Nowadays, it seems like there’s an app for everything- ordering food, shopping for clothes, or even telling you what you missed when you go to the restroom during a movie. You can practically do anything you need with just a touch of a button on your phone. Now, there’s an app that takes advantage of this convenience and uses it for good.
Meet Tzedek Box, the do-it-all social action app for Jews across the country. Founded by Andrew Mandel, the app has a wide variety of tools users can utilize to contribute to their communities, both local and nationwide.
The main feature of Tzedek Box is to journal your engagement of any sort with social issues, whether it be protesting, writing, or anything else along those lines. The app will ask for some basic details about the engagement, such as the date, specific actions, and a personal reflection. The app will then summarize this information into a virtual ‘slip’ which you put in your tzedek box. Over time, the box will fill up and you will be able to look back on all the change you’ve created in your community. This is an amazing feature as it will only encourage more action to build on what you’ve already done.
Tzedek Box also enables users to choose issues they are passionate about, and the app will give users articles and opportunities based on their preferences. These opportunities range from writing a letter to a local elected official to education opportunities about global warming. With just a click of a button, you can partake in any of these opportunities, fulfilling the mitzvah of Tzedakah in just minutes while also making a meaningful impact on your community. This is especially useful for teenagers like me, who are so overwhelmed with extracurriculars that finding time to give Tzedakah is very difficult. However, with Tzedek Box, I can make an impact while eating my lunch, sitting in my study hall, or even when I’m brushing my teeth.
Another useful feature of the app is the ability to make tribes. A tribe can consist of anyone from family members to users across the country with similar passions. You can either make tribes or join tribes, and members can anonymously submit their actions to the communal tribe box. On a specified date, the tribe can come together to reflect on their shared efforts to make the world a better place. Of course, members can also share their own individual boxes to celebrate their efforts. Lastly, members can post opportunities that could interest others in their tribe, similar to what the app does.
Overall, I am thrilled to have come across this app. While I’ve only had it downloaded for a couple of days, I’ve already learned about so many social justice issues and I’ve been opened to an abundance of opportunities to give back to my community. I look forward to introducing this app to my community members in an effort to make our world a better place.
