Social Action

Carved above the main entrance of Temple Israel are the words “Love Thy Neighbor.”  There is really not much more that needs to be said about a social action committee.  Our purpose is to implement those words in a communal, organized fashion; to try, to the best of our human ability, to be God’s hands on earth.  It is tikkun olam, healing the brokenness of the world around us.  A few of the ways we’ve tried to do that are:

- Giving winter clothing to local kids who are in need.

- Partnering with other faith congregations to provide food, temporary housing and support for homeless families through Family Promise of Summit County.

- Donating food to the Akron-Canton Regional Food Bank.

- Coordinating community-wide Mitzvah Days.

- Working with the local interfaith community in a variety of projects.

- Sponsoring events in conjunction with the Summit County Developmental Disabilities Board.

Do you have your own ideas? We’d love to have you join us. Many hands make for lighter work. In the wonderful words from the Pirkei Avot, “It is not yours to complete the task, but neither are you free to desist from it.”

To get involved with the Social Action Committee, please contact committee chair Susan Clements through the Temple office.

Social Action Committee members:

Howard Friedman                            Bruce Zake
Jim Levin                                         Susan Zake
Art Krakauer                                    Elaine Cohen
Barbara Adler                                  Mary Mitchell
Amy Rosenman                               Toby Liberman
Doug Thrasher                                 Vikki Horowitz
Karyn Katz