2007 - United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

HONORABLE MENTION
ADAS ISRAEL CONGREGATION
Over 900
Washington, DC
Submitted by Joel Fischman 202-362-4433
On behalf of the Board of Directors and the Social Action Council at Adas Israel Congregation, we are pleased to
submit the Congregation’s Social Action Council and its extensive social action and community service program for a
2007 Solomon Schechter Award.
Social Action, as one of the three pillars of the Adas Israel mission: to help assure the Jewish future by actively
reaching out to families and individuals in our own community and by connecting the generations of our congregation
in an atmosphere of living Jewish values through the practice of tzedakkah and tikkun olam.
The Adas Israel Social Action Council was reorganized in 2003, with a new alignment of the several individual
social action programs and projects (listed and described below), all operating under the general authority and
supervision of the Council. This reorganization has brought greater coherence and depth of focus to the Congregation’s
social action, with the Council facilitating the efforts of the respective project committees. The Social Action Council
structure is similar to what many private foundations have in place. It is sophisticated and professional.
The overarching emphasis of Adas Israel social action initiatives is a focus on the needs of the poor and the
homeless in the metropolitan Washington area. That does not preclude active involvement in Community Outreach and
issues of Social and Economic Justice. Nor did that focus interfere with widespread Congregational support for relief
and rehabilitation toward those who suffered from the devastation of the 2005 hurricanes in the Gulf region.
We have been working toward building a corps of dedicated Adas Israel members to engage in social action
and community service volunteer opportunities, but also to achieve wider impact in the greater community, that is,
deeper and more meaningful tikkun olam. The Council and entire Congregation take great pride in the many
achievements in social action over the last two years. We believe we have made a significant impact in each of the
several social action program areas and projects to which we are bringing renewed commitment and enthusiasm.
Through the wide variety of programs discussed below, the Council is working to build relationships and alliances not
only within the Congregation itself, but also between the Congregation and many diverse community organizations in
the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, Jewish, interfaith and secular, with which we work throughout the year.
We are proud of these achievements, but believe we can do more. We are developing a new social action
strategy that would:
> Integrate the concepts of social justice and social action into the fabric of synagogue life by incorporating
them into our religious services, educational programs, and social activities.
> Strengthen social action leadership and involvement by reaching out to and engaging all demographics and
groups in the congregation;
> Create an expectation that each member/family unit in our very large congregation will contribute to social
action activities in the course of a year;
> Reinforce our current reputation in the Washington community with emphasis on current partnerships with
Luther Place/N Street Village, Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place (CCHIFP), Anne
Frank House, Darfur Interfaith Network, Martha’s Table, Peoples United Congregational Church of Christ
(PCUCC) and others.
.
>Continue to build on a proposed environmental initiative that has a growing support within the Social Action
Council
>Gradually expand the number of major social action initiatives and the involvement of congregants in social
action.
The past, present and planned social action activities of the Congregation as coordinated by the Social Action