On Sunday, September 7, teens from Temple Sholom’s Judah BBYO chapter as well as Temple Sholom’s teen choir, and JTeen of Westchester gathered in New Rochelle to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity of Westchester.
Temple Sholom’s Assistant Rabbi Rav David with teen volunteer, Rachel Kleinhandler. Contributed photo
The teens were assigned to work on renovating a furniture recycling center. The facility is currently under construction and is in the process of being demolished. The teens were asked to rip up, tear down and dig out the dilapidated building and surrounding grounds to help prepare for the new structure. When complete, the furniture recycling plant will provide individuals in need access to essential furniture for their household and will be operated by Habitat for Humanity
Temple Sholom’s Assistant Rabbi, David Saiger and Cantor Asa Fradkin led the group. Jim Killoran, Habitat for Humanity of Westchester’s Director, guided the young volunteers through their objectives for the day. The philanthropic teens were enthusiastic and quickly got to work. Rabbi Saiger stated, “The idea actually came from one of our own BBYO teens, Brandon Levine. I’m proud of his work and of all the teens that showed up and got their hands dirty for an excellent cause.”
Jason Schoen, a 16 year old member of Temple Sholom’s Judah Chapter of BBYO who attends Blind Brook High School in Rye Brook helped paint the outside of the building. He stated that “the Judah Chapter of BBYO helps raise money for important causes throughout the year. We volunteer to help everything from cancer to bullying.”
Temple Sholom in Greenwich is home to an extremely vibrant community of teen leaders. Their Judah BBYO Chapter was founded in 2012/13, is comprised of 8th-12 grade Jewish teens from the greater Greenwich community and is part of an international Jewish youth movement. Under the guidance of Assistant Rabbi David Saiger, the group elects their own officials and plans community service projects and social programs throughout the year. “Regardless of a teen’s Synagogue affiliation, they are welcome to join and attend the bi-weekly meetings held every other Tuesday evening from 6:30pm-8:00pm at Temple Sholom,” says Rabbi Saiger.
About Temple Sholom Temple Sholom is a traditional egalitarian Conservative synagogue located at 300 East Putnam Avenue in Greenwich, CT. Temple Sholom is the largest synagogue in Greenwich and serves the communities of Greenwich, Rye Brook, Armonk, Stamford and the surrounding areas. A full-service synagogue with modern facilities, Temple Sholom offers a wide variety of worship services and programming. Temple Sholom also has an award-winning Nursery School, a dynamic and exciting Religious School as well as engaging youth groups. The congregation is lead by Rabbi Mitchell M. Hurvitz (Rabbi Mitch) who is a scholar, teacher, community activist, and preacher and recognized as one of the prominent religious leaders in the area. For more information about Temple Sholom or joining the congregation, please call 203-542-7172, e-mail lori.baden@templesholom or visit http://www.templesholom.com.