Simon the Righteous was one of the last of The Great Assembly. His motto was “The world stands on three things – the Torah, the Temple (service), and loving acts of kindness.”

This statement reflects the focus of the Social Action Chevra at Bet Am Shalom Synagogue. We strive to put the values of the Torah into action by performing loving acts of kindness. Won’t you join us? Together, we will plan tikkun olam (repairing the world) projects for our synagogue community. For information and to volunteer, contact co-chairs Suzi Eisman or Phyllis Herz or the BAS office at betamshalom [at] betamshalom [dot] org or 914-946-8851.

Here is a sampling of our programs for 2011/2012:

• Corners of Our Fields Food Drive led by Mazon – Thursday, September 29 and Friday, September 30.
  Help support the Food Bank for Westchester. Please pick up brown bags when leaving Rosh Hashanah services and return them filled with non-perishable items during the week of Sukkot, October 12-19, to the BAS front lobby.
   
• Elm Street Garden Fall Harvest and Clean-Up - Sunday, October 23
  Join BAS, Congregation Kol Ami and Hebrew Institute volunteers to harvest the last of the Elm Street Youth Center's seasonal vegetables and help prepare the sustainable garden for winter. See photos of this event
   
• Social Action Committee Open Meeting - Monday, October 24
  Call for volunteers! Come and participate in planning and helping with community projects that do make a difference. More info

• Midnight Run - next run is Saturday, November 5
  Prepare food for homeless of NYC. Travel in caravan to deliver food, conversation, and kindness to those living on the street. BAS participates several times a year.

• Open Arms Shelter – (2x/month)
  Prepare dessert and vegetables for the residents of this White Plains shelter. More info
   
• Hands-on Cooking Workshop - Growing Together is Really Cooking! - Sunday, November 13
  Explore the world through food at a hands-on cooking worship led by international chef Linda Lantos. Come for an afternoon at BAS to learn all about nutrition, get some good, easy recipes and eat delicious foods with the Elm Street Youth Center community. A great family event for all. More info

• Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinners - November 24 and December 25
  We provide a full holiday meal for the men of the Vaughn Glanton Shelter in Mount Vernon. Volunteers needed to cook individual elements of the dinners and deliver them to the Bet Am Shalom parking lot on the morning of the holiday. A van will pick up the food for delivery to the Shelter. More info

• Christmas Dinner at Sharing Community
  We help gift wrap presents in mid-December. Or, on December 24th and 25th, we prepare and serve a holiday meal to the homeless and needy at this large Yonkers shelter and soup kitchen. 

• Social Action Concert – January 28, 2012. 
  A fun, musical evening. Volunteers needed for all types of jobs. Past concerts have raised funds for Midnight Run, Children’s Center for Learning, and Project Morry.

• New Orleans Trip - January 23-27, 2012.
  Rik Kaye, Diane Tukman, and a group of about 40 volunteers will travel to NOLA to help rebuild houses in the St. Bernard's Parish region of New Orleans. 
  

• Ecumenical Food Pantry - ongoing
  We provide ongoing donations to this food pantry located at the Slater House in White Plains. Please bring non-perishable foods with you (only kosher please) when you come to Bet Am Shalom and place them in our donation basket, which is located in the entranceway of the building.
  
  
• Families Feeding Families 
  We participate in this annual UJA-Federation of New York Food Drive by collecting food donations in our lobby.