[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 144 (Thursday, November 3, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12346-S12348]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                LAUNCHING OF JEWISH SOCIAL ACTION MONTH

  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I rise today to announce the launching

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of the first Jewish Social Action Month--a month where Jews around the 
world will be encouraged to engage in good works and service to their 
communities.
  I am joined in this effort by my colleague in the House, Congressman 
Steve Israel of New York, as well as members of the Israeli Knesset.
  Throughout the month--and every year in the second month of the 
Hebrew calendar, Heshvan, from here on out--Jews from across the globe 
will be encouraged to perform acts of loving kindness to their 
neighbors, regardless of faith.
  The concept of Social Action can be interpreted broadly and there are 
endless possibilities for action.
  The Israeli Friends of the Earth, for example, will be launching 
initiatives to clear up the debris which ruins our countryside.
  In Boston, Jewish students are working to help students in inner city 
schools develop their reading and writing skills.
  In New York, Jewish groups are delivering Thanksgiving meals to the 
elderly who are housebound.
  These are just three quick examples of the kinds of service we hope 
people will be inspired to undertake in November and continue year 
round--inspiring people of all faiths to join in service to their 
neighbors as well.
  The idea for Jewish Social Action Month came from two young men--
Josef Abramowitz of Boston and Aryeah Green of Israel--during a retreat 
in the Israeli desert.
  They wanted a way to motivate people of all ages to realize the words 
of The Scriptures that tells us to help those who have the least among 
us. For instance, in Deuteronomy we are told to love a poor stranger 
and give him food and clothing because we too were strangers in Egypt 
and God fed and clothed us.
  The President of Israel, Moshe Katsav, has been an enthusiastic 
supporter of Jewish Social Action Month and is lending the prestige of 
his office in Israel to urge that people heed this call to community 
service.
  I want to thank all of those individuals, groups, synagogue and 
temple leadership and membership who are joining this effort.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record 
a number of statements and articles relating to Jewish Social Action 
Month.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

 Declaration Regarding Chodesh Chesed Vetzedek, the Social Action Month

       It has been taught to you O man what is good and what the 
     Lord requires of you, only to do justice and loving kindness 
     and to walk humbly with your G-d (Micah VI:8).
       At the foundation of our faith lies the importance of acts 
     of loving kindness. Through its narratives and the laws of 
     the Torah, God calls on us to make our world a holier, more 
     just and caring place.
       At Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur we think about our 
     responsibilities to God, and everyone around us including the 
     needy of the world who depend on our support. We promise to 
     do more for them in the coming year. Just a few days later, 
     we celebrate Succot. This festival recalls Biblical times 
     when the Jewish people lived in temporary shelters as they 
     journeyed through the desert. It also reminds us that in our 
     own times there are people across the world in need of food, 
     shelter, warmth and love.
       As Succot ends, we enter the month of Cheshvan, the month 
     that has no festivals, a time dedicated to putting into 
     practice our pledges to be better people and to better the 
     lives of those around us.
       The Government of Israel, through its Ministry for Israeli 
     Society and the World Jewish Community has invited 
     communities in Israel and across the globe to proclaim this 
     Cheshvan a month of Chesed and Tzedek (loving kindness and 
     social justice). Everywhere, Jewish organisations will be 
     launching Chesed and Social action programmes.
       We are delighted to add our voices to this call which 
     echoes the voice of our tradition. We invite our communities 
     to seek ways to help and support those in need wherever they 
     are, so that through our acts of loving kindness, we may 
     indeed ``mend the world according to the Kingship of God''.
       May our efforts bring peace and blessing upon our 
     communities, the whole House of Israel and the whole world.
       Rabbi Menachem HaCohen--Chief Rabbi of Romania, Rabbi 
     Warren Goldstein--Chief Rabbi of South Africa, and Sir 
     Jonathan Sacks--Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom.
                                  ____

         Office of the Prime Minister, Ministry for Israeli 
           Society & the World Jewish Community,
                                      Jerusalem, November 3, 2005.
       I am delighted to send my greetings to this distinguished 
     gathering at the Congress in Washington to launch the first 
     ever Jewish Social Action Month. I would like to thank 
     everyone who has come today and in particular my dear friend 
     Senator Joe Lieberman and Congressman Steve Israel who are 
     hosting this event. My thanks also Yossi Abramovitch, Rebecca 
     Lieberman and all the members of Kol Dor who have worked so 
     hard to make it such a success.
       At the heart of the Jewish religion lies the importance of 
     caring for others. According to the rabbis, God made all of 
     humanity in his image in order to show that all people of all 
     faiths, colors and creeds are important to the Almighty. We 
     are taught in the Jerusalem Talmud that there is no limit to 
     the amount of loving kindness we should do or to the Divine 
     reward we receive for these actions.
       It is therefore gives me great pride as Deputy Minister for 
     Israeli Society and the World Jewish Community in the 
     Government of Israel together with the Kol Dor Organization 
     to launch the very first ever Jewish Social Action month 
     whereby Jews from all over the world and from every 
     background will take part in different activities to mend the 
     world and make it a better place for us all.
       I wish everyone here much success in their activities and I 
     thank you all once again for your support for this important 
     project.
     Rabbi Michael Melchior,
       Deputy Minister responsible for Israeli Society and the 
     World Jewish Community.
                                  ____


  Testimony of Yosef I. Abramowitz in Support of Declaring the Hebrew 
           Month of Heshvan Global Jewish Social Action Month

       Chairwoman Collette Avital, other Members of Knesset, Kol 
     Dor conference chair Yael Andoran, fellow Kol Dor Members, 
     friends and others who care about the future of the Jewish 
     people and Jewish mission.
       It is a great privilege to introduce a global Jewish idea 
     to this important body, an idea that can: help unite Jews 
     around the world; strengthen the global integrity of the 
     Jewish people; highlight positive Jewish values; and, of 
     course, catalyze the performance of hopefully countless acts 
     of hesed and tzedek, of social action and social justice.
       We at Kol Dor recognize that there are multiple points of 
     entry into Jewish peoplehood, especially for the under-
     affiliated of the next generation who are not joining through 
     traditionally prescribed ways. The prophetic call to repair 
     the world, which resonates clearly in Israel's Declaration of 
     Independence, clearly speaks to young Jews around the world, 
     across the religious and political spectrum. We seek to 
     harness this idealism, unfortunately often cast in a 
     universal rather than particularly Jewish frame. We seek to 
     join a strong social justice stream found in Jewish 
     teachings--as Rav Gideon Sylvester just demonstrated--with 
     the growing tide of alienated young Jews, and create a 
     powerful current of Peoplehood with Purpose.
       The idea is quite simple: The Jewish people, who have 
     contributed so much to the moral advancement of civilization, 
     will focus our energies and attention on the month of Heshvan 
     and transforming it internationally into Jewish Social Action 
     Month. Following the Yamim Noraim, when world Jewry is 
     mobilized to celebrate the High Holy Days, Jews will be 
     invited to express our people's universal hopes for humanity 
     and civilization by actions--local, national, international--
     that express our values of aryevut, and tzedek.
       The idea is to open-source this idea in all Jewish 
     communities, from Hodu and Kush, from Metula to Eilat, from 
     San Francisco to San Paulo, from Sydney to London, and 
     everywhere in between.
       As Jews, we know the power of symbols. In an era of Jewish 
     history when we live with so many internal divisions, our 
     communities want to rally around positive ideas and actions 
     that unite Jews worldwide.
       We seek neither to dictate nor control, but to provide 
     leadership. We seek to link powerful ideas with personal 
     example, doogma Isheet, and to seed the great imagination and 
     intellectual power of Jews worldwide, as they seek ways to 
     make a difference in the world.
       We, Kol Dor members from sixteen countries, respectfully 
     offer this committee and the Knesset the opportunity to 
     provide not just leadership to Medinat Yisrael, but to Am 
     Yisrael.
       Thank you for your positive consideration of declaring 
     Heshvan Global Jewish Social Action Month.
                                  ____


 Rabbi Michael Melchior Op Ed Piece for the JTA for the Jewish Social 
                              Action Month

       As the member of the Government of Israel with 
     responsibility for the world Jewish community, I have the 
     privilege of meeting Jews of all types, from all over the 
     world. There are huge cultural, historical and theological 
     variations amongst Jews and these lend color and variety to 
     our people. But the differences also create problems. The 
     deep rifts that occurred in Israel over the issue of 
     disengagement and the battles between different groups 
     demonstrated once again the profound divisions amongst us. 
     The Jewish people stand in danger of splitting into different 
     factions with different narratives. Amidst so much diversity, 
     what can unite us?

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       Wherever I travel in the Jewish world, I am struck by the 
     way that Jewish people of all types are determined to make a 
     Kiddush Hashem (sanctification of God's name) and to avoid a 
     Hillul Hashem (desecration of God's name). The concept of the 
     Kiddush Hashem originates in the Biblical command ``I shall 
     be sanctified amongst the people of Israel''. One 
     interpretation of this verse is that Jews should display 
     total dedication to their faith and even be willing to lay 
     down their lives for it. This belief motivated millions of 
     Jewish martyrs throughout our history to give up their lives 
     rather than abandon their Judaism. Today, it is rare for Jews 
     to be faced with such a stark choice between their faith and 
     their lives, but Kiddush Hashem offers another powerful 
     challenge which has particular resonance in our times. Each 
     one of us has to ensure that the word ``Jewish'' is always 
     associated with the highest levels of ethics and kindness, so 
     that our behavior always brings credit to our heritage and to 
     our God.
       On a daily basis, we witness the disgrace that is attached 
     to religion when it is linked with the horrors of priests 
     engaging in child abuse and the fanaticism of ``religious'' 
     suicide bombers. Tragically, throughout our long history, our 
     own faith has also spawned instances of the desecration of 
     God's name. The rabbis recognized these and declared that it 
     was our failure to show care, compassion, decency and loving 
     kindness to one another that caused so many of our sorrows 
     including the destruction of the Temple. In our own times, 
     the most famous desecration of God's name was the massacre of 
     Arabs at prayer in the mosque in Hebron and the murder of the 
     Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. It was these outrages 
     that drove me to put to aside my work as a Chief Rabbi of 
     Norway and to enter Israeli politics. I felt that it was 
     crucial for the government of Israel to work on a grand scale 
     to restore the image of Judaism from one of intolerance and 
     fanaticism to one of ethics, tolerance and compassion. It was 
     my duty as a rabbi to play my part in that campaign. This is 
     a crucial message of Judaism. Holiness is not the exclusive 
     possession of those who engage in detailed ritual observance 
     nor is it the preserve of those who devote their energies to 
     the pursuit of spirituality; true holiness is found in the 
     small actions that make a profound difference to the lives of 
     the people around us and the world they live in.
       This is why I am so delighted that in partnership with the 
     Koldor organization, my office is launching the Jewish Social 
     Action Month this Cheshvan (November). It falls one month 
     after Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur so it is a time to draw on 
     all of the resolutions that we made over the High Holidays. 
     It's also a month with no festivals in it which enables us to 
     dedicate time to Social Action activities.
       Throughout the month Jews from across the globe will be 
     performing acts of loving kindness to their neighbors both 
     Jewish and Gentile. The concept of social action can be 
     interpreted broadly and there are endless possibilities for 
     action. The Israeli Friends of the Earth, for example, will 
     be launching initiatives to clear up the debris which ruins 
     our countryside, the Israeli Police Force will be engaging in 
     projects to show care and concern in the community, one youth 
     movement will be organizing a sports event for the 
     underprivileged, another arranging a national blood donation 
     drive. It is beautiful to see how in Israel, and spreading 
     across South America, North America, Russia, and Europe, Jews 
     ranging from Chief Rabbis to the most secular of our people 
     will be engaged in the Social Action Month.
       I very much hope that you will feel moved to join in the 
     project; to make a Kiddush Hashem and turn our world into a 
     better place. I look forward to hearing about your activities 
     and reading about them on the website of the Prime minister 
     of Israel.
                                  ____


     Check the Calendar--Cheshvan is now Jewish Social Action Month

                             (By Tzvi Kahn)

       New York, June 30.--Aryeh Green and Yosef Abramowitz were 
     sipping tea in a Bedouin tent last year in Sde Boker, a 
     kibbutz in Israel's Negev desert, when they had an idea.
       Participants at a conference of Kol Dor, an organization 
     that seeks to revitalize Jewish activism and unity across the 
     globe, the two were discussing how the group could promote 
     Jewish identity and peoplehood.
       ``Most Jewish institutions and endeavors are out of touch 
     with the next generation of Jews because of a lack of 
     relevance,'' Abramowitz, CEO of Jewish Family and Life, which 
     publishes several Jewish Web sites and magazines, told JTA. 
     ``But we do know that the idealism and the desire to 
     contribute to the world'' are predominant.
       It occurred to them that a month in the Jewish calendar 
     formally dedicated to social action would be an ideal means 
     of mobilizing and inspiring the Jewish community.
       Their initiative received a major boost this week when the 
     Knesset's Committee on Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora 
     Affairs proclaimed the Jewish month of Cheshvan, which falls 
     in November this year, as Social Action Month.
       According to Green, who serves as an adviser to former 
     Israeli Cabinet minister Natan Sharansky, ``We agreed that if 
     we wanted Kol Dor to succeed, we would have to focus on 
     practical, tangible contributions.''
       ``What makes this initiative interesting and unique is that 
     it harnesses the power of different social action and Jewish 
     organizations to get involved,'' Green said. The goal is not 
     to spearhead specific projects, but to ``pull together the 
     existing frameworks of social action.''
       The effort has garnered the support of various Jewish 
     groups, including the Jewish Agency for Israel and Hillel: 
     The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, the Israel Defense 
     Forces' education branch and the World Union of Jewish 
     Students.
       Abramowitz said Labor Party legislator Colette Avital, who 
     chairs the Knesset's immigration committee, has sent a letter 
     to various Jewish organizations expressing support.
       Jewish schools in Israel and the Diaspora will be a 
     particular focus of the initiative. According to Abramowitz, 
     Social Action Month will receive special attention in the 
     BabagaNewz, a monthly magazine on Jewish values that JFL 
     publishes for elementary school students. The magazine serves 
     1,400 Jewish schools and has a circulation of more than 
     40,000.
       The JFL journal Sh'ma and magazine JVibe also intend to 
     publish features on the subject, he said.
       Abramowitz said Cheshvan was selected for the project 
     because it immediately follows the High Holidays, which 
     usually spur higher levels of Jewish observance.
       The Knesset decision also represents a victory for Kol Dor, 
     whose philosophy formed the ideological foundation for Social 
     Action Month.
       ``The paradigm that we are advocating in Jewish life is 
     that peoplehood is a central mobilizing force,'' Abramowitz 
     said, citing the success of the movement to rescue Soviet 
     Jewry as one example.
       The group seeks to use the Jewish concept of tikkun olam, 
     or repairing the world, as a unifying theme.

                          ____________________