Tikkun Olam - VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Almost two millennia ago, Rabbi Tarfon taught, “You are not required to complete the work, but you cannot abstain from it.”
Looking at the world around us, the brokenness can be overwhelming and paralyzing. But our tradition teaches us that inaction is not an option. We have countless opportunities to do small things that can make a big impact.
Tikkun olam, repairing the world around us, is a core value of Judaism. Helping the needy in our community is an integral part of who we are at Wilshire Boulevard Temple. We strive to bring people together as we engage in meaningful work and experience the pride and warmth of our Jewish community.
General Opportunities
Clothe the Needy
Running out of room in your closet? Consider donating your new and gently used clothing to benefit the less fortunate in our community. Our partners, Food on Foot, the National Council of Jewish Women, and Dress for Success will ensure that your donations make a difference in the lives of others. Find the drop-off bins on the Davidson Patio at our Temple Campus or adjacent to the Nursery School Playground at our Irmas Campus.
Read to Children with KOREH LA
Read for just one hour, once a week with a child and transform his/her life. Many of our congregants have already volunteered and experienced how fulfilling it can be. Koreh LA enables youto arrange your participation around your schedule—it’s the perfect way to incorporate tikkun olam into a busy schedule. Teens are welcome to participate as well.
For more information, contact Koreh LA at (323) 761-8153 or korehla@jewishla.org
Imagine LA—Help Us Help One Homeless Family
The highest rung on Maimonides' "Ladder of Tzedakah" is to help the disadvantaged improve their own lives by teaching them how to help themselves.
There are approximately 8,000 homeless families in Los Angeles, and approximately 8,000 houses of worship. If each church, synagogue and mosque took responsibility for one family, we would end familial homelessness in our city—Imagine LA is based on this simple premise.
Imagine LA’s two-year program engages faith communities, existing service providers, and other stakeholders to address and eliminate family homelessness one family at a time. As a faith partner with Imagine LA, we have adopted a homeless family currently residing in “transitional housing,” mentoring them and supporting them as they transition into long-term housing and self-sufficiency. Speak with Rabbi Beau Shapiro to learn how you can help at either of our campuses.
Annual Opportunities
Care Harbor Health Clinic
Every fall, nearly 10,000 of the most needy in our city descend on the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena for the Care Harbor Free Health Clinic. Again this year, Wilshire Boulevard Temple teamed up with Care Harbor to make a difference.
The Care Harbor Clinic provides free care on a massive scale—everything from dental fillings, cleanings and extractions to eye exams and prescription glasses; medical exams and procedures to immunizations and screenings. In the span of a single day, this clinic brings help and hope to thousands.
Join our Wilshire Boulevard Temple Team at next year’s Care Harbor Clinic. Whether you’re a healthcare professional or not, we need you! In addition to medical and dental professionals, there are hundreds of volunteer opportunities to get everyone and anyone involved and make a huge difference.
The Big Give
As we gather together with our families to celebrate Thanksgiving, we cannot forget the thousands of Angelenos who are hungry and homeless. Once again, we will assemble and deliver 1000 complete Thanksgiving dinners to feed 4000 of our city’s most needy families. Last year’s event was unforgettable; don’t miss this opportunity to infuse your Thanksgiving with some added meaning.
Big Sunday
Sunday, May 5, 2013—Wilshire Boulevard Temple is again participating in Big Sunday, a city-wide day of inspirational g’milut chasadim (acts of loving kindness), where over 50,000 Angelenos build community through community service. This year, our Temple and Irmas Campuses are focusing on one specific organization each, to maximize our impact.
“A Day of Service Benefiting the Programs and People of HOLA (Heart of L.A.) 9:00 a.m.—For our Temple Campus participants, we will be meeting at Heart of Los Angeles, located at 2701 Wilshire Boulevard (less than a mile east of the Temple). Hands of all ages will be painting, preparing a vegetable garden, building storage and other items, and assembling food packages. Our Grade 1 participants will be working with the Grade 1 students of HOLA in painting a mural that will be displayed at the Sanctuary opening. At the end of the event, the Wilshire Boulevard Temple and HOLA families will come together for a barbeque and celebration of the day.
“A Day of Service Benefiting the Programs and People of OPCC (Ocean Park Community Center)” 10:00 a.m.—On the Westside, we will be meeting at the Irmas campus. An OPCC representative and OPCC client will talk to our families about OPCC, the needs it addresses and its programs. Our families will then work together to prepare brown bag lunches, assemble toiletry kits and cleaning supply buckets, and make no-sew blankets, all of which will be provided to either homeless or residential clients of OPCC.
View our Tikkun Olam calendar.
More details for this year's event >
Tu BiSh'vat Tree Planting
The Talmud tells the story of a man named Honi who was walking down the road one day and saw a man planting a tree. “How long does it take for that tree to bear fruit,” Honi asked? “Seventy years,” the man replied. Honi asked the man if he planned to live for another 70 years, to which the man replied, “I found trees with beautiful fruit in this world that my ancestors planted for me, so I too plant these trees for my children.” It’s in this spirit that we celebrate Tu BiSh’vat, the festival for trees.
We’ve been redeveloping the Temple Campus for well over a year, but in celebration of Tu BiSh’vat, we’re going to take that redevelopment to the neighborhood in partnership with our friends at the Koreatown Youth & Community Center (KYCC).
Join us for a community tree planting with our Korean neighbors as we celebrate Tu BiSh’vat together, and redevelop our shared neighborhood.
This event occurs in January each year at the Temple Campus.
Get the date and more details for this year's event >
For more information about our social action and social justice programming, or to share what you’re passionate about, please contact Denise Magilnick at (424) 208-8930 or dmagilnick@wbtla.org.