THE MICHELLE MITZVAH GROUP was formed as a living memorial to honor one of the children in our synagogue community. Actions of the Michelle Mitzvah Group are primarily for the benefit of youth, both within the synagogue and in the greater community at large.
The focus of the efforts is “hands on” projects that will hopefully encourage participation from Beth Haverim Shir Shalom members, to instill and reaffirm the practice, value and covenant of mitzvah.
We support ourselves with voluntary donations and the interest from our initial funding. There is no attempt to solicit funds, and membership is without dues.
We feel that we are living the Jewish teachings and giving substance to the commandments by doing. Many of us decided that this could be as part of our teachings by example to our children.
Our Activities include:
Blythedale Children’s Hospital
Three times a year the Michelle Mitzvah Group visits this long-term treatment facility for disabled and rehabilitating children. We provide clowns, pizza, and laughter. This is a great opportunity to come with your family and bring some much needed joy to children.
Wanaque Rehabilitation Center
The Michelle Mitzvah Group celebrates Christmas morning with hospitalized and often-forgotten kids. We bring gifts, sing songs, and give lots of love to the children. What else should Jews do on Christmas?
Center for Food Action (CFA)
We support and maintain the “Free Food Distribution Center” with regular donations. There are baskets and poster signs located in the front entrance and education wing of the synagogue. During the High Holiday food drive, we contribute truckloads of food to CFA. In addition to donating food, volunteers are always needed to help bring food to the CFA.
Emergency Homeless Shelter
Through the Michelle Mitzvah Group, we staff, provide food and host the Inter-Religious Fellowship for the Homeless of Bergen County. Volunteers are needed to prepare and serve a hot dinner while others will be needed to stay overnight and assist with breakfast the next morning. This event takes place for several days in May.
Coat Drive
Working with Jersey Cares, the Michelle Mitzvah Group sponsors a coat drive from October 15 through December 15. We contribute hundreds of warm winter coats annually. Please save your coats for this important event.
Tomorrows Children’s Fund at Hackensack Hospital
TCF was founded by a group of dedicated parents to help their children and others like them with cancer and serious blood disorders. Through the Michelle Mitzvah Group we provide art kits and cartoon Band-Aid collections. There are many opportunities to get involved here.
Blood Drives
Each year, the Michelle Mitzvah Group arranges to have the American Red Cross mobile unit park their vehicle at the synagogue. Your donation of a pint of blood can help save lives.
CROP Walk
This is a community event to raise funds in support of hungry people around the world. The walk is held in October every year, usually in Ramsey.
Operation Bold, Brave, Courageous
Throughout the year, the Michelle Mitzvah Group will be collecting much needed items for our wounded soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and recuperating in our nations military hospitals. We need volunteers to get involved in this very important campaign.
Nathan LeBron Scholarship Fund
This fund was established by Nathan, a cancer survivor, who first came into contact with members of the Michelle Mitzvah Group in the summer of 1984 when one of our synagogue children was battling leukemia. Nathan decided to partner with the synagogue and the Michelle Mitzvah Group to establish a scholarship fund to help disadvantaged young adults in order to give them the support they need to go onto college or technical school. It is his way of giving back the support he received during those difficult years.
The Michelle Mitzvah Group invites all congregants—adults and children—to get involved in the many events planned now and throughout the year. There is something for everyone and we must remember that we are commanded to visit the sick, feed the hungry, and welcome the stranger.
Please commit yourself to acts of loving kindness…
g’milut chasadim…
and to help heal and repair the world…tikkun olam.
For further information, to sign on as a volunteer, ask any specific questions, or to make suggestions, please contact one of our volunteers listed below.
Murray Turka, mturka@optonline.net
Ken Goldstein, kfgold@optonline.net
Marc Appelbaum, mappel408@aol.com
Bobby Mass, pugphoebe@optonline.net
GIFT OF LIFE DONOR REGISTRY
Each year thousands of children and adults are diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma and many other blood-related cancers and immune diseases. In the past, such a diagnosis was often fatal. Chemotherapy and radiation treatments could induce a remission in some cases, but not offer a cure.
Today, transplantation of healthy stem cells offers hope to many patients who otherwise would have little chance of survival. Stem cells are found in the bone marrow. They are “progenitor” cells that produce the major components of the blood.
Despite advances in medicine, many patients who might benefit from a transplant die needlessly because they lack suitably matched donors. While there is a 25% chance that a sibling will be a match, many are not so fortunate. In reality, only 30% of patients find a suitable match within their family. As a result, approximately 70% of patients must seek the assistance of unrelated volunteer donors through an international network of registries called Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide.
Unfortunately, the Jewish population of worldwide donors is not well represented because of the impact of the Holocaust, which severed bloodlines. Unnecessary death still continues, years after the liberations of the camps.
The Gift of Life is unique in its mission to increase the representation of the Jewish people in the international donor pool. The recruitment strategy targets Jewish communities in order to overcome the continuing long term effects of the Holocaust.
Prospective donors must be between the ages of 18 to 60. A donor, once registered, can refuse to donate at any time up until the actual procedure begins.
To find out more, contact Marc Appelbaum (201-825-2882, mappel408@aol.com), or contact Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation (www.giftoflife.org, 800-9MARROW).
We meet on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30PM at the Temple.
For additional information, contact Marc Appelbaum at (201) 825-2882 or Murray Turka at (201) 512-3288
Michelle Mitzvah Group works closely with the Center for Food Action In Mahwah.
Click here to see how you can help our neighbors in need.
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