Tikkun Olam

Part of CBH's mission is Tikkun Olam, or repairing the world. Members of all ages work together to promote social justice and have a positive impact on the communities of which we are a part. Sometimes this is through volunteering, sometimes through learning more about important issues, and sometimes it is through political action or protest.

CBH involves members in addressing issues such as civil rights, gender equality, living wage, human rights, and homelessness. Some of the organizations we have supported are SOJOURN, Georgia Equality, The Atlanta Food Bank, and Atlanta Jobs with Justice.

CBH's Tikkun Olam initiatives, facilitated through our Tikkun Olam Va’ad, focus attention and efforts around how CBH members can repair the world through education, advocacy and direct action related to causes they care about. Tikkun Olam monthly meetings (dates and times here) and programming are open to all CBH members.  

Current Tikkun Olam teams include:

• Hesed (Loving Kindness/Membership Care): Elizabeth Geiger

• End Mass Incarceration - Sandra Menes

• Environmental Justice (Green Team) - Bill Witherspoon 

• Trans and Queer Justice - Lyra Hudson

• Reproductive Freedom - Debra Saxe & Ellen Mazer 

• Tzedek (Economic Justice) - Brian Kaplan

• Va'ad Chair - Kristi Casey

Additionally, special interest groups have formed around member interests that also meet to discuss potential education, advocacy and direct service work. They are:

• Israel Havurah (Friends of Israel) - Ruben Haller, reubenhaller@gmail.com 

• Palestinian Rights - Lisa Adler, lisaadler@gmail.com 

Tikkun olam is an integral part of the culture and tradition of Reconstructionist Judaism and of CBH.
The concept of good deeds - ma'asim tovim - consists of three components: tikkun olam (the repair of the world), gemilut chasadim (acts of loving kindness), and tzedakah (righteous giving). We try to do some of all three!