Operation Shalom . . . A Call to Unify the Jewish Community

As Jews, we often claim to want to make a commitment to building community. There is no doubt in our minds that we are at a crossroads where so many people around the nation and the world, and especially in our very own communities, need connections with other Jews. The devastating earthquake in Haiti has brought such a strong wave of attention and charitable support across the globe, and has highlighted the importance of unifying for an important cause.

Having worked with over 350 non-profit organizations, with a major emphasis in the Jewish community, we see wonderful acts of kindness every day; however, there seems to be a strong sense of division among our community. While we commend all participation within the Jewish community, we believe that our community needs an immediate call to action . . . part of the “new normal”!

We propose that all U.S. Jewish organizations – including approximately 1,800 Jewish congregations and probably an equal number of other agencies, including Jewish federations – set aside two hours, from one to 3:00 p.m. Eastern time/noon-2 p.m. Central time/ 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mountain time/ 10a.m. – noon/West Coast time on Sunday, May 2nd, the Jewish celebration of Lag B’Omer, a day to celebrate community and be joyous, for a never-before attempted national expression of unity and outreach.

Call to action on May 2: All U.S. Jewish organizations, totaling about 3,600, should mobilize their leadership for a concentrated two hour period to make telephone calls to constituents of all backgrounds and interests and to encourage them to participate in a Jewish charitable event or activity.

We suggest that each organization’s Board and professional staff come together to contact both the marginally involved and the seriously passionate, as an attempt to include the entire Jewish community: those identified and others who are not.

Message: when you make your call, tell the person on the other end of the line that you are reaching out as part of a global effort to enhance and strengthen the Jewish community at large.

Imagine the magnitude of this effort if every institution agrees to reach out to at least 100 people all at the same two-hour period. The positive outcomes will be immeasurable. Jews across all movements will be reminded of their responsibilities to be charitably involved, while helping to build and sustain community. This call to action will bring together Jewish organizations across all spheres and send the message that we are unified and committed to helping those in need, and more importantly it should have an exponential affect on volunteering and charitable support.

Simple tasks as easy as picking up the phone can have an enormous impact on the Jewish community and can help us to create a stronger dialogue. Get involved with “Operation Shalom: Bringing 3 Million Jews Together” and inspire others to join in this effort. Let’s make this the first of many of initiatives that encourage strengthening hesed, our sense of community.

Submitted by The EHL Consulting Group, Inc.

Now that the initial 28 Days, 28 Ideas project has been completed, we’re interested in receiving additional ideas from our community members. Feel free to contact us if you have an idea you would like to share.