A Tale of Two Rabbis
Posted on April 15, 2013
This past Friday I sent the e-mail below to rabbis in Bergen County.
Rabbi,
I hope that all is well. You should have received an invitation to our breakfast a few weeks ago and I am reaching out now to invite you to join us as our guest and to encourage you to inform your congregants. I think we can all agree that chesed, tzedakah and tikkun olam are core Jewish values and that the more we do in these areas the better it is. Through our programs and resources we teach students, their families, schools, synagogues and communities the importance of communal involvement and have the pleasure of annually partnering with close to 200 agencies including JFNNJ, Habitat for Humanity, Jewish Family Services, the Jewish Home at Rockleigh, Center for Food Action and many Israel based organizations. This is our primary fundraiser and I invite you to join us and lend your support and partner with us by bringing Areyvut programs to your synagogue and community. Thanks for your consideration and have a Shabbat Shalom!
Areyvut is pleased to invite you to our Second Annual Bergen County Breakfast honoring Rebecca Sanders and Tzippy & Ezra Hiller. The breakfast will take place on Sunday, April 21st at Congregation Bnai Yeshurun. The breakfast will begin at 9:30am with the formal program commencing at 10:30am. If you would like to attend, make a contribution or for more information, please visit https://areyvut.org/events/?id=230 or contact (201) 244-6702 or info@areyvut.org.
Daniel Rothner
Founder & Director
Areyvut, Inc.
147 South Washington Avenue
Bergenfield, NJ 07621
P: 201-244-6702
F: 201-338-2427
daniel@areyvut.org
www.areyvut.org
About Areyvut
Areyvut, translated from Hebrew, means “responsibility.” Responsibility to one’s community, responsibility to the world. But when it comes to what Areyvut is about, responsibility is just the beginning.
Areyvut’s mission is to infuse the lives of Jewish youth and teenagers with the core Jewish values of chesed (kindness) tzedakah (charity) and tikkun olam (social action). Areyvut offers Jewish day schools, congregational schools, synagogues, community centers and families a variety of opportunities to empower and enrich their youth by creating innovative programs that make these core Jewish values real and meaningful to them.
I received two responses:
Dear Daniel,
Thank you for your thoughtful invitation.
I am intrigued by your organization’s existence, and curious about what prompted your formation.
It seems organic to me that a Kehillah would inspire those very values you strive to implant; indeed, these values are the vehicle by which we embody our souls.
Had it not been your experience that synagogues were skilled in teaching and living this way?
I am somewhat startled by that prospect.
Wishing you all the best in your important work.
And:
Thank you for your invitation. The very last thing we need is yet another layer of organizations. I support the very same organizations directly and do a great deal of work for JFS Food Pantry in particular.
We already have too many organizations doing the same thing. Try getting together with Federation they too do the same thing.
Let’s put a stop to spending unnecessary funds on needless solicitations and salaries so the money can best be put where it will do the most good.
You will not be getting a reservation from me nor will I encourage anyone I know to participate in your organization which I can only view as duplicating the efforts of others before you.
I certainly have many thoughts in response but will hold off for now and welcome your comments preferably on the blog or if you prefer at daniel@areyvut.org.
