For more information about any of our Sholom Justice programs, efforts and events, please contact Toby at toby@sholomchicago.org or 773-435-1536.

Temple Sholom Programs

Temple Sholom’s Monday Meal Mitzvah 

The Monday Meal Mitzvah is now back in-person, and we need you! Each week volunteers prepare and serve a warm meal to our guests in need. Volunteers have to be at least 12 years of age, and this mitzvah is a great opportunity for anyone looking for a wonderful volunteer experience, B'nai Mitzvah service projects, school service hours and more. If you have a child under the age of 12 who would like to volunteer, have questions about sponsorship opportunities and/or would like more information about our wonderful program, please contact Toby at toby@sholomchicago.org.

In addition to our weekly meals, we also take bag meals to Northside Housing to support their residents. If you would like to sign-up to drive, please arrive at Temple at 5:00pm and we will load your car with the meals (car is required). If you are in need of service hours, meal delivery counts as 1 hour.

If you would like to volunteer for the meal and/or deliver meals, please click here.

Feed the Hungry 

Every 2nd and 5th Sundays of the month, volunteers make sandwiches and take them to Another Chance Assembly in the North Austin Neighborhood for those in need. In the past, FTH took place solely at Temple, or at someone’s home if the building was closed. Our newly improved program will allow you the opportunity to sponsor a monthly FTH Sunday and take charge. As a sponsor, you would shop for the items needed, assemble the sandwiches, and deliver them to the church (at a safe distance with masks). For those who wish to sponsor a Sunday, you will be provided with a resource guide with all the necessary information needed. This will be a great opportunity for families, B'nai Mitzvah service projects, volunteer hours and anyone looking for volunteer opportunities. To sign up as a sponsor, please click HERE  to access the Feed the Hungry resource guide, please click HERE.

Restorative Justice Work 

This philosophy and practice help reduce prison populations and recidivism, bringing more health to communities and individuals. 

Pen Pal Program 

The Pen Pal Program connects congregants with a pen pal who is serving time in solitary confinement in the IL Prison system. 

Eco Chavura 

Dedicated to greening Temple Sholom’s sacred space through expanded recycling and composting among other initiatives. The group also engages in social justice environmental initiatives. 

Nediv Libo “Generous Heart” Donation Center 

Temple Sholom maintains ongoing supply drives where we collect household goods, gently used clothing and used cell phones. 

Blood Drives 

Sholom Justice hosts 3 blood drives a year, sponsored by Vitalant (formerly LifeSource). While we are currently unable to host the blood drives, it is safe and imperative to keep donating. Please visit a Vitalant center near you to donate. 

Advocacy Action Group 

Introducing Sholom Justice’s newest program, the Advocacy Action Group. If you are interested in advocacy, this group will be a place to come together and discuss/spread the word regarding issues action items that need immediate action. 

Click the image below to watch Jackie Baldwin's (JCUA)
presentation on advocacy, and what advocacy is.

The first initiative that the Advocacy Group has voted to pursue is the Pretrial Fairness Act (PFA), a section of the Safe-T Act criminal justice reform bill that was signed into law last February. Included in the bill are elimination of cash bail, which incarcerated defendants only because they could not raise the required money needed for their bail, and changes to electronic monitoring policy. These issues are to go into effect at the beginning of 2023.

We recently welcomed Emmanuel Andre, Cook County Public Defender’s Office; Sarah Straudt, Director of Policy for the Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts; and Marjorie Moss, Northwestern Law School-Children and Family Justice Center, and a member of our congregation to explain the PFA in more depth and answer important questions surrounding the bill.

To watch their presentation and the group's discussion, click the image below.

Gan Emunah (Garden of Faith) 

Located at the corner of Lake Shore Drive and Stratford, the Garden of Faith serves as a spot for outside enjoyment, reflection and peace, dedicated in memory of Faith Dremmer. 

Sholom Justice Shabbat
Each year on the Friday leading into Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend, Sholom Justice hosts its' annual Shabbat. We welcome a speaker, panel or organization dedicated to making a difference in people's lives. In past years, we have addressed Police Reform, Restorative Justice Work, Homelessness and Hunger, and more. This year (2022), we welcome Dr. David A. Ansell (author of The Death Gap) to discuss the inequalities in the health care system and what we can do to help. Below is the sermon he gave, and you can click here for our upcoming events to follow up our Shabbat.

Partnerships

Jewish Council on Urban Affairs

As a Synagogue Partner with JCUA, Temple Sholom works with communities facing discrimination through issue-based campaigns, community investment and bridge-building. 

ONE Northside

As a member of ONE Northside, Temple Sholom participates in advocacy efforts regarding state and local legislation addressing topics of concern including mental health, gun violence reduction and education. 

The Illinois Gun Violence Prevention Coalition (ILGVP) 

ILGVP works to change the culture around firearms by advocating for common sense, evidence-based, gun violence prevention measures that will save lives in Illinois.  

Illinois Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC-IL) 

With RAC-IL, Temple Sholom partners with diverse communities and meaningfully impacts local and state legislation with a focus on racial justice and immigrant and refugee rights. 

Chicago Help Initiative (CHI) 

CHI promotes an atmosphere of dignity and compassion toward those in need by providing access to food, health services, shelter and employment. 

Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) of Chicago 

Fueled by the Jewish values of Tikkun Olam (repair the world) and Hachmasat Orchim (welcoming the stranger), Temple Sholom is involved in advocacy initiatives with other leading Jewish organizations including JUF/Federation of Metropolitan Chicago.  

Join Us As We Welcome A Refugee Family!

It's been a few years since we welcomed our first Refugee Family, and we knew it was time to do it again! Temple Sholom is off the waiting list and is set to welcome a family a family of 6 from Syria (mom, dad, son-10, Daughters- 9, 4, 2) and there is lots to do. Please visit our Refugee Family page for all the ways you can get involved and help us welcome our family to the Temple Sholom Community and Chicago.