hi all,
i have made a lending team on kiva.org for team chessed.
for those of you who don't know what kiva.org is, you should.
first of all, because it is the coolest thing in the whole wide world.
second of all, because it's an incredible opportunity to make a substantial impact in lives of others.
basically, you can lend any amount of money (from $25) you want to a variety of causes, and the idea is that they will repay you once their business gets off the ground.
anyway, there is very little risk in doing this--the idea is that you get paid back. and meanwhile, instead of sitting in a bank, your money makes a huge impact in someone's life, as well as empowers them to help themselves.
the rambam says that the highest level of tzedaka is to help someone be mefarnes him/herself. kiva gives a safe and easy way to do this.
i urge you to join kiva.org and make a loan. and definitely join team chessed's team.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
oakwood cemetery--today and into the future
we went with a group of eleven uchicago students and six (?) 12-14 year olds from hebrew school to clean up oakwood cemetery today. we got some really great work done, but we also realized how easy it is to go there and keep doing work there pretty much anytime. the cemetery is beautiful and absolutely rich with so many different threads of history. it is a pleasant walk from campus in the springtime, and i would highly encourage people to put together groups and continue going at other times. if anyone would like more info on what doing this would entail (it's pretty simple--it's intuitive once you get there) or how to get there or anything else, PLEASE do not hesitate to email me. and check out the pics on facebook. it's worth taking the walk over there just to see it alone.
thanks to everyone who came today. i hope you all drank lots of water when you got back.
thanks to everyone who came today. i hope you all drank lots of water when you got back.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Oakwoods Cemetery--CANCELLED AND (hopefully) RESCHEDULED
thanks so much for all your hardwork. due to torrential downpours yesterday and what looks like lots more rain today, we have to cancel today's trip to clean up the cemetery.
HOPEFULLY (i have to just talk to the person responsible for the jewish part of the cemetery), we will go next sunday instead.
just keep in touch about timing, etc.
hopefully, we'll be able to do this.
tizku le'mitzvot.
HOPEFULLY (i have to just talk to the person responsible for the jewish part of the cemetery), we will go next sunday instead.
just keep in touch about timing, etc.
hopefully, we'll be able to do this.
tizku le'mitzvot.
Monday, April 20, 2009
commemorate earth week
UChicago is putting together the following event:
Oikos Interfaith Lakefront Clean-up Service Project
Co-sponsored by Rockefeller Chapel
Sunday, April 26 at 2:00 pm
Join us as we close out Earthweek with an
environmental clean-up project which will bring
together people of different faiths in service to the Earth.
Please meet us at Rockefeller Chapel (in the lobby at the south
end of the Chapel) at 2pm to participate in a local Lakefront clean-up.
Afterward, we will return to the Fellowship Room, lower level of
Rockefeller Chapel, for refreshments and an interfaith discussion on our
faith and environmental action. Please RSVP to Laura at
marie1@uchicago.edu or 702-7111 if you plan to participate.
Oikos Interfaith Lakefront Clean-up Service Project
Co-sponsored by Rockefeller Chapel
Sunday, April 26 at 2:00 pm
Join us as we close out Earthweek with an
environmental clean-up project which will bring
together people of different faiths in service to the Earth.
Please meet us at Rockefeller Chapel (in the lobby at the south
end of the Chapel) at 2pm to participate in a local Lakefront clean-up.
Afterward, we will return to the Fellowship Room, lower level of
Rockefeller Chapel, for refreshments and an interfaith discussion on our
faith and environmental action. Please RSVP to Laura at
marie1@uchicago.edu or 702-7111 if you plan to participate.
team for cemetery clean up on sunday
we can go team up with bnai mitzvah from anshe shalom to clean up the cemetery THIS sunday (april 26). it would be a great time to go for a few reasons:
1. we want to do it and so we should soon
2. the anshe shalom group will have tools and ideas of how to do this, so it's wise to team up with them
3. serving as role models for 12-13 year olds is a really great thing to do
if people can make time this sunday, please please let me know so we can organize a ride and that sort of situation.
1. we want to do it and so we should soon
2. the anshe shalom group will have tools and ideas of how to do this, so it's wise to team up with them
3. serving as role models for 12-13 year olds is a really great thing to do
if people can make time this sunday, please please let me know so we can organize a ride and that sort of situation.
updates and ideas
it's been awhile, so i figured we should recap and update some happenings.
*we're still up for a trip to clean up the jewish cemetery on the south side. i am working to see if we can get some of our friends from surrounding communities to team up with us. it might only be able to be for a couple of weeks, but, even so, that could be really wonderful. any effort we put in means that much more has been done towards kavod ha'met. and also, this is likely the type of thing that, once the ball gets rolling, it may continue to roll much more easily.
*our first pairing up with an elderly person in hyde park is getting going. if more people are interested in this, i bet we can find some more people for them to spend time visiting, so just be in touch if that's something you would want to do.
*would people be interested in another clothing drive at the end of the quarter for when people are packing up to go home or to move? if so, that would be supremely easy to pull together. it can also be very short--we can do it for just finals week or something and then drive the stuff up to the ark or wherever else the donaters want to give to. so, again, if so, just be in touch about that.
what else? what other ideas of good stuff do people have for the next 8 weeks?
*we're still up for a trip to clean up the jewish cemetery on the south side. i am working to see if we can get some of our friends from surrounding communities to team up with us. it might only be able to be for a couple of weeks, but, even so, that could be really wonderful. any effort we put in means that much more has been done towards kavod ha'met. and also, this is likely the type of thing that, once the ball gets rolling, it may continue to roll much more easily.
*our first pairing up with an elderly person in hyde park is getting going. if more people are interested in this, i bet we can find some more people for them to spend time visiting, so just be in touch if that's something you would want to do.
*would people be interested in another clothing drive at the end of the quarter for when people are packing up to go home or to move? if so, that would be supremely easy to pull together. it can also be very short--we can do it for just finals week or something and then drive the stuff up to the ark or wherever else the donaters want to give to. so, again, if so, just be in touch about that.
what else? what other ideas of good stuff do people have for the next 8 weeks?
Monday, March 16, 2009
some political petitions of potential interest
The following are two petitions that regard different political issues that may be of interest. Some people may be opposed to one or both on any number of grounds. But this is not a political forum. So sign/send to your congresspeople if you see fit. If not, then don't. The end.
(Sorry that none of these actually come up as links; you have to cut and paste.)
1. www.jcua.org/progress
Jewish Council on Urban Affairs' pre-pesach petition regarding immigrant rights.
2. New York State Legislature's proposed Child Victims Act to expand the conditions of child victims of sexual abuse to report their offenders. Read more about the issue on any of the following websites: http://protectchildrenny.org/ http://www.sol-reform.com http://survivorsforjustice.org
Uri L'Tzedek has sent out an email with the following sample letters to your state senator/assemblyperson. Obviously, this is limited to residents of NY.
To find the name/contact info of your assemblyperson: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/
To find the name/contact info of your state senator: http://www.senate.state.ny.us/sdlookup.nsf/Public_search?OpenForm
Sample letter to assemblyperson:
Hon. (name), Assemblyman/woman, State of New York
Dear Assemblyman/woman:
I am a member of the Orthodox Jewish community. As a constituent, I strongly urge you to support, without amendment, the Child Victims Act of New York, recently re-introduced in the Assembly as Bill #A2596 by Assemblywoman Margaret Markey.
There is a virulent but silent epidemic of child sexual abuse in our society. FBI studies show that one in five children will be sexually abused by the age of 18! Measures such as safety zones, offender registries, safe environments, and background checks help with known abusers, but we need to do much more to discover the unknown predators, those who are often shielded by New York's archaic and inadequate Statute of Limitations on Child Sexual Abuse. Since predators are known to abuse multiple victims-as many as 100-we can not continue to let New York's children be at risk!
Studies reveal that children who are victims of this heinous crime require many years into adulthood to gain the strength and courage to name their abuser. And only 10% of these crimes are ever reported! I hope you agree we must change this appalling situation.
The Child Victims Act would accomplish the following:
1. Extend the deadline for a victim to file a claim in court-from age 23 to age 28.
2. Suspend the Limitations for just one year, so those who have been denied justice in the past when little was known of this silent epidemic, and victims could be more readily intimated into silence, can now have their day in court.
When California enacted such a suspension, more than 300 previously undetected predators were discovered. We must do the same for the children of New York!
Please don't let NY state law be used against our children! I will call you next week for your position on this bill, and to answer any questions.
Thank you for your attention to this most serious matter. Thanks, too, for all that you do for the people of New York.
Sincerely yours,
Sample letter to state senator:
Hon. (name), Senator, State of New York
Dear Senator (name):
I am a member of the Jewish community. As a constituent, I strongly urge you to support, without amendment, the Child Victims Act of New York, recently introduced in the Senate as Bill #S2568 by Senator Thomas Duane.
There is a virulent but silent epidemic of child sexual abuse in our society. FBI studies show that one in five children will be sexually abused by the age of 18! Measures such as safety zones, offender registries, safe environments, and background checks help with known abusers, but we need to do much more to discover the unknown predators, those who are often shielded by New York's archaic and inadequate Statute of Limitations on Child Sexual Abuse. Since predators are known to abuse multiple victims-as many as 100-we can not continue to let New York's children be at risk!
Studies reveal that children who are victims of this heinous crime require many years into adulthood to gain the strength and courage to name their abuser. And only 10% of these crimes are ever reported! I hope you agree we must change this appalling situation.
The Child Victims Act would accomplish the following:
1. Extend the deadline for a victim to file a claim in court-from age 23 to age 28.
2. Suspend the Limitations for just one year, so those who have been denied justice in the past when little was known of this silent epidemic, and victims could be more readily intimated into silence, can now have their day in court.
When California enacted such a suspension, more than 300 previously undetected predators were discovered. We must do the same for the children of New York!
Please don't let NY state law be used against our children! I will call your office next week for your position on this bill, and to answer any questions.
Thank you for your attention to this most serious matter. Thanks, too, for all that you do for the people of New York.
Sincerely yours,
(Sorry that none of these actually come up as links; you have to cut and paste.)
1. www.jcua.org/progress
Jewish Council on Urban Affairs' pre-pesach petition regarding immigrant rights.
2. New York State Legislature's proposed Child Victims Act to expand the conditions of child victims of sexual abuse to report their offenders. Read more about the issue on any of the following websites: http://protectchildrenny.org/ http://www.sol-reform.com http://survivorsforjustice.org
Uri L'Tzedek has sent out an email with the following sample letters to your state senator/assemblyperson. Obviously, this is limited to residents of NY.
To find the name/contact info of your assemblyperson: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/
To find the name/contact info of your state senator: http://www.senate.state.ny.us/sdlookup.nsf/Public_search?OpenForm
Sample letter to assemblyperson:
Hon. (name), Assemblyman/woman, State of New York
Dear Assemblyman/woman:
I am a member of the Orthodox Jewish community. As a constituent, I strongly urge you to support, without amendment, the Child Victims Act of New York, recently re-introduced in the Assembly as Bill #A2596 by Assemblywoman Margaret Markey.
There is a virulent but silent epidemic of child sexual abuse in our society. FBI studies show that one in five children will be sexually abused by the age of 18! Measures such as safety zones, offender registries, safe environments, and background checks help with known abusers, but we need to do much more to discover the unknown predators, those who are often shielded by New York's archaic and inadequate Statute of Limitations on Child Sexual Abuse. Since predators are known to abuse multiple victims-as many as 100-we can not continue to let New York's children be at risk!
Studies reveal that children who are victims of this heinous crime require many years into adulthood to gain the strength and courage to name their abuser. And only 10% of these crimes are ever reported! I hope you agree we must change this appalling situation.
The Child Victims Act would accomplish the following:
1. Extend the deadline for a victim to file a claim in court-from age 23 to age 28.
2. Suspend the Limitations for just one year, so those who have been denied justice in the past when little was known of this silent epidemic, and victims could be more readily intimated into silence, can now have their day in court.
When California enacted such a suspension, more than 300 previously undetected predators were discovered. We must do the same for the children of New York!
Please don't let NY state law be used against our children! I will call you next week for your position on this bill, and to answer any questions.
Thank you for your attention to this most serious matter. Thanks, too, for all that you do for the people of New York.
Sincerely yours,
Sample letter to state senator:
Hon. (name), Senator, State of New York
Dear Senator (name):
I am a member of the Jewish community. As a constituent, I strongly urge you to support, without amendment, the Child Victims Act of New York, recently introduced in the Senate as Bill #S2568 by Senator Thomas Duane.
There is a virulent but silent epidemic of child sexual abuse in our society. FBI studies show that one in five children will be sexually abused by the age of 18! Measures such as safety zones, offender registries, safe environments, and background checks help with known abusers, but we need to do much more to discover the unknown predators, those who are often shielded by New York's archaic and inadequate Statute of Limitations on Child Sexual Abuse. Since predators are known to abuse multiple victims-as many as 100-we can not continue to let New York's children be at risk!
Studies reveal that children who are victims of this heinous crime require many years into adulthood to gain the strength and courage to name their abuser. And only 10% of these crimes are ever reported! I hope you agree we must change this appalling situation.
The Child Victims Act would accomplish the following:
1. Extend the deadline for a victim to file a claim in court-from age 23 to age 28.
2. Suspend the Limitations for just one year, so those who have been denied justice in the past when little was known of this silent epidemic, and victims could be more readily intimated into silence, can now have their day in court.
When California enacted such a suspension, more than 300 previously undetected predators were discovered. We must do the same for the children of New York!
Please don't let NY state law be used against our children! I will call your office next week for your position on this bill, and to answer any questions.
Thank you for your attention to this most serious matter. Thanks, too, for all that you do for the people of New York.
Sincerely yours,
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