Social Action

CBI Supports Ukraine and Refugees Around the World

As part of our commitment to welcome the stranger, Social Action funds are allocated to organizations that work internationally and locally to support refugees and asylum seekers. 

Generous donations to our Social Action Funds have allowed us to make allocations to organizations doing humanitarian work to support the people of Ukraine, refugees from around the world, and the many recent arrivals in our community from Afghanistan. These included a 2022 donation of $10,000 to World Central Kitchen for provision of meals to people in Ukraine and those displaced by the war there.

Interested in CBI Social Action and Immigration Justice?
Messssage:  sac@bethisrael-pdx.org

Refugee “Restart Kits”

The Oregon Jewish Museum and Holocaust Resource Center and the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland are partnering with the Refugee Care Collective to collect “Restart Kits” for newly arrived Afghans.

Lift Every Voice Oregon’s Gun Safety Measure 114 Passed!

 Lift Every Voice Oregon (LEVO), a grassroots interfaith organization, was co-founded by Rabbi Cahana and two other local clergy in response to the need to act against the epidemic of gun violence. 

Gun violence has taken far too many innocent lives in Oregon and across the nation. No one law will fix all that is broken, but laws in other states similar to Measure 114  have been proven to reduce gun-related deaths and injuries, including a reduction in the large numbers of deaths by suicide using a gun. 

LEVO has shown that we are not helpless in confronting this problem.

A team of 1,600 volunteers, including many from our CBI community, contributed to the daunting effort of collecting the huge number of signatures required by the state to move Measure 114  forward.  

Measure 114 was the only gun safety measure in the nation moved through the initiative petition process to a state ballot. Rabbi Cahana was one of  the three chief petitioners for this measure.

Measure 114 will:

– Require a “Permit to Purchase” for all gun purchases

– Require a completed background check before  permit issuance

– Require gun safety training (classroom and live fire) for a permit

– Ban sales, manufacture, transfer and possession of high capacity magazines (greater than 10 rounds)

We took a stand and our voices were heard. 

While we rejoice in the success of passing Measure114,  our work is not over. We need to continue to educate Oregon voters on the importance of common sense gun safety measures, counter misinformation, and work for additional actions to prevent gun violence.  

2022 Social Action Tribute Funds Allocations

November 2022

From the General Social Action Tribute Fund:
Cascadia Clusters – $2400

From the Social Action Food Fund:
Portland Backpack – $2,000
MealsonUS PDX – $2,000
Jewish Family and Child Service – $2,000*
* for Thanksgiving Food Box Program
NW Towers Thanksgiving Dinner – $500

October 2022

From the General Social Action Tribute Fund:
Portland Backpack – $2,000
Cascade Abortion Support Collective – $1,000
URJ Religious Action Center   (RAC)* – $1,000
*in support of “Every Voice, Every Vote

June 2022

From the General Social Action Tribute Fund:
CODA – $1,500
Urban Gleaners – $ 3,000

From the General Social Action Fund:

HIAS  (Formerly Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society)              $1,500
IRCO (Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization   $1,500

From Food Fund:

Blanchet House                                            $2,500
Mealsonus PDX                                            $1,500
Portland Backpack                                        $1,500
Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center        $1,000
Native American Rehabilitation Association   $1,000
Stone Soup PDX                                             $500
Urban Gleaners $500

Robert Peltz (z”l) High Holidays Funds for Food

The 5783 Robert Peltz (z”l) High Holidays Funds for Food raised $19,970.   

Allocations have been made to the following organizations for their programs combating food insecurity:

Oregon Food Bank: $4,070
LiftUP (Formerly Lift Urban Portland): $4,000
IRCO(Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization): $3,100
NARA (Native American Rehabilitation Association): $2,000
Virginia Garcia: $2,000
Sunshine Division: $1,800
NE Emergency Food Fund: $1,000
Stone Soup PDX: $1,000
Urban Gleaners: $1,000

Brit Olam

CBI is a Brit Olam (Covenant with our World) committed congregation, joining over 200 other Reform Congregations in linked social justice work.

CBI has an ongoing relationship with our neighbors who reside in the NW Towers and Annex buildings. Our connection with NW towers is through Lift UP’s Adopt a Building Program.

Family Support

We  staff an afterschool homework club for school age children living in the Annex one to two days per week. The kids, many who have attended for several years, look forward to the club day. We have relationships with the parents so we can partner in our efforts to assist the kids. Snacks, games, art projects and socializing are compliments to the tutorial assistance.

We assist with purchase of school supplies when needed. Each child can receive either a winter coat or shoes in the fall and a holiday gift in December.

Sunday Food Pantry

CBI members provide transportation for pick up and delivery of Trader Joe’s food donations each Sunday for NW Towers’ resident-run Food Pantry. We also help with unpacking the food, which gives us the opportunity to socialize with the resident volunteers. The Pantry is a valuable source of fresh fruits, vegetables, and a variety of other nutritious items.

Social Programs

We host a variety of special events for the residents during the year including a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner, a New Year’s Eve party, and a lunch on CBI Mitzvah Day. Many volunteers of all ages are participants in these celebrations.

CBI is a member of the Interfaith Alliance on Poverty. The Alliance is a diverse and dynamic group of local faith based congregations with a mission of working to alleviate poverty in the Portland region.

Goals include:

• Increasing understanding of poverty, especially generational poverty.
• Engaging with those in poverty to provide direct connection and service, and to increase our understanding of the problem.
• Advocating for systemic change to help eliminate poverty.

Meetings are held the first Thursday of every month from 12:00-2:00 PM. Meeting locations vary and all meetings are open to the public and include educational components and thought- provoking discussions. The Alliance also sponsors seminars and workshops which are open to the public.

More information is available here.

An annual highlight of the CBI calendar, our community truly comes together each Spring for Mitzvah Day. Congregants of all ages participate in a variety of activities to support good works throughout the Portland area.

Mitzvah Day is run entirely by CBI volunteers, so if you have a great idea for a project or want to get involved in planning, please let us know!

Connect with Social Action at CBI

Our Beth Israel Community has a full slate of social action activities, from direct service to advocacy, that reflects our social justice teachings.

Your help is needed. Volunteer for an event or ongoing activity, or to help with the development and implementation of new programs. Participation in the Social Action Committee is open to all congregants. The following is a description of some of our programs.

The Social Action Committee welcomes requests for allocations from the Social Action Food Fund, Robert Peltz (z”l) High Holidays Funds for Food, and the Social Action General Tribute Fund. Please click to learn more and to submit a request.

Even in this time of physical distancing, we have ongoing projects to support our community. We continue our neighbors at NW Towers, including assisting with the resident-run food pantry.

With a long list of activities, there are always opportunities to help our community. These projects are open to the larger Portland- area Jewish community.

Click here for opportunities to volunteer.

 Questions about how you can get involved with the Social Action Committee? Email SAC@bethisrael-pdx.org or call Program and Communications Coordinator Tracy Manaster Alifanz at 503-222-1069 to learn how you can make a difference!