Social Action with Agudas Achim Congregation
Current & Upcoming Events | Our Focus for the Year | How You Can Help | Refugee Update
"If justice and righteousness define what it means to be a Jew, then we must constantly search for ways to implement our values. If it’s the foundation of our covenant, we cannot say, 'I tried, I did my share.' Rather, every day we have to wake up and ask, 'Is there something that I can do? Is there something that I didn’t do? Is there something that I could try again?'”
--Rabbi Steven Rein, Kol Nidre Sermon, 2017
Please join us and get involved! All are welcome to join our monthly Zoom committee meetings that are typically scheduled for the second Wednesday of each month. Contact Committee Chair Samara Weinstein for more information.
Current & Upcoming Events
The Social Action Committee sponsors a range of advocacy, direct action, and education events throughout the year. Please see below for current and upcoming events.
Social Action Committee Meeting
Wednesday, March 1 | 8 p.m.
All are welcome to join the members of the Social Action Committee for their monthly Zoom meeting. Please contact SAC Chair Samara Weinstein for the Zoom details.
Social Action Book & Movie Club
Monday, March 27 | 8 p.m.
The Social Action Book and Movie Club's March selection is Lovesong Becoming a Jew by Julius Lester.
Lovesong is Lester's beautifully written account of his spiritual journey from the conventions of his Southern heritage and Methodist upbringing to his personal self-discovery through conversion to Judaism.
You can find the link to join the Club on Zoom in your eNews. If you've accidentally deleted your eNews, please contact Adrian Marcos for the link.
Have additional questions? Please contact Deborah Rosen.
Social Action Shabbat
Saturday, April 1 | 9:30 a.m.
Celebrate Shabbat with Agudas Achim's Social Action Committee and learn how our teens are having an impact on their community thanks to the JCRC's Student-to-Student program. After services, AAC member Doug Fagen will moderate a panel discussion led by teenage members of Agudas Achim, who will share their experiences with the challenges they face in today's social and political climate and what they've done to foster understanding among their peers.
Special Focus 5783: Equity, Fairness, and Social Justice
The mission of the Social Action Committee of Agudas Achim is to create opportunities for Agudas Achim members to perform Tikkun Olam (Reparing the World), Tzedakah (Righteous Giving), and Gemilut Chasadim (Deeds of Loving Kindness). With the news events over the past year, these are needed more than ever. Our events engage congregants in:
- Advocacy: We actively promote non-partisan civic engagement and lobby for socially responsible legislative change. Topics include guaranteeing reproductive freedom, protecting democratic institutions, and reducing gun violence.
- Direct Action: We sponsor programs that make an impact on people's lives and the environment. Topics include assisting refugees, food security, and protecting the environment.
- Education: We partner with organizations that promote greater awareness of opportunities to right the world's wrongs and the importance of equality for all. Topics include fighting racism and understanding the basic commonalities among all people.
Social Action Committee Activities Archive
Special Focus 5782: Local Community Activism
Special Focus 5781: Welcoming All Jewish Cultures
Special Focus 5780: Year of Song and Service
Special Focus 5779: Refugees and Immigrants
Special Focus 5778: Safe Spaces
Special Focus 5777: Racial Injustice
Our Partners, Projects, and Ways to Get Involved
Below is a list of some of the Social Action Committee's primary partners. For a complete list, please click here.
ALIVE!
ALIVE! (ALexandrians InVolved Ecumenically) is the largest private social safety net for those in need in Alexandria. Its programs are developed and supported by volunteers from 50 congregations and the community. For more information on how to get support ALIVE! and its current needs, click here.
HIAS
Originally founded to aid Jewish refugees, HIAS has since expanded to provide humanitarian aid and assistance to refugees of all nationalities, religions, and ethnic origins. It advocates for the protection of refugees, ensures that displaced people are treated with the dignity they deserve, and provides vital services to refugees and asylum seekers so that they can rebuild their lives. For more information, click here.
Carpenter's Shelter
Alexandria's Carpenter's Shelter serves over 750 homeless and formerly homeless children and adults each year. Agudas Achim supports Carpenter's Shelter by cooking b-monthly meals and raising money for their annual Christmas Dinner. AAC also periodically collects food for the shelter. To learn more about Carpenter Shelter's work, click here.
Refugee Response
In 2021, Agudas Achim was shocked and horrified by the images pouring out of Afghanistan as the U.S. military attempted to evacuate as many American and Afghan citizens as they could before the Taliban consolidated control over the nation. The AAC community, like many others, became determined to take meaningful action to support our Afghan allies. The AAC Social Action Committee formed a steering committee to streamline the congregations efforts.
Since then, thanks to the generosity of the Agudas Achim community, we've gone from supporting two Afghan Ally families to five! To read more about the impact that our efforts have had, please click here.
Social Justice Resources
Tue, March 21 2023 28 Adar 5783
