Goodies for Shabbat

Two years ago, a group of dedicated congregants began delivering Goodies for Shabbat on Friday mornings. With the advice of Rabbi Kogan, they put together packages to cheer up those who were homebound, bring smiles to those who are ill or going through a difficult period, and assure members of our community that Hillcrest Jewish Center has not forgotten about them.

Sometimes the packages contain fresh challah rolls, grape juice and Shabbos candles along with a handwritten note. At other times lovely bouquets of flowers are brought. Appropriate packages are prepared for the High Holy Days, Chanukah and Purim. The response has been overwhelmingly positive.

The committee has received written notes of appreciation as well as having congregants stop us on the street to comment on their gift. "You really made the rest of my day," one person told us. "You’ll never know how much it helps and how much it meant to us," said another.

After signing up for the Mitzvah campaign during Rosh Hashanah, Barbara and Marty Resnick asked if they could deliver with their grandson, Myles. They felt it would be a worthwhile activity for him. What a wonderful way to teach children the mitzvah of giving to others than to take them by the hand and show them the way. Myles was a hit! The congregants who received flowers that day were thrilled! Myles was so excited that he asked Grandma if he could deliver again, and so, on Thanksgiving weekend when he had no school on Friday, the Resnick family delivered again. Their next turn is coming soon.

Lots of new people volunteered at the start of the campaign and have already begun. Just a note: to date, 711 Goodies for Shabbat packages have been delivered by over 10 teams of congregants. The Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund underwrites this project. If you know of a person who would benefit by such a delivery, please email me or mention it to any one of our committee members.

You too can be part of this mitzvah project! Just email me at cdgreenberg@hotmail.com.

Shomrei Ha’aretz
Guardians of the Earth

Jews have always been future oriented and for many of today’s Jews concern about the future of our planet is a major concern. A group of Hillcrest members have formed the Shomrei Ha’aretz project to help Hillcrest and its members address some of the environmental issues that will affect our future wellbeing and the wellbeing of all those generations that will come after us.

You don’t have to be an environmental expert to participate in this important project. You should be willing to do some learning and sharing of information. The next meeting of the Shomrei Ha’aretz project will be on Monday, January 11, at 7:30 P.M.. You are all invited to join us. Please contact Laurie Spear at spearlbs@aol.com.

Another Mitzvah Opportunity

Many of us know a family touched by the emotional and physical pain of caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease. We focus our attention on the patient, but too often we overlook the needs of the care-givers. A new organization called Willing Hearts, Helpful Hands, is looking for volunteers to give relief to the care-givers.

If you would like to volunteer to help relieve the stress and isolation of a care-giver, you can volunteer once a week for about thirty minutes, During this time, the you might do some grocery shopping for the care-giver. Or, the you might read with or talk to the person with Alzheimer's thus providing the care giver with some needed free time.

If you are interested in finding out more about this organization and the various ways you can help, call Kathy Lewis, who is the Hillcrest liaison to Willing Hearts, Helpful Hands at the Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care & Rehabilitation.

On November 22nd, a large number of Hillcrest volunteers and donors gave the ultimate "gift of life" to total strangers. There were weeks of planning, making phone calls, sending emails, hanging posters and assisting the actual donors at an impressive Blood Drive. We applaud those who donated as well as the many selfless volunteers who helped in a variety of ways. Blood Drive Co-Chair Dee Brofman not only helped run the drive that day and coordinated everything with New York Hospital Queens, but donated blood as well. Additional thanks go to Executive Director Mark Inhaber, Maxie and the entire office staff.

The blood drive was just one of the many Mitzvah projects underway during Hillcrest’s "Year of the Mitzvah" to mark its 70th anniversary. Please contact Laurie Spear or the office for information about an existing project, or one that you’d like to help create.

Our Bikur Cholim (Visiting the Sick) Committee
Goes the Extra Mile to Reach our Members

The Bikur Cholim project is well on its way to becoming a vital part of the fabric of our Hillcrest Jewish Center. This project has grown since its inception back at the beginning of this year. The members of the committee meet once a month and have regular contact with their Coordinator. We are all learning what it means to do the mitzvah of Bikur Cholim. In order to develop our skills as a visitor or one who is reaching out to congregants, all of us recognize that it is a process. Many of our participants are attending the conference sponsored by the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services on November 8th. At this conference, members will participate and learn different aspects of this mitzvah effort and they will report back to the committee.

Learning is an essential part of our committee. Hence, new ideas of reaching out to our congregants are always brought to the table. Besides home visits, many of our congregants want to be connected with old friends. Some have needs for shopping or transportation. Our committee is aware of those congregants who are going into a hospital and plans are made to appropriately reach out to them. Another of our goals is to meet the needs of some of our members who would benefit from weekly phone calls before Shabbat.

In conclusion, the work of Bikur Cholim is always evolving and this makes for an extremely rewarding activity. For more information, please contact Nancy Rifkin, Coordinator or Rabbi Kogan.

Since Rosh Hashanah we have added two mitzvah opportunities to our list of mitzvot projects. Under the category of Ahavat Eretz Israel – Love of Israel we have the Guarding the Good Name of Israel and the Jewish People project, led by Sam Bahn. Sam will work with project members to respond to defamations of Israel and/or the Jewish people in the media, on campus and around the world, which are weakening ties to Israel and Judaism, especially among our youth. If you would like to be part of this "fire force" contact me and I will pass your name and phone number along to Sam.

A second Ahavat Eretz Israel – Love of Israel project is the annual Salute to Israel Day Parade. This project is ably and energetically led by Ethel Levine. If you would like to be part of this joyous project contact me and I will pass your name and phone number along to Ethel.

And if you would like to sign up for any of the other Mitzvot Projects or if you would like to start a new mitzvah project, contact me.

Looking forward to hearing from you,
Laurie Spear, chair, the Mitzvot Project
spearlbs@aol.com