From its inception, B'nai Tzedek has endeavored to put into action the words "Tzedek, Tzedek Tirdof" (Justice, Justice Shall You Pursue) through activities within our synagogue and throughout the community. There are mitzvah opportunities for everyone, from the youngest preschooler to adults.

Habitat for Humanity
Congregation B'nai Tzedek is part of a special interfaith group with Habitat for Humanity whose goal is to build one house every year in Orange County that will be known as the Interfaith House! There will be opportunities on Sundays as well during the week for all the Jewish congregations involved to participate in the hands-on joy of helping to build a house for a needy family. There will also be many, many opportunities for families, youth groups, adult groups and all other members of our synagogue to take part in this ongoing project on many different levels; you pick what peaks your interest and your time availability!

Got your attention? You can call Habitat right now to volunteer to work on the site of the seven houses being built. Call Aeisha Gamboa,volunteer coordinator for Habitat Orange County, at (714)434-6200 ext. 235. She will be able to give you the dates available for working. Be sure you tell her you are from the Interfaith Community! The building days are Wednesdays and Thursdays from 7:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. No previous building experience is necessary, but you must be over 16 to work on the site.

That's the first piece of the project, and this is the second: together with the other churches, mosques, temples and synagogues, we need to raise money to support the project. No, our congregation is NOT being asked to donate money, BUT, we are going to be participating in a multi-cultural carnival to help raise funds for our site sponsorship. As of right now, the date will be sometime in March or April, on a Sunday from noon until 5, but we need to start organizing NOW. Soooooo, here's what we need:

1. Our synagogue is going to have a food booth at the carnival, so I need volunteer bakers as well as workers for the booth. We are asking groups to bring cultural foods so would love any special Jewish treats that you know how to make. It would be fun to get groups together to bake.

2. We will need people to volunteer to help set up the carnival and tear it down at the end. We also need people to help with advertising the event to our congregation as well as the Orange County Community. The more people who attend, the more money we will raise.

3. If anyone has any connections with a business that rents equipment that may give the group a discount or if you know a group of Israeli dancers or a musical group that would volunteer to perform, please let us know.

Please, please get involved. Social Action is a large part of what makes us Jewish; it ties us to our community and gives us the opportunity to practice mitzvot on an ongoing basis. We are looking for interested parties to join our committee to help organize and run specific events. If you have a passion for doing good work for the less fortunate in our society, this is the place for you! Please let us know if you are interested. Call Jan (714)964-7577 or Robin (949)586-5930.