Mitzvah Weekend

A congregation's Mitzvah Day initiative which has turned its efforts to a Mitzvah Weekend, educating and learning about the weekend's theme: Foster Children. The Mitzvah Weekend began at Friday night services with a speaker, who updated congregants on the status of the local state's foster care system. The next morning, congregants met for a panel discussion that outlined the needs of foster children in the local area.

Temple Beth Sholom
4144 Chase Avenue
Miami Beach, FL 33140
305.538.7231
www.tbsmb.org

Target Groups: Multi-generational Social Action Program, Youth Mitzvah Projects/Bar/Bat Mitzvah Projects

The members of Temple Beth Sholom have sponsored a Mitzvah Day for the past eight years, and in 2002 decided to expand their efforts into a Mitzvah Weekend. By having extra time, organizers could include more educational opportunities about the weekend’s theme, Foster Children. Mitzvah Weekend began at Friday night services with a speaker, who updated congregants on the status of Florida’s foster care system. The next morning, congregants met for a panel discussion that outlined the needs of foster children in the local area. Finally, on Mitzvah Day, volunteers participated in ten hands-on projects that directly benefited foster children, in addition to thirty other community projects. Representatives from several local foster care agencies attended the post-Mitzvah Day Ice Cream Party and Mitzvah Mall, which raised money for this cause. Temple Beth Sholom has added depth and education to the traditional Mitzvah Day experience, and over half of its 1,100 members joined in these efforts.