Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest (JFGMW)’s fifth annual CommUNITY Mitzvah Day looked a little different this year. The mitzvah day was, after all, scheduled for Sunday, April 7, which marked the six-month anniversary of Hamas’ brutal attacks on Israel on Oct. 7. “Joining together with your friends and neighbors on CommUNITY Mitzvah Day is a meaningful way to mark this somber day and bring light into these dark times,” said Jamie Carus, manager for JFGMW’s Center for Volunteerism.
There were 15 hands-on service opportunities this year, including helping community members in need by creating and packing comfort packages for cancer patients; donating brand-new sneakers to teens in need in MetroWest’s Israeli partner-community of Ofakim, which was devastated during the Oct. 7 attacks; helping to pack art supply kits for Israeli children affected by the attacks; and helping to prep a food pantry community garden for the spring.
Austin Tanenbaum, a first grader at The Moriah School in Englewood, packed 21 Passover packages of matzah and vegetables for those in need in Essex County. For Tanenbaum, who described his experience as “awesome,” volunteering was a full family affair. “Tikun olam and helping those less fortunate and watching it be done through the eyes of a child, was truly amazing,” said his grandmother, Andrea Herschfus Bier. “When our kids and grandkids have everything they need in life and more, it’s important to explain to them that there are people who can’t afford food or are homebound and we help by packing and giving them food.”
Bier is the president of Jewish Family Service of MetroWest, one of the sponsors for CommUNITY Mitzvah Day. Bier’s husband also volunteered, building boxes and delivering the packages to Ivy Hill and Newark. “It’s a great mitzvah and at this time of year especially, food is very expensive for Pesach,” she added.
Roz Moskowitz Bielski of West Orange volunteered by logging information from local Jewish gravesites. By doing this, she helped preserve the rich history of the Jewish cemeteries in Newark. The information on the documented gravestones is then uploaded into a database to accompany burial information in the JewishGen Worldwide Burial Registry so anyone around the world can see it. This was Bielski’s second year volunteering in this capacity. “I found it very gratifying to be able to connect photographs to beloved relatives around the world,” Bielski said. “And for a brief moment, there is a connection to fellow Jews who forged a path for Judaism here in Essex County.”
This year, deep and compelling Jewish learning opportunities focused on Israel and antisemitism were integrated with hands-on service. Also, the addition of these learning opportunities was a direct result of the Oct. 7 attacks and rise in antisemitism. A discussion for teens asked: “Being a Jewish Teen in 2024… Now What?” The learning session, led by Israel relations expert Jonathan Kessler, focused on fostering empathetic and constructive dialogues and learning how to become an advocate and combat antisemitism. For adults, Kessler, founder/CEO of Heart of a Nation, presented on how adults can engage in empathetic, productive conversations since Oct. 7 with family, coworkers, friends and neighbors.
According to JFGMW, nearly 600 people participated in the various opportunities throughout the day, which was chaired by Melanie Kass and Elana Wilf Tanzman and made possible with the help of over a dozen committee members and project chairs as well as many generous sponsorships.
Laurie and Michael Fox, middle schoolers at Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy in Livingston, made bags for Holocaust survivors using extra mishloach manot collected at the school. “It was inspiring to see how many people came to help,” Laurie said.
Talia Liben Yarmush is a staff writer at The Jewish Link.
