We are delighted that our younger congregants are working to improve our world.
Here are their Mitzvah Projects:
Ella is collecting beauty and self-care items to benefit the Birthday Dreams program at The Foster Alliance (formerly Arizona Helping Hands). She is going to put these items together into what she calls “Confidence Kits” because she believes that all girls should feel beautiful and confident, especially on their birthdays.
The Foster Alliance is a wonderful organization that supports the local foster care community by providing essential services and offering programs that promote safety, permanency, and health. The Birthday Dreams program celebrates children of all ages with personalized packages to lift their self-esteem and bring them joy on their special day.
If you would like to support Ella’s mitzvah project, please visit her Amazon Wish List.
Ella’s Mitzvah Project – Amazon Gift List – https://www.amazon.com/
For my Bar Mitzvah Project, I am excited to educate and raise funds for Magen David Adom (MDA), an important volunteer humanitarian medical organization!!!
MDA serves as the Israeli Red Cross Organization and is a full-fledged member of the International Red Cross/Red Crescent. They provide thousands of life-saving services, using the most advanced technological devices in the world, following protocols for cardiac treatment by the American Heart Association. Treatment is provided regardless of nationality, ethnicity, race, gender, age, ideology, or political or religious affiliation. It is based on medical criteria alone.
American Friends of Magen David Adom (AFMDA) was founded in 1940 as the sole authorized fundraising and advocacy organization in the United States supporting Magen David Adom.
As a National Red Cross Organization, MDA has a variety of roles including:
Donations to the American Friends of Magen David Adom, a 501(c)(3) organization, are tax-deductible in the United States (EIN: 13-1790719).
Ella’s Mitzvah project is raising funds for Citizen’s Kitchen in Israel. It was started on October 9, 2023, and is a grassroots wartime meal operation providing 500 meals a day to displaced families and soldiers. If you would like to donate in Ella’s honor, please visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/citizens-kitchen or https://account.venmo.com/u/sara-shendelman and mention it is in honor of Ella.
Giovanni’s Mitzvah project has focused on volunteering. He has volunteered for Jewish organizations or had a Jewish theme. In addition to his busy schedule with school, club baseball (go Prime!), and family activities, he has volunteered at Congregation Or Tzion, the JCC, and Camp Stein.
Recently, Giovanni, a skilled challah braider, taught a local Girl Scout troop how to make and braid challah. He and his mother were able to teach the girls not only about challah but about Judaism as well. This came soon after the war started in Israel, so the timing of teaching people about Judaism was perfect. The girls really enjoyed the activity, Giovanni did an amazing job, and everyone learned something.
Jacob has been spending his Monday afternoons working with fellow congregant Myra Shindler, Executive Director of the Bureau of Jewish Education, organizing the children’s section of the BJE library. Jacob has been sorting through and weeding out books that are no longer relevant (some are from the 1970s!) and reorganizing the books into easily accessible topics. He has set up a B’nai Tzedek Endowment fund at the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Phoenix, and the first grant he will be making from his fund will be in support of the library. If other congregants would like to support the library, they can do so by making a donation to Jacob’s fund and indicating it’s for Jacob Rabinovich.
For Melissa’s Bat Mitzvah project, she is volunteering her time at the Puppy Luv Animal Rescue. She walks, bathes, and plays with the puppies. She is also collecting the following items for the rescue: Gently used towels, blankets and sheets, Costco dry dog & puppy food, Paper towels, and Clorox wipes.
The items can be dropped off at Or Tzion during business hours.
As Keira celebrates the accomplishment of her Bat Mitzvah training, she also accepts the importance of helping our community and world one good deed at a time.
It is through volunteer services that ARIZONA EQUINE RESCUE ORGANIZATION (AERO) provides rescue from fires and rehabilitation of abused or abandoned cases, assists horse owners in distress, provides community education and at-risk youth programs.
Please consider a monetary contribution to AERO by using the following link to support the work done by this important organization in our state: https://azequinerescue.org/donate-now/
Your generosity is greatly appreciated, not only by Keira, but by so many volunteers in rescuing horses, livestock, and other animals dependent on this service for their survival.