Friendship Circle in Livingston distributes 3,000 tzedakah kits
In an effort to bring a daily act of kindness into homes in the area, the Friendship Circle of New Jersey in Livingston launched its Charity@Home project. FC volunteers delivered more than 3,000 tzedakah kits during the week between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
The Hebrew word tzedakah means righteousness, but it has come to represent a way to bring more kindness into the world. The Charity@Home project is a way for families to make a big change with just a little change.
Each kit included a Lucite tzedakah box, a card with directions, and a starter kit with two pennies. The goal is to drop a coin in the box each day and then donate the collection to a favorite cause or organization. The box is decorated with an original design that shows the Hebrew letters that spell out the word tzedakah bursting into flames, set against a backdrop of a sea. It was designed by mixed media artist Hendel Futerfas and is a visual representation of a midrash where God shows Moses a flaming coin to illustrate the power of giving. The design represents the spiritual power released through tzedakah.
“Tzedakah is core to who we are as Jewish people, and it brings us so much joy to help bring this daily act of kindness into the homes of our neighbors and friends,” Zalman Grossbaum, Friendship Circle and LifeTown’s CEO, said. “Our hope is that this project will start a conversation among parents and their children about compassion and giving, inspiring children to become givers themselves.”
Tzedakah@Home is the second installment of a larger series, Judaism@Home, that aims to provide easy ways to enrich Jewish homes and lives with Jewish meaning and practice. The first project focused on welcoming Shabbat at home.
More than 100 volunteers helped to pack the tzedakah kits and hand-deliver them to homes in Livingston, Short Hills, and surrounding towns. For information, go to www.CelebrateJudaism.com.
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