Brandeis celebrates Sandy-delayed social action month

The Brandeis School celebrated a delayed JSAM (Jewish Social Action Month) on May 2, hosting a party for the children of SIBS Place. The event featured a bounce house, face painting, cotton candy, pizza and dessert.

SIBS Place, a program of South Nassau Community Hospital, provides services for children who have acutely ill siblings or parents.

The party was the formal culmination of The Brandeis School’s participation in JSAM, a program funded by the UJA. It was originally scheduled for the month of Cheshvan (October-November) but was delayed due to the displacement of many families suffering the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Adrenaline Entertainment facilitated the fun.

The Brandeis School kicked off JSAM last October, hosting its first community Chesed Fair, a collaborative venture with Rambam Mesivta. Eighteen charitable organizations attended. Students of both schools and their parents learned about possible activities of chesed (kindness) and were inspired by the many services provided to the community by the participating organizations.

Some of the organizations in attendance were Yad Sarah, which provides health and home care services in Israel; Kulanu, which provides programs for special needs children in the Five Towns; Meir Panim, which fights poverty in Israel; and OHEL, an organization that provides social services for the community. As part of the Chesed Fair, Brandeis organized a food drive for rockcanroll.org.

Brandeis students made “Shabbat Boxes” in conjunction with the Oceanside Jewish Center Hebrew School. Each box — a care package to help recipients celebrate Shabbat — contained handmade challah covers, candle holders, flowers with vases, fresh challah, candles and kiddush cups. They were donated to the JCC Food Pantry in Woodmere and to Come Alive, an organization that cares for people suffering from moderate to severe Alzheimers’ Disease.

The Brandeis School’s participation in the JSAM initiative demonstrated for its students the ultimate experience of tikkun olam (repairing the world) while helping to bridge the gap between people of different religious backgrounds. People of all ages were able to partake in helping to make the world a happier and better place.