social action/Tikkun Olam
Temple Akiba brings light and goodness into the world.
Temple Akiba is deeply committed to supporting our community at home and abroad. The congregation partners with various local organizations including The Westside Coalition, comprised of different religious and non-profit groups assisting those in need. Our annual Mitzvah Day, and other long and short term projects go year round, such as: donation drives for the local food pantry, school supplies, collection of warm clothing for the underserved, and yes, even pet supplies. We work with national and state advocacy organizations such as the Reform movement’s Religious Action Center (RAC-CA) and California Jewish Political Action Committee (JPAC) to promote social justice. If you are interested in joining our Tikun Olam Committee, contact Anita Markowitz, Engagement Trustee, at engagementtrustee@templeakiba.net
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Temple Akiba Tikkun Olam Committee Invites you to a Social Action Social
Sunday, September 14 at 12:30 PM
Are you feeling overwhelmed during these tumultuous times? Come share your concerns and interests in Social Action, Advocacy, and Justice Enjoy Lunch and Tasty Sweets As we embrace our Jewish values of Tikkun Olam, we want to hear about topics and/or areas that you would like to learn about, advocate for, or join us in taking action. Questions: Please contact Verna Erez, vernaerez@gmail.com
RSVP: https://templeakiba.shulcloud.com/form/social_action_social_092025
Tashlich & Beach Clean Up Saturday, September 27 at 4:00 PM
4:00 PM - Beach Clean Up, 5:00 PM - Tashlich & Havdalah
Join us at Toe’s Beach as we symbolically cast away our sins & regrets into the ocean and start the New Year refreshed! This year at Temple Akiba, we will participate in both Reverse Tashlich & Tashlich. Tashlich is a ritual that can occur anytime between Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur where we symbolically cast our sins into the water. This year, before we participate in this ritual, all are welcome to join us in reverse tashlich. In a national effort organized by Repair The Sea, people around the world will act to remove human sins from the water by cleaning up beaches in an effort to protect the earth.
At 4:00 PM, we will gather at Toes Beach for our reverse tashlich beach clean-up. Temple Akiba will provide the necessary materials including trash bags & gloves. Then, at 5:00 PM, all are welcome to participate in Tashlich & Havdalah. In keeping with our goal to protect the earth, we encourage participants to cast environmentally safe (bread-free) items into the ocean this year. Options include small stones, fallen leaves, seashells, or birdseed. Feel free to join us for one or both of our tashlich events. We look forward to a meaningful and spiritually uplifting time together.
SOVA DONATION BIN
The SOVA Community Food & Resource Program of Jewish Family Services, is dedicated to alleviating hunger and poverty in the community. They offer free, nutritious groceries to people experiencing food insecurity. "SOVA" translates to "eat and be satisfied" in Hebrew. You can help by contributing canned food simply by using the donation bin at the synagogue entry.
Political Advocacy in Washington D.C.
Every year, the 10th grade confirmation class travels to Washington D.C. to attend the Reform Movement's L'Taken seminar. The program introduces our teens to the lobbying process and some of the important social justice issues of our time. At the end of the weekend, all of the teens write a lobby speech to deliver to congress on a topic of their choice, enabling them to say and see first-hand the type of impact their opinions and actions can have in the world. This year, our students wrote speeches advocating for reproductive justice, economic justice, gun violence prevention, and Israel.
Temple Akiba works closely with RAC and HIAS:
The Religious Action Center (RAC-CA), is the advocacy arm of the Union of Reform Judaism (URJ), For more information go to their website at: https://rac.org/take-action
HIAS provide vital services to refugees and asylum seekers around the world and advocates for their fundamental rights so they can rebuild their lives. For more information go to their website at: https://hias.org/
