Social Action
Upcoming Social Action Events
Cycling Savvy
An urban cycling empowerment series led by our own Karen Karabell.
CyclingSavvy for all in St. Louis, to be held March 14 & 18 at Shaare Zedek Synagogue, thanks to Great Rivers Greenway and local sponsors
Sustainable Kosher Meat Club for Passover
Put Kashrut and ethics on the same plate...several families did during our last order
Who: St. Louis Jewish Community
What: Sustainable Pasture Raised OU Glatt Kosher for Passover
Where: Online ordering here; community pickup at Shaare Zedek Synagogue
When: Orders due online: March 20, 2012; Pickup: March 28, 4:30-6:00pm
Why: Put Kashrut and ethics on the same plate - you might already buy organic foods, support local farms, and care about sustainability. Why not make the same choices with your meat?
More Info: St Louis Specifics and download the flyer
Questions: please direct all questions to Grow & Behold: info@growandbehold or 888-790-5781
Even More Info:
Grow and Behold Kosher Pastured Meats is a NY-based small family business, which provides OU Glatt Kosher pasture meats raised on small family farms.
Why buy through this club?
1. Pasture raised meat is better for your family - Grow and Behold's poultry and beef are not fed growth hormones, antibiotics or animal by-products. These animals live on lush pasture, not in confined feed lots. They are fed minimal grain, and mostly hay and grass. Now you can buy the same high quality meat that is available at local farmer's markets - only kosher!
2. Pasture raised meat is better for the environment - pasture raised animals fertilize their grazing land, and live in harmony with the seasons. Factory farm animal waste pollutes water sources and sickens animals.
3. These animals are slaughtered with dignity - you might have read the recent stories of inhumane slaughter at kosher meat plants in Argentina - Grow and Behold's beef are slaughtered under the techniques pioneered by Dr. Temple Grandin and animals are never shackled and hoisted by their hind legs, as they are at standard kosher plants.
4. Workers are treated fairly - workers are unionized, receive health benefits and are paid a living wage. They work under safe conditions.
Children's Book Collection
Structure and Standing Programs
Our social action committee is full of ideas and making environmental and socially conscious change happen at Shaare Zedek and its surrounding community. Our committee is broken up into two teams:
Na'aseh (We Will Do) Team
Our Na'aseh Team works to improve our community outreach efforts through several unique programs
Community Collections
The social action committee has arranged phenomenally successful collections thanks to the generous spirit of Shaare Zedek congregants:
- Blood Drive in honor of Rabbi Fasman
- Bone Marrow Registry in honor of Rabbi Fasman (TBA)
- Shoe collection for Shoeman
- Cell phone collection for Shoeman
- Winter coat collection for International Institute through JCRC
Jewish-Muslim Day of Service
We were glad to participate in the Jewish-Muslim Day of Service this past Christmas. It was a great interfaith experience in helping our community.
Food Awareness Shabbat & Food Stamp Challenge
Stay-tuned for our kickoff food awareness event and food stamp challenge.
Bar/t Mitzvah Project Database
We are working to update and refresh a project database for our bar/t mitzvah students to do meaningful community outreach.
Green Team
Our Green Team focuses on the environmental sustainability of our lives as Jews, a synagogue, and a St. Louis community. Current projects include
Paperless Office
We're working with our amazing office staff to streamline our office and mailing systems so that we reduce its carbon offset: less paper, less mailing, less work for everyone. We of course will not alienate those, however, who do not have access or do not desire to use digital systems.
Zero-Waste Eco Kiddush
Zero-waste kiddush has finally come to Shaare Zedek! Our first zero-waste kiddush occurred Saturday, January 21 2012. We use all compostable materials and send our waste to a local composter. For more information, see our brief one-pager.
Solar Panels
We are currently under negotiations to make solar panels on our roof a reality. We will be able to offset about 15% of our energy production with our own green energy, making the shul money and reducing our carbon footprint over the next 30 years. Stay tuned for more exciting news on this front.
Eco-Meat Club
Shaare Zedek was proud to be organize St Louis's first sustainably pasture-raised glatt-kosher OU meat. We will be offering the club biyearly before Pesach and Rosh Hashanah. Watch out for synagogue emails around that time.
Contact
David Levine
socialaction@shaarezedek.org