This afternoon, I had the pleasure of being involved in our twice-annual "Shabbaton" for upcoming B'nai Mitzvah students and their families. At this event, we spend time explaining the requirements for kids becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, and introduce them to all the people they will be working with during the process. This year, I was able to add a new component to the day, one focusing on making sure the "Bar Mitzvah" focused more on the "mitzvah" rather than the "bar" (OK, this joke doesn't work so well for the girls ... but people still laughed).
This December, I attended a conference hosted by American Jewish World Service (http://www.ajws.org/) called the "Rabbinic Student Delegation Alumni Institute" (for the 150 rabbinical students who have now participated on their delegations all over the world for volunteer/study trips ... I went to El Salvador). While at the Institute, a rabbi I traveled with, Rabbi Elizabeth Richman, introduced me to a fantastic organization called "Jewish United for Justice" (http://www.jufj.org/) and a publication they created called "Green and Just Celebrations: A Purchasing Guide for Washington's Jewish Families."
This wonderful booklet helps families preparing for celebrations (such as B'nai Mitzvah parties and wedding receptions) make thoughtful choices as they celebrate the blessing they are celebrating. Not only does this booklet help make environmentally-conscious decisions, but it also focuses on honoring workers' rights, modesty, kindness to animals, and avoiding waste. This is truly tzedakah ... righteous decision-making.
This amazing little booklet can be found in its entirety online (please consider whether you actually need to print it out or not) at:
http://www.jufj.org/files/GreenJustCelebrations.pdf
Even taking one suggestion in the booklet will help make the world a little bit better. : )
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