Under the care of Temple Beth Avodah's education professionals Mikah Atkind and Myriam Rofrano, TBA's grade 9 students recently had the opportunity to attend the Religious Action Center’s (RAC) L’Taken Seminar over the weekend of January 10 - 13. Along with almost 400 other participants, they learned about pressing policy issues from a Jewish perspective. They discussed social justice issues like reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, climate change, health care, and more.

As stated by Lily, "This trip was an amazing opportunity to bond with our temple group and learn important advocacy skills. I learned about many political issues and how they tie back to Jewish values. I had an amazing time."
 

The students honed their story-telling abilities to create thoughtful and informative speeches in order to lobby Senators Warren and Markey as well as Representative Kennedy. Here are links to a few of their very impressive speeches:  Speech by Ben, Zach, Geffrey and Sam,  a...

A big thank you to Mark Rosen for leading our cooking effort again today, and to Glenn Barest, Josh Baumer, Joshua and Max Deitch, Neal Appel, Mike Weissel, Rob Sellers, Andrew Lassar, and Brotherhood wanna-be Bunny Aronson for helping out in the TBA kitchen.  They made a lot of delicious Thanksgiving meal items.  Rounding out the rest of the menu, cooked at home and brought to TBA, were made by Rabbi Stern, Nancy McGrath, Suzy Willard Rosenthal and Nancy Bloom.  Desserts were organized by the Tzedek Committee and were also baked at home and dropped off at TBA.  Thank you to our dessert makers: Lauren Siff, Gail Greenberger, Sarina Katz, Magda Hernandez and Rich Blacker.

Mark Rosen and son Gabe (home for his first college break!) dropped all the goodies off on Tuesday, November 27.

Clients of The Second Step will have a nicer holiday thanks to our congregants. #proud #grateful #wearetheluckyones

We are always so amazed by how many congregants happily volunteer their time on a Sunday afternoon to help others. This past Sunday, just hours before the beginning of the High Holy Days, our TBA kitchen was teeming with adults and children preparing a meal for The Second Step.  They prepared BBQ chicken, rice pilaf, Brussels sprouts, salad, and brownies for dessert.  Thanks to all who took time out of their busy schedules: Eliza Danielson & Minit Gupta along with Anika and Simone, Suzy Willard Rosenthal and Lila, Lauren Siff along with Judah and Cohen, and Ruth Baylis. YOU are the true meaning of a mensch!

It's a shocking truth that across the US, where there is plenty of food overall, there are many people of all ages who do not have enough to eat. This also includes people in our own city of Newton. Every year we help to correct that deficit by collecting groceries at our High Holiday Food Drive. Last year we collected almost 10,000 pounds of food! Please support the drive again by filling the grocery bags you will receive at Rosh Hashanah services. When you bring them back on Yom Kippur please do not include any expired food. We ask you to check the expiration dates on the food you are donating. The recipient organizations will not accept any expired donations. You can also order raisins and salmon online and have them delivered directly to TBA! This year we support: Greater Boston Food Bank, Boston Medical Center Food Pantry, Centre Street Food Pantry and Family Table. 

Thank you to our Grade 7 students for preparing the paper bags.

Rae Mintz, a member of the TBA Knitting Group, recently dropped off many hand knitted blankets to the Hebrew Rehabilitation Center in Roslindale.  The center really appreciated the beautiful blankets and couldn't wait to hand them out to their patients.  The TBA Knitting Group meets one Sunday a month to knit and schmooze!  All knitted items are donated to local charities. You too can join in on the fun... novices and experienced knitters are welcome. Be sure to check the TBA calendar for the group's first meeting taking place after the High Holy Days.

Sunday, May 19, a group of congregants were busy chatting and catching with one another while cooking for The Second Step. They made Tuscan chicken for the adult residents and hidden vegetable mac & cheese for the kids.  Also they prepared carrots and celery with dip, strawberries with whipped cream and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Thanks to Jackie Dahlquist for planning and managing the crew; to our cooks Charlotte Levine, Lauren Fisch, Rae Mintz, Laurette Bachman and Debbie Hart-Klein.  A special thank you to Rachel Fisch for washing dishes, which is never a favorite task!

We are done cooking for the summer, but please watch for notices and opportunities to cook with us for TSS again starting in September!

Our short collection drive for personal and household repair items for the victims of Hurricane Michael, who continue to suffer 6 months after the storm, was a good success!  Our donations filled the back of an SUV, and they are on their way to Florida to be given directly to people in need.  The organization that is making the deliveries (Green Mountain Disaster Relief Team) appreciated our contribution to their larger collection drive.  Thanks to all who donated! 

TBA is pleased to support Newton's Gun Buyback on June 15. Please help keep Newton safe by donating $25 gift cards from Wegman's, Stop & Shop or Whole Foods, and TBA will match all donations up to $1,000! Give your donated gift cards (or cash and we'll buy gift cards) to Claudia Folkman by June 1, 2019.

Gun buybacks allow individuals to surrender unwanted firearms with no questions asked in return for grocery gift cards. The surrendered guns are destroyed, reducing the number of guns in our community.The Newton Gun Buyback will be led by the Newton Police Department in partnership with the Middlesex Sheriff's Office and the Newton Interfaith Clergy Association. Other Middlesex towns (Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge) will be holding similar gun buybacks.

Recent local gun buybacks have resulted in collecting between 50 (Watertown) and 160 (Natick) guns. If Newton receives more donations than needed for the number of guns returned, the excess will be used either for 1) other upcoming gun buyb...

Hurricane Michael hit the Panhandle of Florida with Category 5 winds in Oct 2018.  Some towns suffered destruction of up to 80% of homes and businesses, and the rebuilding process has been slow with little or no help from FEMA. As part of our new Crisis Response program, TBA is participating in the Hurricane Michael recovery process by seeking donations by May 2 (see list below).

During a recent trip to Mexico Beach, FL to view the cleanup status, one visitor reported:

• No grocery store, hardware store or gas stations open, resulting in a one-hour drive for necessities

• Residents without homes or jobs are living in tents or campers in their yards, trying to rebuild day by day

• All hotels in the town that relied on tourism have been demolished

• Many “For Sale” signs sit on lots where owners have given up

• Robbery is common, including a recent robbery of all donated supplies in the Distribution Center set up to help those who are suffering

Items to donate:

• Batt...

At 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 22, Rachie Lewis, the Director of Synagogue Organizing with JCRC, will be speaking at TBA about issues immigrants are facing in the Boston area and ways we might help.  Rachie has worked with 18 local synagogues to organize their immigration justice programs, with the first step being to learn about what's happening in our own community.  Rachie will provide much useful and enlightening information, so please come even if you do not think you will be able to participate in any volunteer opportunities following her presentation!