Judea Reform & The Durham Interfaith Community Build
UPDATE
Our kick-off dinner was a great success! Over 120 congregants from Fisher Memorial United Holy Church, First Presbyterian Church and Watts Street Baptist Church and Judea Reform Congregation gathered in the Levin Social Hall to share a meal and learn more about our upcoming Habitat Re-Build.
Together with Habitat for Humanity of Durham, we will renovate/rebuild a home in honor the many years of service, dedication and community leadership of four remarkable men: Rabbi John Friedman, Reverend Joe Harvard, Bishop Elroy Lewis and Pastor Mel Williams. As our kick-off dinner reported, we will need to do some fundraising!
$25,000 by February 15 to purchase materials to begin the rebuild
$25,000 by March 15 to complete the project on time and on budget
Thinking of making a contribution? Simply send a check payable to Judea Reform Congregation directly to synagogue (with Habitat for Humanity in the memo line). Or, you may donate online by clicking here.
There will also be many ways in which you can help, but onsite and offsite:
- Building/Construction
- Fundraising
- Contributions
- Hospitality
- Volunteer Coordination
- Photos/Media/Communications
- Mitzvah Projects
Our rebuild will begin in late February. Until then, stay tuned for more information!
|
 SAS: Social Action Sundays
Many of the JRC parents spend the two hours of Sunday religious school waiting at or near the temple. Why not spend Sunday mornings helping the community and getting to know each other at the same time? We meet every other week to make casseroles to feed clients at the Durham Rescue Mission or Urban Ministries or to make blankets for traumatized children for Project Linus.
Meeting times are on alternate Sundays at 9:35 am in the JRC Community Court or kitchen:
Click here to check out our brochure.
If you would like to attend and/or donate ingredients, please contact Jen Richmond-Bryant: jenbillike@gmail.com. If you plan to donate a food item, please state which ingredient and quantity if you plan to bring something.
Want to make a casserole and drop it off (during office hours)? Click here for the recipe.
|
|
 I the Eternal One have called you to righteousness — Gates of Prayer
At the heart of our social action work is a commitment to bring into practice the core social justice values of Judaism and to pursue tikkun olam — ‘repairing the world’— through individual and group action. The Social Action Committee offers projects in two important areas: Tzedakah, emergency relief for the most needy members of our community, and Tzedek, social advocacy projects which address root causes of injustice, inequality and environmental distress.
We are guided by the principles of Reform Judaism, the expertise of the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism, and the URJ’s Commission on Social Action. We also work to build relationships with other faith communities in support of our common desire to create a more peaceful, more just world. The Social Action Committee welcomes new members and invites you to share ideas, know-how, and experiences to help us deepen and broaden our social justice work.
|
|
|
Yearly Tzedakah Projects: The Social Action Committee coordinates recurring relief and social action projects which rely on contributions from many congregants. Some of our successful activities include: preparation of Community Kitchen dinners each month, gleaning farms for produce to donate to the Food Bank, collections for the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur food drive, Meals on Wheels at Christmas, purchasing and promoting Equal Exchange Coffee, and raising money through participation in the Crop Walk.
One -Time Events and Partnerships: The Social Action Committee organizes and participates in a variety of one-time events. Recent activities include helping to build a Habitat for Humanity Home, participating in the March for Women's Lives, and hosting number of guest speakers. Our most recent speakers were Professor Trina Jones of Duke Law School, who gave a rousing and inspirational lecture on "The quest for Integration: Reflections on Bronw v. board of Education at Fifty," and Gerald Taylor, Southeast Regional Director of the Industrial Areas foundation, who spoke on the renowned social activist Saul Alinsky. We look forward to hosting former senator John Miller, who will speak to us about slavery at our Levin-Moscovitz lecture later this spring.
|
|
