 4th) Wed. of Nov. and Dec.  Extra volunteers needed.  Please let Janet Schwamm know ASAP if you can make it. Thanksgiving Turkey and Food Drive for the Community FoodBank of NJ:  TSTI is again the local collection site for the annual Drive for frozen, never thawed, turkeys and non-perishable food. Drop off in the front circular driveway on Sat., Nov. 20 from 9:00 am - 2:00 pm (sharp)!  For your convenience, TSTI members can also place frozen turkeys in TSTI's main freezer the week of the Drive. The need is overwhelming, and the FoodBank is counting on us!   Donations Needed for STISY's Annual Midnight Run:   Rid your house of unwanted Halloween candy and donate it for the bagged meals distributed to the homeless.  Also needed are large or extra large clothing, hats and gloves, NEW underwear and socks, and NEW toiletries. Collection bins are in the Religious School Lobby now through Dec. 3. Transportation is available for congregants who need a ride to services and temple events.  Contact Alice Forman at (973)736-3467 if you need a ride or if you can offer a ride to others.

Tikkun Olam

TIKUN OLAM... REPAIRING THE WORLD

To find a list of Mitzvah Opportunities on our website, click on: MITZVAH OPPORTUNITIES Bring One:  Hunger exists in our community every day.  Due to the great need,we will be collecting non-perishable food at TSTI  on an ongoing basis all throughout the year.  Please drop a can in our collection bins each time you come to Temple.    Donations Needed for STISY's Annual Midnight Run:   Rid your house of unwanted Halloween candy and donate it for the bagged meals distributed to the homeless.  Also needed are large or extra large clothing, hats and gloves, NEW underwear and socks, and NEW toiletries. Collection bins are in the Religious School Lobby now through Dec. 3. Transportation is available for congregants who need a ride to services and temple events.  Contact Alice Forman at (973)736-3467 if you need a ride or if you can offer a ride to others.

Tikun Olam/Social Action

TIKUN OLAM... REPAIRING THE WORLD

To find a list of Mitzvah Opportunities on our website, click on: MITZVAH OPPORTUNITIES Bring One:  Hunger exists in our community every day.  Due to the great need,we will be collecting non-perishable food at TSTI  on an ongoing basis all throughout the year.  Please drop a can in our collection bins each time you come to Temple.    Clothing Needed for STISY's Annual Midnight Run on Sat. Dec. 4:  Large or extra large clothing, hats and gloves, new underwear and socks, and newtoiletries.  Collection bins are in the Religious School Lobby now through Dec. 3. Transportation is available for congregants who need a ride to services and temple events.  Contact Alice Forman at (973)736-3467 if you need a ride or if you can offer a ride to others.

In The News...

From--

Temple puts on its 'GreenFaith'

• Posted by News-Record on June 9, 2010 at 10:30am
• View News-Record's blog

By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
As the senior rabbi of Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel in South Orange, Dan Cohen can cite passages of Torah and Talmud about being good stewards of the environment.

Those teachings will be put into practice in a big way, with the synagogue hoping to lead by example.
Sharey Tefilo-Israel is one of eight Reform synagogues in New Jersey and four churches nationally participating in a two-year certification program through GreenFaith, a New Brunswick-based interfaith organization concerned about the environment.

Among the requirements, the synagogue must have three worship services that have an environmental theme, take steps to make their buildings “green” and get involved in environmental advocacy and justice.
There is also a strong education component. Cohen said a main goal is to influence the roughly 900 to 1,000 households which make up his congregation to put into practice environmentally friendly steps.
“Part of our responsibility is to be in balance with the world, and we’ve thrown off that balance,” he said from his office with a window view of Scotland Road.

Phil and Sue Hoch, two members of Sharey-Tefilo Israel, went to Cohen about participating in the GreenFaith project.

Cohen said there is a strong emphasis within Reform Judaism about social responsibility, of getting involved in larger social issues. He pointed to the involvement of Reform rabbis in the civil rights movement.

The environment, he said, is “probably one of the most important challenges facing us today.”
He looks with concern at the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and says now is the time for a national energy policy that takes the country off its reliance on oil.

The synagogue, home to a volunteer “Green Team,” already sees itself as environmentally friendly. It plans to change over its light fixtures to higher energy-efficient models. Recycling bins will also go into the classrooms of its preschool and Hebrew school. “We want our kids to see us model it,” he said.

The Union for Reform Judaism, the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism and Greenfaith jointly announced what has been billed the “Greening Reform Judaism Pilot Program.”

During a conference call June 3, Rabbi Jordan Millstein of Temple Sinai of Bergen County said the Torah speaks of tilling and tending to the earth.

He said the Torah teaches people to respect God’s world and be the good stewards “we were meant to be.”

The Rev. Fletcher Harper, director of GreenFaith, said interest about the environment is running high in the “faith community” and that houses of worship have a role to play.

Philip Sean Curran can be reached at 908-686-7700, ext. 116, or at newsrecord@thelocalsource.com.

TSTI In The News...

From---

GreenFaith Partners with Reform Jewish Temples to Create Greening Reform Judaism Pilot Program By Rachel Meisel 6/14/2010

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ - GreenFaith, an interfaith environmental organization, has partnered with the Reform Jewish Movement in creating the Greening Reform Judaism Pilot Program. Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel in South Orange is one of eight temples in New Jersey to be selected for the rigorous two-year GreenFaith Certification Program set to begin this month. In order to become certified as GreenFaith Sanctuaries the synagogues will spend the next two years creating and implementing an action plan to reduce their carbon footprint by conserving energy and other resources within their facilities, providing environmentally-themed education and worship and environmental justice programming and advocacy. Each temple’s committee will consist of their clergy and congregants. The goal is to teach and engage their congregants on sustainability as well as the community at large. Rev. Fletcher Harper, the Director of GreenFaith, said these temples were selected out of the close to 50 reform temples that applied because they demonstrated a high degree of willingness and were ready to commit the time. Originally known as Partners for Environmental Quality, GreenFaith was founded in 1992 by Jewish and Christian leaders whose mission was to connect diverse religious traditions with the environment. It changed its name to GreenFaith in the early 2000s when its efforts included energy conservation and the use of renewable energy in religious institutions. Since its inception, they have been responsible for greening houses of worship throughout New Jersey. In a phone interview, Rabbi Daniel Cohen of Sharey Tefilo-Israel told The Alternative Press the environment is not an academic issue. He believes it is a spiritual one. To him religion is how you interact with people and the world. He pointed out that tradition says one cannot pray in a synagogue without windows. Rabbi Cohen interprets that as a reminder that prayers come to life when we can see and be aware of the world. He recounted the old Jewish story of an elderly man in ancient Israel planting a fig tree. A Roman general passing by says to the man, "Don’t you realize it will take twenty years before that tree will grow enough to produce fruit, and you will be long dead by then?" The old man responded, "When I was a small child, I could eat fruit because those who came before me had planted trees. Am I not obliged to do the same for the next generation?" Rabbi Cohen summarized, "We have to think outside ourselves and how the environment affects us. We have to think how it will affect other generations." The seven other congregations participating in the Pilot Program are Temple Shalom in Aberdeen, Temple Emanu-El in Edison, Barnert Temple in Franklin Lakes, Temple Shaari Emeth in Manalapan, Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple in New Brunswick, Temple Shalom in Succasunna, and Temple Sinai in Tenafly. Photo above: Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Wantage, NJ where GreenFaith was instrumental in installing a solar array. Photo courtesy of GreenFaith. Entrance sign to Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel, South Orange, one of eight temples to be selected for the GreenFaith Certification Program.