Social Awareness Workshop

SOCIAL AWARENESS
By Noreen Kasman

“Social Awareness” used to be called “Service” or possibly “Tikun Olam”, defined by Wikipedia as “(Hebrew: תיקון עולם‎, lit. ‘repair of the world’) is a concept in Judaism, interpreted in Orthodox Judaism as the prospect of overcoming all forms of idolatry, and by other Jewish denominations as an aspiration to behave and act constructively and beneficially. The last definition most fits my “job; in today’s world.

I grew up in small town Southern Ontario—Welland, to be exact. There were only 30 Jewish families so we interacted, for better or worse, with all of the community. My late father was active in shul life as well as the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews and my late mother was also busy with the shul and National Council of Jewish Women. I learned from the best.

Beth David Sisterhood has been busy with fulfilling the concept of Tikun Olam for many years, and we continue our efforts under my guidance year-round. Our main endeavor has been making blankets for Project Linus, an organization whose mission is to provide children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need with gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans. This began after we completed the wall hanging for a room in the synagogue, and the women wanted to continue to meet monthly—mostly for companionship. One of the women found an article in a local newspaper about Project Linus. We decided that we all had enough yarn in our closets that we had bought with great enthusiasm for ambitious projects that could now be put to good use for Project Linus. Eventually we had used up our donated supply, and I convinced Sisterhood to make our project a part of the budget each year. I have since found a very reasonably priced retailer who also understands the philosophy of Tikun Olam and gives me a discount on yarn.

To date we have contributed 2946 blankets and quilts to help these children in hospitals, shelters and other places serving people in precarious situations. Some have gone to children who have had to testify in court against their abusers.

As we have aged, some of the women no longer want to make “big” things, and so we also collect toques (hats) and scarves for the homeless. These are turned over mostly to Ve’ahavta for people living on the streets. Ve’ahavta is a Jewish humanitarian organization in Toronto dedicated to promoting positive change in the lives of people of all faiths and backgrounds who have been marginalized by poverty and hardship. There are different organizations in cities everywhere who need donations such as these.

Over time we have branched out to other great ideas. A couple of years ago, I saw and participated in making a sleeping mat out of the colorful outer 4 litre milk bags that we have in Canada. MILKBAGSunlimited was launched by Angela Kesthely in Toronto, Ontario, following the devastating Haitian Earthquake of 2010. Please see this site for detailed instructions on making a loom and how to weave them. https://milkbagsunlimited.ca. We have had Angela Kesthely come to speak to us about collecting the bags; she has spoken in schools as well as collected finished mats and shipped them to disaster areas and local shelters. I understand that these mats may also be made from plastic shopping bags. Nothing is wasted—the cut off ends are put into small pillow covers. The charities that ship the mats use them as filler in medicine and food containers instead of using foam peanuts so the entire container contents are used and useful. The organization also collects money to help defray the cost of shipping as well as bribing local officials to allow the mats to reach their proper destination. If you are interested in learning more, you can email Angela Kesthely (drjohnk@rogers.com) and mention my name.

I also belong to a branch of National Council of Jewish Women, and 2 or 3 times a year we cook at a youth dinner for a local church. The effort of making these young people a proper dinner—as we would cook for our own families—is very rewarding. We are spurred on by the cheers when our name is read out loud along with the menu. Word spreads quickly that the Jewish women are coming and making their favorite dessert— Ambrosia.

Our wider community is very fortunate to have Denise Fruchter who operates Camp Winston which is a unique retreat for children with complex neurobiological disorders who need highly specialized support. Our Sisterhood has chosen to provide gifts for these children along with children in the foster care system of Jewish Family & Child Service in order that they may receive Chanukah gifts and/or give gifts to their caregivers. The best items to collect are gift cards appropriate to pre-teens and teens, as this age group is not remembered as much as younger children at this critical time of the year. Last December Sisterhood and NCJW were able to collect approximately $400.00 worth of items to share between these two charities.

Social Action can also be found in other areas of the community, both Jewish and secular. We have had speakers about and/or visits to the Mikvah, about obtaining a new local kosher chicken supplier, on being transgender, and on providing clothes for women with AIDS. As part of our shul response to the awful mosque murders in New Zealand, we joined together in a Ring of Hope at a local mosque; due to the bitter cold, the Imam invited us inside to hear a service and tour their facility.

These are just a few of the many Social Action programs we have held. As you can see, Beth David Sisterhood is a giving part of the very diverse Greater Toronto Area community and an uplifting place to be.