Members of St Albans Masorti Synagogue (SAMS) took part in a number of local projects as part of Mitzvah Day, a Jewish-led day of social action aimed at making a difference to the community around them.
In the UK, where Mitzvah Day began, it is the largest multi-faith day of social action and provides an opportunity to strengthen relationships with other faith groups by carrying out hands-on social action, side-by-side.
For SAMS, this was the ninth year they have participated, and projects included knitting woolly hats and scarves and cooking an evening meal for local homeless at the Centre-33 shelter, collecting household and baby items for local Syrian refugees and providing them with a family afternoon tea, and baking biscuits and cakes for children at the local women’s refuge and the elderly at Verulam House.
“Over 100 SAMS members and their children got involved. It took a lot of organising, but was hugely worthwhile,” said Nick Grant, founding member and Mitzvah Day coordinator of SAMS.
SAMS members also visited the JJBS Woodland Cemetery in Cheshunt, which offers environmentally-friendly burials. Over 100 native trees including crab apples, beech and hazel, all underplanted with daffodils were dug in by SAMS members including Rabbi Adam Zagoria-Moffet.
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