In addition to providing many opportunities for prayer and study, Tikvat Israel offers a variety of ways to connect with other members of the community for fun, friendship and Tzedakah. One of Tikvat Israel’s many strengths is the desire of our members to become involved in synagogue life. We are fortunate in being able to attract members who not only want to join our congregation, but who also want to join in.

Social Action

Purpose: Tikkun Olam, healing the world, is one of TI’s core values. Our members organize and participate in a variety of one-time and ongoing projects to benefit organizations in our community. There are many worthy projects happening at TI; come find out which ones speak to you! Focus areas: Economic Insecurity, Vulnerable Populations, Education, Advocacy, and Community. Economic Insecurity and Vulnerable Populations Manna Food Center strives to eliminate hunger through food distribution, education and history. TI collects nonperishable foods year-round. Volunteers sort, pack and distribute food 4-6 times per year. Contact Marilyn Greenwood   Potomac Valley Nursing Home: Enrich the lives of elderly Jews by leading or assisting in abbreviated worship services. Volunteers participate in monthly Shabbat services alongside our longtime coordinators and/or pitch in during special Chanukkah and Passover programming. Bonus: there’s always a nosh! Contact Rebecca Salon    or Jay Goldman   Shepherd’s Table serves the most vulnerable in our community. In any month that has a fifth Monday, TI volunteers serve a hot dinner to the clients who frequent the Silver Spring location. Giving 3 hours of your time about four times per year helps our unhoused and food-insecure neighbors.  Contact Sherman Eisner   Stepping Stones Shelter provides wraparound services to unhoused families with children. TI volunteers plan menus and prepare hot dinners 4-6 times per year. Meals are cooked in volunteers’ own homes, dropped off at the synagogue by 4:45 PM on the designated date, and then delivered to the shelter by program leaders. Contact Ellen Eisner  

Education

Harmony Hills is a Title I school in Silver Spring where 76% of students are eligible for free or reduced price meals. Participate in Linkages to Learning to provide homework help, tutoring, translating services and more. Our congregation holds an annual back-to-school supply drive, coat drive, and collects gift cards for school families ahead of the holidays. Contact Sandra Sheskin  

Advocacy

SEAChange (Study, Engage, Act, Change) is a program of JOIN (Jewish Organizing Institute & Network) for Justice that trains congregations to organize and tackle racial injustice within and beyond their communities. TI has joined with several other local congregations and social justice organizations, including Interfaith Power & Light (IPL) and Action In Montgomery (AIM) to work together to address issues of racial, economic, and social justice. Contact Lynne Benzion   Jews United For Justice (JUFJ) educates and mobilizes our Jewish community to advance economic, racial, and social justice locally and to take action on issue-based campaigns that make real improvements in people’s lives. Contact Anna Levy  

Community

Adopt-a-Road – Baltimore Road:  Volunteer outdoors for an hour or more to help clean up our neighborhood and keep the roads safe. Contact Stu or Molly Turkewitz or   Red Cross Blood Drives: TI holds multiple blood drives each year. Donate blood or help in other ways, such staffing the reception table for a few hours. Contact Robbi Cohen  

Everyone has something to offer

Skills : There is work to be done that could benefit from your special skills. Some projects call for creativity of all kinds, including cooking. Other projects call for organizational skills or literacy skills. What skill set can you share? Money: There is work to be done that calls for financial resources. Some that could use small donations of goods or money. Other projects call for deeper pockets. What financial commitment works for you? Time: Some projects can be done in one hour or two a month. Some projects can be done on your own time with no set schedule. Some projects are of limited duration, while others involve long-term commitments. What time commitment works for you? Have an idea for a project? Contact:  Amy L. Sanders