Tikkun Olam Committee

tikkunolam@harshalom.org
Contact Us: 301-299-7087, Ext. 317.

The Tikkun Olam Committee's mission is to provide congregants with information about and opportunities to support programs that help remedy national and international social justice issues within the Jewish tradition of tikkun olam, or repairing the world.

The Tikkun Olam Committee is embarking on an exciting new initiative to create a Critical Issues Committee. It will serve as a forum within the congregation to consider, discuss, and pursue advocacy on social justice issues; these issues are important to the congregation and the Jewish community. The issues to be discussed might arise from many sources, some of which might be through the advocacy of congregants, the clergy, or through a wider Jewish community involvement, such as the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), and would be in line with positions taken by the Conservative Movement. The issues chosen, such as Darfu, would be politically non-controversial, or have strong moral implications such as the organ donor bill recently promoted by Har Shalom. If a congregant would like to bring an issue to the committee, please contact tikkunolam@harshalom.org.

The Committee, along with the JCRC, is working together with other synagogues on joint social actions. The JCRC is developing an enhanced Social Justice section of its website, and an Action Alert Network that anyone can join (www.jcouncil.org). We urge members of Har Shalom to subscribe as individuals. The JCRC posts social justice activities and opportunities on its web site; which is where you can view their new policy on Global Warming. View JCRC Information here.

Fair Trade Coffee
The Tikkun Olam Committee is proud to support The Peace Kawomera Cooperative in Uganda through the purchase of its fair-trade and organic coffee. Order forms available here or in the Synagogue lobbies. Opportunities to sponsor coffee at the Kiddush are also available. For more information, email tikkunolam@harshalom.org or see Marsha Teichman. Please submit your coffee orders by July 30 to be included in the next Har Shalom order.

Tikkun Olam Shabbat – We were delighted to have Rabbi Steven Gutow join us for this year’s Tikkun Olam Shabbat. Rabbi Gutow, Executive Director of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, and a Board member of the Coalition on Environment and Jewish Life, gave a passionate speech on the Jewish responsibility for environmental consciousness and action. In it he discusses the Jewish tradition for preservation of nature, the importance of energy independence for Israel, and the necessity for action to ensure the future of the planet for the next generations. For a copy of his remarks, click here.

At Tikkun Olam Shabbat, the Tikkun Olam committee distributed a flyer, courtesy of Greater Washington Power and Light, with suggestions for environmentally conscious activities during the High Holidays and beyond. These included web sites where one can measure one’s “carbon footprint,” and steps one can take in daily life such as not using a car once a week, buying locally grown food, using compact fluorescent light bulbs, and supporting global warming legislation. For a copy, click here.

Darfur -- Action Against Genocide: Update * Har Shalom is the first synagogue to sign on to the Darfur Interfaith Network Advocacy Committee I ACT campaign, promising to have a delegation of congregants stand witness once each month.

Senate Passes the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act
Dec. 13, 2007 - The U.S. Senate has unanimously passed the Sudan Accountability and Investment Act, following the House of Representatives, which passed similar legislation in July.

This bill will increase the economic pressure on the Sudanese government by prohibiting U.S. government contracts with all foreign companies whose business supports the Sudanese government, and protecting the right of states to divest from these same companies. To date, 22 states have already enacted policies to divest from Sudan and we anticipate divestment bills in at least 15 more state legislatures in the coming year.

According to American Jewish World Serice (AJWS), increasing the economic pressure on Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir will help accelerate the swift and safe deployment of peacekeeping forces to Darfur and bring an end to the genocide.

President Bush is being urged to sign the bill. AJWS suggests that letters and phone calls be sent to the White House urging to President to not delay in signing the bill, in an effort to bring an end to the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan. For more information, please see www.ajws.org.

For more information on Har Shalom’s efforts to end the genocide in Darfur, see Action on Darfur at Har Shalom

Go to www.savedarfur.org to send a letter urging the New UN Secretary-General to act on behalf of Darfur.

Tikkun Olam Shabbat - We sponsor the annual Tikkun Olam Shabbat in the fall. We have chosen this time of year, the Shabbat before the High Holy Days, as the time for Tikkun Olam Shabbat, as a way to inspire us to reflect on our own ability to repair the world.

Add-A-Mitzvah 5768: Choose from more than 3 dozen mitzvah projects, up from the 22 we had 5 year ago, when we started our Add-A-Mitzvah program. We have many new mitzvah projects this year, including buying free-trade kosher coffee, doing at least one thing to reduce your “energy footprint,” buying holiday gifts for needy Jewish families, or attending our annual Yom HaShoah service in the spring. Signing up is also easier – just send an email to Add-A-Mitzvah@comcast.net. The Tikkun Olam Committee co-sponsors Add-A-Mitzvah with the Gemilut Hasadim Committee. Questions? 301-299-7087 x 314 or x 317

Environmental Action - The Tikkun Olam Committee works to focus congregation awareness on preserving the environment. Activities have included meeting with other synagogues which have previously made changes in environmental practices to reflect the ecological principles of Judaism, attending a Jewish Environmental Conference in Baltimore and showing “An Inconvenient Truth” at Har Shalom. As part of “greening” Har Shalom, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) were recently installed in all exterior light fixtures and in the rear of the Gordon Sanctuary, in addition to their existing locations in the Burke Sanctuary, the corridor between Burke and the Social Hall, the Bride’s Room and the Gathering Hall. Other potential locations for CFLs are being examined as part of an overall energy audit.

The following environmental web sites, www.coejl.org (Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life) and www.gwipl.org (Greater Washington Interfaith Power and Light), are recommended for information about:

Compact fluorescent light bulbs may be ordered from either of these organizations.

"The Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL) is the leading Jewish environmental organization in the United States. Since its founding in 1993, COEJL has helped tens of thousands of Jews make a connection between Judaism and the environment. COEJL has put environmental protection on the agenda of the organized Jewish community and made the case to elected officials and decision-makers that protecting the environment is a moral and religious obligation. Today, COEJL represents 29 national Jewish organizations spanning the full spectrum of Jewish religious and communal life and serves as the voice of the organized Jewish community on environmental issues in Washington, D.C. and around the country. COEJL has its headquarters in New York and a national board of 23 trustees. COEJL is a program of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA).

COEJL seeks to expand the contemporary understanding of such Jewish values as tikkun olam (repairing the world) and tzedek (justice) to include the protection of both people and other species from environmental degradation. COEJL seeks to extend such traditions as social action and g’milut hasadim (performing deeds of loving kindness) to environmental action and advocacy. And shalom (peace or wholeness), which is at the very core of Jewish aspirations, is in its full sense harmony in all creation."

“Greater Washington Interfaith Power and Light (GWIPL) is a non-profit initiative that helps congregations, religious institutions and others in the Washington, D.C. area work for a more just, sustainable and healthier creation by reducing the threat of global warming.”

Join our Committee - The Tikkun Olam Committee meets once each month on Thursdays and welcomes participation from all congregation members. Please contact us.