In its commitment to tzedakah, mitzvah, and
tikkun olam, the Kehillah is involved in a
variety of social action endeavors.
Justice United in Community Effort
(formerly OCOC)
is one of our newer initiatives and one to
which we are committing our volunteer
efforts and financial support. Just this
year, the
national organization Jewish Fund for
Justice awarded the Kehillah a $2,500 grant
to recognize and support this important
tikkun olam work.
Click here for an on-line
news
article
and video!
Click here for the video of the Kehillah
at the Crop Walk!
~
Upcoming Events ~
Community House.
Attend the last discussion about IFC’s new Community House facility
on MLK Blvd near Southern Human Services
Center. Tues, Apr 13, 7-9 p.m. “AB” Room in
the Southern Human Services Center, 2501
Homestead Road. More
info.
IFC's Annual
Brian Clemen's Memorial Golf Tournament.
Mon. May 3 at Finley Golf course.
~
Ongoing Activities ~

Inter-Faith Council (IFC).
Please bring your food donations to the Chapel.
List of most-needed items.
IFC community
kitchen lunch. 1st Tues. of every month. Contact
Irma.
IFC Volunteers Needed.
Training provided. Lots of opportunities--click
here for the list or call IFC, 929-6380.
Immediate needs:
Receptionist
- Community House; Noon – 3 p.m. (Mon/Tues)
OR 3 – 6 p.m. (Mon through Fri).
Food Pick-up Assistance
@ Rams Head - Every Friday afternoon - 2:30
p.m.
Contact Karen Carr:
volunteer@ifcmailbox.org or 919-929-6380
ext. 30
Kitchen Volunteers -
7 – 10 folks to help organize, serve and/or
clean up at the
IFC Annual Dinner
(United Church/Chapel Hill - October 29).
Contact Elizabeth Garfunkel -
assistant@ifcmailbox.org 919-929-6380
ext. 15
~
Burmese Refugees ~
You
shall love the stranger as yourself for you were once strangers in the land of
Egypt (Lev. 19:34).
The Kehillah is
co-sponsoring a refugee family from Burma. For the most part, refugees from
Burma have lived in refugee camps in Thailand where they have endured
malnutrition, inadequate housing, poor sanitation, limited medical care,
insufficient education, and physical confinement. The political situation in
their native country makes it impossible for them to return home, and conditions
in the camps offer them no hope for the future. Many of these families have
resettled in this area. The Kehillah has adopted one of these families and has
organized a team of volunteers to help them with finding a job, learning
English, navigating the bus system, setting up their apartment, teaching the
children how to swim, and many other such activities.
~
Justice United in Community Effort ~

The Chapel Hill Kehillah is a founding
member of the this grass-roots committee,
which advocates for social and economic
justice in our local community. Justice
United is an independent,
non-partisan, non-profit organization
directed by leaders from participating
institutions and served by a professional
organizing staff. .
Justic United has
adopted the organization's first Agenda
for the Common Good, which focuses on
six priorities:
- Education
- Health Care
- Environmental Justice
|
- Living Wages
- Immigrant Families
- Affordable Housing
|
~
Building a Habitat
House
~
The Kehillah builds Habitat Houses with other local religious organizations.
For more info, contact
Jon Mills, or
593-6365.
~
IFC & the Food Bank ~
Continuously during the year, Kehillah
members bring food donations to the Kehillah
to be taken in bulk to the food bank at the
Inter-Faith Council for Social Services (IFC).
On Yom Kippur, all families are asked to
bring food donations, and several truck
loads of donated food go to feed the hungry
in our community. Also, monthly, Kehillah
members sponsor (cook and serve) a lunch at
the IFC Community kitchen.
~
Tzedakah ~
We are
committed to tzedakah to help those in need.
Before each UNC men's basketball home game,
Kehillah members collect money for parking
in the Kehillah lot. All of the funds
collected are donated to local
organizations.
~
CROP
(Community Reaching
Out to People)
Walk ~
Each year, we participates in the CROP Walk,
which is an event that supports local and
national hunger relief. We contribute
financially, raise additional money from
community-members, and participate in the
almost 4 mile walk.
~
Community Dinner ~
Each year, we participate in the Community
Dinner. This community-building event brings
people from all walks of life together for
an afternoon of ethnically-diverse food and
entertainment. Kehillah members make large
kugels for the event, and many attend the
dinner.
~
Recycling ~
We are committed to recycling as a way to
help take care of our environment. We
recycle paper, cardboard, printer
cartridges, yogurt cups, and plastic and
glass bottles.
~
Kehillah Mitzvah
Day ~
We periodically host a Kehillah Mitzvah Day
to provide an opportunity for families to
participate in various mitzvah projects,
including cleaning a recycling center (Ba’al Tashchit—Do Not
Destroy); cooking meals to be frozen and then delivered to
those who are sick (Rofay Cholim—Healing the Sick); tying
ribbons and collating a mailing for the Family Violence
Prevention Center (Shmirat Ha’Guf—Caring for the Body);
pulling weeds from the Kehillah gardens (Malachah--Industriousness);
making cards and art work for those who are sick (Bikkur
Cholim—Visiting the Sick); visiting an assisted living
facility (Kibud Zekaynim—Respecting the Elderly);
babysitting the children too young to participate (Chesed--Lovingkindness);
and collating donations to a relief
effort (Tzedakah—Righteousness).