Our society relies on religious communities, including Jewish ones, to take care of people, to shelter and advocate for unhoused individuals, feed and clothe impoverished families, care for the elderly, advance the welfare and education of children, and so much more. Think about refugee resettlement. A significant number of US refugee and resettlement agencies were started by Jews or with direct support of the Jewish community, including the world’s oldest refugee agency HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society). That is incredibly inspiring to me and makes me feel proud to be a Jew. As a JCOGS member I am also guided by our mission statement of values regarding Tikun Olam:
Inspired by our ancestor’s bravery in the face of injustice and our hope to leave the next generations a promising future, we heed our tradition’s call to seek peace, pursue justice, and care for all of creation. Leading and collaborating in our region, we cultivate relationships of care for our neighbors, fellow Jews, Israel, and all peoples that translate ethical tradition into action.
One of the great privileges I have working daily with Rabbi David, volunteers, and staff is the opportunity to see the difference JCOGS makes in people’s lives. In countless ways, the collective strength of our Jewish community sets action in motion to impact our greater community. I will share a recent story we received in an email from a JCOGS member that defines our JCOGS mission in action.
“For my birthday I gave myself a present - I volunteered to provide legal services for refugees applying for asylum who were working with (US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) in Colchester. I never would have found USCRI had it not been for JCOGS’ involvement with their community, and in particular had it not been for a single email asking for clothing for immigrants in Vermont.
As a result of that email, I took my first asylum case. Then another. Then another. So far, I am up to 15 people, all because of a single email that JCOGS sent asking for help for USCRI. I’ve also recruited a crew of other attorneys to help with this work, who in turn have impacted even more people. And the arguments we have developed have helped hundreds of others with their cases.”
By the way, USCIR was founded by Jewish social worker Edith Bremer, in 1911.
Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday. I can think of no more impactful way to repair our world than to empower our JCOGS community by supporting Jewish Education. Click HERE to donate.
Are you ready to make a difference, both within yourself and in the world around you? Join us for a transformative monthly series that blends self-introspection, spiritual exploration, and action. Structured around Jewish holidays, each month will focus on a theme that connects spiritual insight with action. Please join us this Tuesday, December 3, 5:45-7pm for the first program in the series: Caring for Ourselves While We Care About the World: Towards Individual and Communal JCOGS Action. This month’s theme is Chanukah: Light and Resilience, Zoom only, click HEREto register.
This program will be facilitated by volunteer JCOGS member Alison Link, PhD. Some know Alison best as the wife of Rabbi David and mom of Adar, Yonah and Hersh. Alison is also a published author, trained spiritual director, leisure education consultant, and passionate social justice advocate whose work is deeply rooted in her love of Judaism and Jewish values. Currently in her professional life, Alison works full time as the Policy and Community Outreach Coordinator for Healthy Lamoille Valley, a program of the Lamoille Family Center and also teaches for Vermont State University.
If you are feeling uplifted and filled with moral joy, as I am reading our JCOGS member's volunteer story, I hope you will be inspired to join me at the December 3rd program.
