Congregation Beth Israel Students Make Sandwiches For Other Schoolchildren During Hanukkah

Students in Congregation Beth Israel’s Religious School in Scotch Plains prepared sandwiches for Plainfield’s Second Street Youth Center on Wednesday, December 4.    The students, in grades three through seven, participated in the synagogue’s sandwich-making program to provide after-school snacks for school-age participants at the youth center.  The Second Street Youth Center Foundation is a multipurpose non-profit organization that provides educational, vocational, cultural and recreational activities for youth and adults in the Plainfield community.  Congregation Beth Israel’s Social Action committee runs the monthly sandwich-making events, which are open to all congregants, as well as interested family and friends.

 “We came together as a school to light the candles in celebration of Hanukkah,” said Elly Bauman, Education Director of Congregation Beth Israel.  “We wanted to combine the celebration with an activity that would benefit children in our community.” 

In addition to the sandwich making program, Congregation Beth Israel’s Social Action committee organizes various community outreach projects, such as collecting winter coats through the Jersey Cares Coat Drive and delivering meals to homebound elderly in the Scotch Plains area through Mobile Meals of Westfield.  The committee is currently planning its first “Mitzvah Day” fair, which will take place May 4, 2014, when congregants of all ages will engage in worthwhile deeds throughout the immediate area.