"Wealth will not avail on a day of wrath,
yet tzedakah will save from death." (Proverbs 11:4)
We are once again moving through the Jewish month of Elul, the beginning of the period of teshuvah — literally, turning or returning — that ushers in our Days of Awe.The soul-searching of this period began early this year. We mourn the deaths of all whose lives have been cut short by hatred and violence. For all who survive to carry the wounds, we pray for healing and recovery.
The tragedies are relentless and overwhelming — yet we cannot afford the luxuries of numbness or despair. No matter how heartbreaking the situation, there are always real, practical options for sharing our time and money, for bringing people together across differences to affirm our shared humanity. LEARN MORE
It is now 21 years since I returned from a five-year sojourn for social change in Israel. WAYS OF PEACE Community Resources was created out of that experience to focus on the timeless priorities of sustaining the poor, visiting the sick, burying the dead, and consoling the bereaved — "for these are ways of peace" across lines of conflict.
And three weeks ago I returned from the launch of Generous Justice, our new network of learning circles for tzedakah / just-giving. Tzedakah can save lives — and now a multi-generational cohort of change-makers is bringing the principles of just-giving to their home communities, from coast to coast in the U.S. and Canada.The month of Elul is a traditional time for just-giving disbursements. This season serves as a reminder of how each of us can spend our precious, finite lives more fully, day by day. How will you share your abundance to help repair this broken world? LEARN MORE
Please know that all of our combined efforts help pave the paths to peace in our time, and our world needs what you have to offer.
With many blessings for the Season of Turning and beyond,
Rabbi Regina Sandler-Phillips
for WAYS OF PEACE Community Resources
WAYS OF PEACE donates at least 10 percent of net staff compensation to other organizations that uphold our core mandates of promoting justice and kindness across lines of diversity.
