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Home Programs Social Action

About Social Action

The Social Action Committee at CBI is part of K'lal Yisrael, the entire Jewish community. We pursue tzedek (justice) and perform mitzvot (commandments) to translate the words of Torah into the works of our hands. We are partners with God in tikkun Olam (repairing the world).
Speaker Series Shabbat
with Rabbi David Saperstein

Friday, February 10, Check in at 6:00 pm, Dinner at 6:15 pm,
Shabbat Service at 8:00 pm

Shabbat Dinner and Service Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of our Hunger Project, Beth Israel's Commitment to Social Action, and our Social Action Committee

Jewish Roots of American Law and Politics: Reflections on 350 Years of American Jewish History

rabbi david sapersteinA discussion of how Jewish Law and values helped shape American politics, law, and social policy.

Rabbi David Saperstein has served as director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism for more than three decades. Rabbi Saperstein has headed several national religious coalitions and serves on the boards of numerous national organizations, including the NAACP, People For the American Way, National Religious Partnership on the Environment, and the World Bank’s World Faith Development Dialogue. 

In 1999, he was elected as the first Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, and in 2009 he was appointed by President Obama as a member of the first White House Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Also an attorney, Rabbi Saperstein teaches seminars in both First Amendment Church-State Law and in Jewish Law at Georgetown University Law School.

Rabbi Saperstein will speak during a Shabbat service honoring Beth Israel's commitment to social action. A dinner, open to all, will precede the service. A celebratory oneg will follow the service.

RSVP needed for dinner only, by Friday, February 3. Dinner $25 per person.



Note: there will be no Family Shabbat Service or Soul Food Shabbat Service this evening. The Family Shabbat service will be held the following Friday, February 17 and the Soul Food service will not be held this month.

 
AniMeals Pet Food Collection

Dickstein PetsMonth of March

Donate dry and canned cat and dog food to provide meals to the companion animals of elderly and other homebound individuals. Collection bins will be by the guard station and religious school office. Monetary donations and zip lock bags are also appreciated. Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 
A New Tree Grows at Beth Israel

Sunday, April 22, 10:00 am

Help us plant a tree on Earth Day to celebrate Beth Israel’s 150th anniversary. All are invited to join religious school students and parents in the Price Family Courtyard for the blessing and ceremony.  Concurrently, we will be dedicating a grove of 150 trees in Israel to honor our profound connection to Israel and its continued growth and prosperity.
 
Adopt a Soldier Packing

Sunday, May 6, 10:00 am

Join us at Café Beth Israel to help sort and pack boxes of supplies going to active duty soldiers in Afghanistan. About 10 volunteers are needed. To volunteer or for more information, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Our soldiers appreciate these packages very much and have told us so in wonderful letters that you can read here.

 


Ongoing Social Action Projects

Hunger Project
Every Sunday, 9:00 am

The Hunger Project prepares and serves brunch on Sunday mornings at the Paul Mirable Center, part of St. Vincent de Paul Village, which provides services for homeless people and clients from the surrounding neighborhood. Your help is always needed to set up, serve brunch, and clean up on any Sunday morning from 9:00 to 11:30 am. CBI provides food, funding and volunteers for this program. Cash donations are also needed. Reservations are a must. To learn more about this rewarding mitzvah, visit our Hunger Project page To sign up, contact Terri Fine at 858 535-1111, or tfine@cbisd.org.


Knit and Nosh
Every 2nd Sunday, 9:00 am (no meeting in April).  Next Meeting February 12

Monthly meetings at Café Beth Israel. Volunteers are encouraged to knit or crochet 8-inch squares using washable acrylic or cotton yarn and/or crochet or sew the squares together. Squares or finished blankets can also be left at the Beth Israel office. Donations of washable cotton yarn welcome. Contact Susan Volsky at susanvolsky@yahoo.com, or 858-259-1667.


Help Keep a Senior Safe

Jewish Family Service offers a Fix-It service to any senior citizen with a caregiver in San Diego County. The Fix-It service repairs or installs safety devices in the home. The demand, however, is exceeding the financial resources. Please consider donating cash (online at Jewish Family Service and designate JFS Fix-It Service) or the following items:  carbon monoxide detectors, child-proof door knob covers (for Alzheimer/Dementia clients), door alarms, eco-friendly light bulbs, handheld showers, nightlights, suction cup tub mats.

Drop off locations: Beth Israel black bins at each entrance or JFS office. For more information contact JFS at 858-637-3354, fixit@jfssd.org, JFS Fix-It Service, or one of the "fix-it" helpers, CBI member Glenn Farber, at glennfar@cox.net or 619-460-5384.



Adopt a U.S. Soldier

Your monetary donations help us send drinks, food, books, games, health and hygiene products, boot socks and other items to support our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Each box costs about $30. Click here to donate online. Choose "Adopt a Soldier" as the designation, or you may write a check made out to "CBI" with "SAC/Adopt a Soldier" written in the memo and mail to: Congregation Beth Israel, 9001 Towne Centre Drive, San Diego, CA 92122, Att: Bonnie Graff. Call us at 858 535-1111 to make donations by phone.

Our soldiers tell us in wonderful letters how much they appreciate our care packages. Click here to read some of them.

For more information contact Linda Valfer or Program Director Bonnie Graff 858-535-1111, ext. 3800.



Promote Sustainability with Community Supported Agriculture

In an effort to strengthen sustainable/organic community agriculture and support local farmers, the Social Action Committee invites CBI members to join the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program at the new UTC Farmers Market on the West Side of the UTC Mall, Thursdays from 3-7 p.m. Rabbi Satz will be at the market every first Thursday of the month from 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. to meet and greet CBI members who are picking up their boxes.

Go to BriansFarmersMarkets.com for details on what is included in your weekly box, and how to join the CSA, Make sure to choose the UTC location as your pick-up spot.


Donate Your Old Glasses!

Drop your old glasses off in the basket at CBI's front desk for New Eyes for the Needy, a non-profit that has provided eyeglasses for over seven million poor children and adults worldwide.

Contact Program Direcor Bonnie Graff for more information.


Don't Trash Your Cell Phone - Recycle It!

Bring your old cell phones and accessories to CBI and drop them in the black bins near the guard stations. The cell phones will be refurbished and sold to developing countries. BITY will receive a portion of the sale price and the remaining net proceeds will be donated to gorilla conservation agencies. The refurbished phones will be used by low-income families instead of ending up in landfills.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Erev Shabbat Services

erev shabbat servicesClergy-Led Friday Evening Services

Join us every Friday evening to welcome Shabbat with song, prayers and blessings. These services often feature notable speakers and the beautiful music of our Youth and Teen Choir, Adult Choir and Chai Band.

Social Action at CBI

social actionMake the World a Better Place

We are dedicated to pursuing tzedek (justice) and righteousness and to performing mitzot (commandments), acts which bring us closer to translating the words of the Torah into the work of our hands.

Shabbat Services

torahs sanctuary congregation beth israel Clergy-Led Shabbat Morning and Afternoon Services

Most Saturdays Congregation Beth Israel holds Shabbat services in the mornings at 10:00 a.m. and afternoons at 4:00 p.m. in our beautiful Glickman-Galinson sanctuary. These services celebrate the Bar/Bat Mitzvahs of our members and are open to the entire community. Please join us and celebrate Shabbat!