Tikkun Olam

Repairing the World

Social Action, Social Justice, Caring Community

Judaism teaches us that we should do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. Congregation Kol Ami is driven and guided by these principles of tikkun olam (repairing the world), and we have a proud tradition of helping those in our community who need it most. Our tradition compels us to take action and Kol Ami’s Tikkun Olam Committee is proud to robustly pursue the concepts of engagement, advocacy, and doing good.

Social Action

Through Social Action projects such as partnering with Jewish Family and Children Services (JFCS) on a with a multitude of needs-based product drives throughout the year and preparing meals at MANNA and Gift Of Life Howie’s House, we are ensuring that there are ways for everyone to help out.

Notably, we host a largely attended Mitzvah Day each January during which we bake, make pet treats & toys, clean local parks, make thank you cards for our troops, and various other acts of service, all to support our larger community.

Social Justice

Our Social Justice initiative goals are to educate ourselves and the community on issues such as health care, immigration, and civil rights, to advocate for change, and to address problems in our community caused by injustice and intolerance. We are champions for LGBTQIA+ rights and equality, and promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities.

Standing on Jewish values, we follow the policy positions set forth by the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, an arm of the Union for Reform Judaism.

Caring Community

Caring Community volunteers to support congregants in need and nurtures connections within Kol Ami.

Ongoing projects include: knitting Caring Caps for chemo patients (thousands of caps donated to congregants and regional hospitals!); making no-sew Blankets of Hope for members who are ill or injured and in need of a warm hug; supporting accessibility for particular needs such as hearing assist, special seating, or large-print prayerbooks; driving/senior rides to our Shabbat services or programming; various other courtesies such as condolence support, new baby welcome packages and more as the needs arise.

Mini-Mitzvahs

A subset of Social Action, Mini-Mitzvahs are single-day events that, while not a huge time commitment, still resonate and have a significant impact.

Some endeavors include forming a Gift of Life Organ Donor Dash team to raise awareness about organ donation, cooking at Gift of Life Howie’s House, volunteering at BookSmiles, and assisting in food prep at MANNA in Philadelphia.