Jewish
World Watch
Congregation Shir Ami has joined with other local
synagogues as a member of Jewish World Watch,
an organization dedicated to help stop the genocide
in Darfur, Sudan. Please contact Tom Rogers or
visit www.jewishworldwatch.org for more information.
You can show your support by purchasing wristbands
(1 for $4, 3 for $10) or by making a donation
($36 purchases a water well, $100 pays for 8 stoves)
to provide resources to those in need. To donate,
contact Tom Rogers or Fran Kobulnick.
Bikkur
Cholim Training with Rabbi Jan Offel
Bikkur Cholim is one of the most important mitzvot
we can do. In addition, a ll of us have relatives
and friends who we either visit now or will one
day. Last March, Rabbi Jan Offel conducted a special
Bikkur Cholim training session for our temple
members, families and friends. Rabbi Jan taught
us how to conduct meaningful, but not intrusive,
visits with the sick and with the elderly. If
you would like to make a bikkur cholim visit to
someone, or know someone who would like a visit,
please contact Fran Kobulnick.
Blankets
Donated to Tarzana Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive
Care Unit
Ladies from our Social Action Committee regularly
knit and crochet handmade baby blankets and present
them to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Tarzana
Hospital. Our group always has a wonderful time
when they go to deliver these blankets to the
little ones. Below is a picture taken at one of
our visits.
Left to right: Ellie Zatz,
Rae Wazana, Ann Potell, Brenda James,
Anne Goldfarb, Fran Kobulnick and Sandra Cooper.
Remember, this is an ongoing mitzvah project.
If you would like to help out by knitting, crocheting
or to donate wool, please contact Sandy Cooper
for more info.
PILLOW
SHABBAT
Each year our Social Action Committee hosts a
themed Shabbat service when our congregation brings
new items which are then given to Tamar House
and Hope Cottage, two local domestic violence
shelters that we sponsor. This year we had a Pillow
Shabbat and collected over 100 pillows for these
domestic violence victims. The pillows and other
items we donate are given to mothers and children
when they enter the shelters and they take them
with them when they leave the shelters to start
a new chapter in their lives free of domestic
violence.
Adoption
of Jewish Families of Domestic Violence Victims
and MEND Families for the Holidays
We adopted 3 families of domestic violence victims
(3 moms and a total of 6 children), 1 MEND family
(a mom and 5 children) and another Jewish family
in need (a mother, father and 5 children) for
the holiday season. Each family received new warm
winter clothes and jackets, other necessities,
toys for all the kids, and food vouchers for those
families who needed them. In addition, we were
able to get a new stove donated for the MEND family
as well as a used computer, and we also gave nice
personal gifts to each of the moms. Thanks to
the generous support of our temple members, we
were able to both fulfill these families' wishlists
and also add extra necessities and goodies as
well.
Hanukkah
Party at West Valley Convalescent Hospital
In December we had our annual Hanukkah Latke/Holiday
Party at the West Valley Convalescent Home. Each
resident was given a special gift bag, beautiful
plant and plenty of latkes (thanks Majestic Caterers!).
They also lit the menorah with members of the
Social Action Committee and sang Hanukkah songs.
Everyone had a good time and the residents were
very appreciative to see us during the holiday
season.
Mitzvah
Day 2005
For Mitzvah Day 2005, we had an encore performance
of our congregation wide food drive for the needy.
Thanks to everyone's generosity, our teams of
drivers were able to collect 5,196 pounds of food,
which was weighed, sorted, packaged into more
than 150 hefty boxes and delivered to 47 apartments
of elderly Jewish residents as well as to needy
families with children in local public schools.
Each apartment also received frozen kosher chicken,
challah, fresh produce and a 5 lb. bag of potatoes.
The project proved to be both a lot of work but
also very rewarding. For photos, check back soon.
Light
The Night Walk at Warner Center to benefit the
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
On September 25, 2005, more than 30 Shir Ami volunteers
walked approximately 2 miles in Warner Center
to show their support in the fight against blood
cancers. The “Light The Night” walk
gets its name because each walker carries a lighted
balloon – white for cancer survivors, red
for those walking in memory or honor of loved
ones. In addition, we had a Congregation Shir
Ami booth at the event, which featured a tribute
to Marc Fremed, a strong advocate for the Leukemia
& Lymphoma Society and member of our temple
until he lost his fight with cancer last year.
Thanks to the efforts of our team, we raised over
$8,500 for this very worth cause. To see pictures
from this amazing event, click
here.
Walk
Around Lake Balboa
Last June, we had our third Walk Around Lake Balboa,
this time to raise money for ARMDI (the Israel
equivalent of the American Red Cross). Thanks
to everyone’s support, a very substantial
amount was raised for this worthy cause. Past
Walks Around Lake Balboa have benefited other
charities, including AIDS Project Los Angeles
and the Kidney Foundation, two favorite charities
of Pauline Lampkin, a beloved member of our congregation
who passed away at the young age of 95. We always
have a large turnout of Shir Ami walkers, all
proudly wearing their official Shir Ami Mitzvah
Patrol t-shirt, for this event, which is followed
by a nice brunch at a local deli. Click
here for pictures.
Mitzvah
Day ’04
On Mitzvah Day 2004, we tried our first-ever congregation
wide food drive. 20 teams of Mitzvah Patrol volunteers
collected a total of 3,665 pounds of food from
125 homes. The food was brought to Kol Tikvah
where it was weighed, sorted, and packaged into
148 hefty boxes for needy families. Nearly 100
people showed up to help! In addition, we sorted
and packaged 200 gift bags of new children’s
toys which were given to sick children in Children’s
Hospital in Los Angeles and to the Tarzana Hospital
Pediatric Unit. We are very proud of our congregation’s
support and the success of this year’s Mitzvah
Day. To see the pictures, click
here.
Ongoing
Mitzvah Projects
Don’t forget, we collect all of the following
throughout the year:
- Cell phones, batteries and chargers which
we give to women in domestic violence shelters
so that they can call 911 in case of emergency.
- New and used books, which we donate to local
hospitals.
- New toiletry items (i.e. travel size, from
hotels, etc.) which we give to patients in nursing
homes and to women in the domestic violence
shelters.
- Used printer cartridges, which we donate
to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. All
sizes of cartridges for any printer are acceptable.
Please contact Jeff Kobulnick if you have one
to donate.
Please contact Fran Kobulnick if you have any
of these items to donate, or any other items that
you might be getting rid of that others can use.
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