A Time To Act

From THE JEWISH WEEK

The Hebrew month of Cheshvan, marked from now through Dec. 1, is the only month on the Jewish calendar that does not have a holiday or fast day. But there is call going out this year to make it Jewish Social Action Month annually, here and around the world, a time to dedicate ourselves to fulfilling our individual and collective responsibility to help our fellow man and improve the world.

The concept of devoting Cheshvan to acts of kindness, following a month of introspection and prayer during the High Holy Days, comes from a new organization called Kol Dor (voice of a generation), composed of young lay activists from 18 countries. (See Editor’s column on this page.) The group is an outgrowth of a commission created by UJA-Federation of New York to strengthen ties between Jews around the world and foster the notion of Jewish collective responsibility.

“The factors that maintain cohesiveness are weakening,” noted John Ruskay, vice president and CEO of UJA-Federation, “and this was one of several initiatives to create a stronger sense of identity among Jews.”

The message of social action is particularly appealing to a new generation that is seeking meaning from Jewish life yet is sometimes resistant to organizations and institutions associated with the Jewish establishment. The Torah reminds us of our obligation to be a people of compassion and help those in need, remembering that we were once slaves in Egypt. Those values are eternal, and we encourage our readers to do their part in this mitzvah, and to look at the Web site SocialAction.com for ideas, projects and inspiration.