October 31st is a busy day on the American calendar, especially for families with young children. Here are two interesting articles that explore a Jewish approach to Halloween.
http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/news/jt/cover_story/jews_and_the_halloween_dilemma/27372
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On a separate note:
Beginning this coming Shabbat (November 4-5), there is an important campaign organized by the American Jewish World Service (AJWS), called: Reverse Hunger: Ending the Global Food Crisis. AJWS has asked Jewish communities across the world to take action beginning on “Global Hunger Shabbat” and to continue through the Thanksgiving holiday to work towards making a difference in the fight against hunger.
On November 5th, I will be speaking about global hunger, and in addition, I am encouraging everyone to bring in at least one non-perishable food item to the synagogue to be dropped off beginning on Mitzvah day (Sunday November 6th) through the remainder of the week. Please place this food in the wooden collection bin outside of the main sanctuary. All proceeds will go directly to the Food bank of Monmouth County.
Global Hunger is an overwhelming problem but our tradition teaches that while we are not obligated to solve the entire problem, neither are we free to ignore it (Avot 2:21). For more information about this initiative, check out the website at: http://ajws.org/hunger/ghs.
Soles4Souls SHOE DRIVE: Please also remember to drop off your gently used shoes for our Mitzvah Day Project on Sunday, November 6th, from 9am-12pm in the lobby at CTE. PLEASE lace or rubber band your used shoes, sandals, or sneakers. The shoe drive will continue through November 17th. Remember your donated pairs can be someone’s first! Let’s do a MITZVAH and “change the world one pair at a time!”
For more information about how you can help participate in our Social Action programming in general, please contact Lisa Guss at (lisa.guss@verizon.net).