Rabbi's Message

Rabbi Elyse Wechterman
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Reaching Out to the Community
Nov. 2006

On Yom Kippur, I spoke about the caring needs of several members of our community and the desperate state in which many folks find themselves in this age of decreased social services and increased illness, mental illness, poverty and other challenges.

I received much positive feedback from members of the congregation – people responded both to my call for us to help out our members in need and to my call for us to think broadly about and advocate for changes to the social service networks of our communities.

I am grateful for the dozens of individuals who have called or emailed suggestions for the specific cases I mentioned or volunteering themselves as resources when needed.

Already, one member has driven to the home of one of our home-bound elderly to pick up money; driven to a drug store to fill and pay for a prescription and driven back to the woman’s home to deliver her much needed medication. One couple brought pizza to a woman’s house one night for an impromptu social visit and dinner. Two members have driven to another’s home to help rearrange clothing for the change of seasons. Several people have called another home-bound member and offered rides and assistance and, I believe, the left-over kugel from last Sunday’s Fall Fair has been delivered to several households who could use the food and the thoughts.

I am sure there is much more caring going on in this community then these few examples. Some I am fortunate to know about, others I may not. All of it is my definition of the word sacred. This outpouring of the heart, this reaching beyond oneself, sometimes in uncomfortable and unpleasant ways, is truly sacred. And for that I am grateful and in awe. To those of you who have responded with such gifts- thank you. The entire community is in your debt.

This is just a start.

As I said on Yom Kippur, I don’t have a plan or solution to the problem of more and more people – individuals in our community – falling through the widening cracks of need and services. But this is a start. Let me tell you how else we have started:

I have created a list of people who have volunteered to help in one way or another. This is my “Go to List.” When I know about or see a need in the community, I will send out an email to this list asking for help. I don’t expect everyone to help every time – but these are people who I know are not afraid to pick up a phone, run an errand, visit a stranger, if necessary. If you’d like to be added to the list – let me know. If you know of someone who is in need of help – let me know that as well.

I have also joined the board of the Jewish Family Service of Rhode Island. I am not yet sure how this will help our immediate needs. But I do know that we are not in a position to do this work alone nor do we want to reinvent the wheels that other organizations have created. JFS is the ideal agency for us to partner with as we struggle to cope with the needs of our members. It is my hope to bring their services to our community and to educate them on the imperative to serve those in our own backyards.

And finally, I have sent my Yom Kippur sermon (now posted on our website) to a number of leaders in the general and Jewish communities in the hopes of getting a conversation started. I am not sure where this will lead, but it is a conversation that must not wait.

There is so much that is wonderful going on in our congregation at the moment: our Shabbat B’Yachad and innovative educational program is in full swing; over 13 people have signed up for our trip to Israel in February; the Fall Fair was truly a success; we are planning our first ever congregational Shabbaton for June and we have more adult offerings in our community than ever before. Agudas Achim is an exciting place to be right now – and I could write lengthy columns about each one of these activities and programs.

But I trust you will find out about them somehow. (Please check the website and read our weekly emails). That is why I plan to use this space for updates and discussions about this very important topic of Caring over the next few months. I may focus on specific needs or issues of concern. But I want this to be a two way street. If you have an idea or have an issue you would like addressed, please let me know. Together, we can make the sacred a reality.

B’Shalom
Rabbi Elyse

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