Tikkun Olam Actions for Now and the Days of Awe
As part of our collective teshuvah, the Tikkun Olam Committee invites Or Shalom members to make repairing the world a priority in this year’s High Holy Days practice. We are inspired by the prophet Isaiah’s call to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and shelter the homeless.
We hope that between now and Yom Kippur, we will all participate in or sign up for one or more of the actions below, which are listed in the five priority areas of the synagogue’s Tikkun Olam work. We will take time during Yom Kippur services to reflect about Isaiah’s call and our experiences.
Racial Justice
On September 18, the San Francisco Black-Jewish Unity Group hosted a teach-in on reparations for African-Americans in California/San Francisco. Watch the recording here! Thank you to OS members Phyllis Shulman, Elliot Helman, Deborah Gavrin Frangquist, and Saralie Pennington who helped to plan this important event.
Sign the Pledge to Provide Paid Sick Leave, which is a pledge for San Francisco domestic employers to commit to providing paid sick leave as required by SF law, made easier by the soon-to-be released City of San Francisco app. You can sign regardless of your domestic employer status to show support and spread the word. The majority of domestic workers are low-income women of color who deserve the same employment rights as everyone else. Find out more on Or Shalom’s Sanctuary page.
Sanctuary
Do you have used furniture, cars, cell phones or laptops that you could donate? Organized by The Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, NEAT Teams would distribute these used goods to newly arrived immigrants as they get settled. Please contact sanctuary@orshalom.org to arrange pick-ups if you have donations, to donate a storage space for the furniture until it is needed, or if you wish to form a NEAT Team at Or Shalom.
Safety Net
Volunteer between now and Yom Kippur to join Sherith Israel’s HaMotzi efforts. Every Sunday, volunteers shop, pick up donations, prep, cook, clean, and deliver to two shelters for individuals and families. In addition, once a month, Chicken Soupers meet after HaMotzi to prepare several days’ worth of meals for homebound seniors and chronically ill people of all ages. Email hamotzi@sherithisrael.org to volunteer and identify yourself as a member of Or Shalom.
Climate Change/Environment
Take it from Bill Nye the Science Guy: the most important thing we can do about climate change is voting to elect climate leaders up and down the ballot. Or Shalom is teaming up with Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action and the Environmental Voter Project to talk with high-potential climate-concerned voters in key states, and make sure they vote in the 2022 midterm elections. We’re co-hosting a Chutzpah 2022 shift on Tuesday, Sep. 20, from 3:30 to 5:30pm Pacific Time to enjoy some music, get trained on how to talk to voters and use the phone banking tool, and then make calls together! Visit orshalom.org/event/Chutzpah2022 to sign up.
Democracy
Take action with the Center for Common Ground, a non-partisan voting rights organization led by people of color, helping voters of color and less-frequent voters exercise their right to vote and make their voices heard. Start here to get trained to make calls and join a phone bank. To write postcards to voters in targeted voter suppression states, read the information on the Center’s website and then contact rov.sanfrancisco@gmail.com to get started.
