SOCIAL ACTION COMMITTEE MISSION
The Social Action Committee is the bridge between the Temple and the community on issues of human rights and social justice. It enables the congregation to advance the basic precepts of human dignity that are presented in the Torah and supports Judaism’s important missive of tikkun olam, “repairing the world.”
It also serves as the link to other churches within the community and is the vehicle for holding interfaith services. This has been done on Holocaust Remembrance Day, as well as for a memorial service after the Tree Of Life Synagogue tragedy. The committee is responsible for sending a Temple representative to Faith Connection, a local not-for-profit that promotes interfaith dialogue and events. As part of Faith Connection we financially support and participate in the annual Church World Service CROP Hunger Walk, in racial justice initiatives, and other community-wide forums.
The Social Action Committee responds to man made and natural disasters. In the aftermath of Hurricane Florence it spearheaded a fundraising drive and distributed the proceeds to Temple families who had incurred uninsured losses. It also supports local and international charities that provide assistance to underserved communities. Locally it spearheads congregational efforts throughout the year to provide food for the local food pantry run by Religious Community Services (RCS) and globally it supports ATEG (Arts To End Genocide) a non-governmental organization (NGO) delivering free healthcare and nutrition to medically underserved children in Africa.
The committee is planning to increase its engagement with the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC) to address other current issues.