About the Tikkun Olam Volunteers
As Reform Jews, tikkun olam (repairing the world) is not just something we do, but it is central to who we are. We recognize that we live in an imperfect world and are obligated to try to repair it. At Temple Shalom, the efforts of tikkun olam are spearheaded by the Tikkun Olam Volunteers (TOV).
In many other congregations, we are known as the Social Action Committee. But the concept of tikkun olam goes further than that. A broader definition of tikkun olam includes not just social action, but also concepts of social justice and advocacy.
- Social action generally refers to direct activity projects such as mitzvah day, collection drives, and education programs about current issues. For example, in terms of food insecurity, social action is collecting food for the food bank.
- The concept of social justice is less specific and refers more to the bringing of Jewish values and ethics to the public arena. This is the idea behind the ‘Golden Rule’ of treating others as we would like to be treated, with equal dignity and value.
- Advocacy is the active encouragement of applying Jewish values to the large number of overwhelming issues which confront our society. For example, in terms of food insecurity, advocacy seeks to change policy so that the causes of food insecurity are eliminated.
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These are all parts of tikkun olam.
TOV activites can be categorized in three areas, education, projects and activities. You can learn about these areas using the links below.
Tikkun olam Education
Tikkun olam Projects
Tikkun olam Advocacy
Annual Reports
“How wonderful it is that nobody needs to wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
Anne Frank (1929-1945)
“The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.”
Albert Einstein
