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Temple Beth Tikvah
P.O. Box 7472
Bend, OR 97708
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Social Action
At Temple Beth Tikvah, we are committed to the Jewish values of
tikkun olam, the Hebrew phrase meaning “repairing the world,” and gemilut chassidim, acts of loving kindness.
Please join us in the mitzvah of impacting our local and global environment. Contact Rebecca Gundzik, Temple Beth Tikvah’s Social Action Chair, at rgundzik1@aol.com to find out how you can help with future projects.
We have a lot going on! In addition to the Bethlehem Inn dinners (see below), we are planning another build day at Habitat for Humanity, an event to clean the Habitat Restore, a community potluck to learn how to conserve the earth’s resources, a clothing drive for children in Central America and a lecture about Oregon’s Death With Dignity laws.
Click here to read Rebecca's High Holy Days speech on being Jewish in Bend.
Bethlehem Inn Dinners
TBT has been providing and serving dinners once every other month to the residents of the Bethlehem Inn, a nonsectarian homeless shelter and the largest shelter in Deschutes County.
Our next scheduled meals will be Monday, January 25; Thursday March 4; Thursday April 29; and Monday, June 7.
Please contact Rebecca Gundzik at rgundzik1@gmail.com if you would like to assist with this effort.
Events
Habitat For Humanity
In July, TBT members recently braved the heat and helped out clearing 11 new building sites for Habitat for Humanity. We had members of all ages out there pulling weeds, hoeing and getting pretty dusty in the process. Within a few hours, we accomplished enough for the sites to be accessible by bulldozers. In October, TBT members helped put up the dry wall in one of the new homes under construction. We plan to have groups go out and help on these sites throughout the building process.
Relay For Life
Temple Beth Tikvah joined the fight against cancer by participating in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life under Team Heal the World. The Team represents our commitment to the Jewish values of tikkun olam, the Hebrew phrase meaning "repairing the world," and gemilut chassidim, acts of loving kindness. The Central Oregon event was held on June 13-14th at High Desert Middle School. Thanks to Lauren Olander's extraordinary leadership and great participation by TBT members, the Team was the top fund-raising group, gathering over $9,600 in donations by the American Cancer Society!
On Being Jewish In Bend
Why our traditions matter
By Rebecca Gundzik, TBT Social Action Chair
When I moved to Bend from a large urban community, I didn’t really reflect upon what it would mean not to be part of a large Jewish community. I had always lived in a place where everyone was familiar with Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur and understood that I would not be at school or at work on those days. And in Spring each year, as I would drive home from work on the first night of Passover, I would see numerous families all arriving at their seders throughout the city.
Here, being a Jew is much more difficult. There is no generalized knowledge of being Jewish or what that entails. My children are pretty much the only ones who take the day off from school for the holidays, and are uncomfortable about doing so. They know few other Jewish children their ages, which means their friends have little or no understanding about their religion.
Given these difficulties, I have lately been questioning the importance of religion in my life. When I told this to my closest friend, who I met at Jewish camp as a kid, she couldn’t conceive of my confusion. I explained that attending services has never been extremely important to me, and few of my friends are Jewish.
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“I am not Jewish because I like Jewish food or Jewish music . . . It’s because I was taught . . . that the purpose of Judaism is to make the world a better place.” |
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Despite these thoughts, during the week following that conversation, I realized that I am not Jewish because I like Jewish food or Jewish music or feel more comfortable in Jewish settings. It’s because I was taught, by some amazing Jewish scholars, that the purpose of Judaism is to make the world a better place. They also taught me that the reason we observe Jewish traditions and rituals is not simply because they are part of our tradition. They have meaning because they are meant to remind us to do our part to improve the world.
One rabbi I am particularly fond of likened it to being on a diet: without the fear of having to go for a weigh in every week, the average person’s will power to diet only lasts a few days. Similarly, after we hear a really good sermon, or see a particularly moving documentary about a recent human rights abuse, we are moved to do something to help others.
But it’s hard to sustain that motivation without a reminder. So for me, when I light the candles on Shabbat, or attend a Seder or a community service, I am given that reminder.
The High Holidays are a particularly good example of Judaism’s ability to remind us to be good people.
The time between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur is meant to be a period of reflection. During this time, we are supposed to reflect on our behavior, apologize to those we have wronged, and think about how we can behave better during the coming year. At one synagogue I attended, the Rabbi even had the congregation write down their sins and read them out loud at the service (albeit anonymously).
Now, I’m not going to ask you to do that, but I’m going to ask that during the next couple of minutes, we each silently reflect upon our behavior this part year, and think about how we can improve ourselves during the year ahead.
Thank you. Shana Tova, and have an easy fast.
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