It’s not every day that you can wake up and say, “I’m going to change/mold/shape/improve/transform our Jewish community today.”
I’m going to ensure it’s strong and vibrant.
That it’s responsive to the needs of each generation of Jews, and those who love and support them.
That it speaks to me, and my (future) kids and (future) grandkids.
If you’re anything like me, you spend most of your days thinking about family, work, and, to a certain degree friends, if and when you have the luxury of time to spend with them.
Maybe you go to synagogue, maybe you don’t. Maybe you work out at the JCC, maybe that’s not your thing. Maybe you’ve benefited from one of our community’s social service agencies – visited your Dad or your Bubbie at Sholom Home, sat with a therapist or an employment counselor at Jewish Family and Children’s Services of Minneapolis (or Jewish Family Service in St. Paul), or perhaps you’ve been lucky enough not to need these resources just yet (you will, I promise). Hopefully you’ve heard about the work our Jewish Federations do here and abroad.
Most days we don’t ask ourselves, “What kind of Jewish community do I want?”
Most days we just do, and be, and go, go, go!
But today, I want you to stop.
To pause in your life and answer that question. And then ask yourself the follow up. Because it’s not just about the kind of Jewish community you want, but about how are YOU going to help make that happen.
This Rosh Hashanah, as you look at your life and pledge to exercise more, or eat better, or volunteer more, or give yourself a break and relax more 🙂 (please!), I would like you to consider an extra pledge.
Pledge this year to make our Jewish community stronger.
Pledge to make it more responsive to our generation, and yet true to the values and ideals that date back thousands of years.
There are many ways to do that, and joining TC Jewfolk as a sustaining and contributing Member of our Community is just one of them. But it’s one where you can have an incredible impact for as little as $2/month. Watch our super short and awesome (we promise) video about TC Jewfolk below to learn more, and then click over to our Jewcer Fundraising page to JOIN US.
Judaism teaches that we must act for ourselves and act now, or as it says in Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers), “If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, then what am I? And if not now, when?” Around this time of year, we say “may you be inscribed in the Book of Life,” but I’d rather say “may you inscribe yourself in the Book of Life.” Take action. Join Us. And have a great new year!
(Photo: Karen Eliot)
