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!

 

~ Upcoming Events ~

Help Park Cars! The money collected goes to Habitat for Humanity and IFC! All it takes is 1 hour of your time to help those in need in our community! Email Jon Mills, jonbmills@aol.com for more info!

 

~ 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.

 

~ Homestart ~

Homestart's mission is to provide a safe, structured home for homeless women and children, helping them access community resources and offering them on-going support to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness. Several times each year, Kehillah members collect items for the shelter, including bed linens, blankets, towels, umbrellas, and toiletries.
 

~ 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.

 

~ Religious School Mitzvah Day ~

See Religious School programs.

 

 

~ 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).