Social Action

"Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day."
- Sally Koch

"Everything depends on deeds."
- Rabbi Akiva

"Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For indeed, that's all who ever have."
- Margaret Mead

At Congregation Adat Reyim, the above quotes are not just sayings, but are the ways social action is lived. We pride ourselves on a strong Social Action program where everyone—from the youngest to the oldest members—can perform acts of Tikkun Olam.

We have on-going and annual events focused on helping the needy in our local community, including collecting and donating items such as school supplies, canned and packaged food, toys, and meals during the cold holiday season for charities like ECHO; working as earth stewards to clean our local waterways; and projects to help support our troops overseas, to name a few. See the list below to learn about our current Social Action projects and events.

Date	Project/Event
Month of February	Jewish Disability Awareness Month

We’re also open to new ideas if there is a special interest you might have—contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . All are welcome!

Virginia Jewish Advocacy Day—Putting the Action into Social Action

-Mike Perel, Adat Reyim liaison to the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC)

On Wednesday, February 1, I joined a busload of Jewish activists for a trip to Richmond to meet with the Governor, Attorney General, and many of our local state Senators and Delegates. We joined with Jewish individuals from throughout the state to promote a number of important issues to the Jewish community. The JCRC legislative agenda focused on the following critical concerns:

Passing a budget amendment to add needed funding for the Virginia Israel Advisory Board, which promotes job growth by bringing Israeli companies to the Commonwealth. Of note, they are also working to provide a direct flight from Dulles to Israel.
Supporting environment protection and energy security through bills to promote renewable energy and energy efficiently.
Opposing bills that would infringe on the religious freedom protections of the First Amendment.
Supporting bills to provide Medicaid coverage to legally-residing pregnant women and child immigrants.
Opposing bills to expand the current law to require arresting officers to check immigration status at the time of issuing a warrant or summons.

JCRC did an outstanding job of organizing the day, researching the issues, and providing explanations and talking points about them. I believe that the JCRC views on the issues resonated positively with most of the state-elected officials. More information about these issues can be found on the JCRC website: www.jcouncil.org. I encourage you to learn about them and contact your state representatives to express your opinions.