Temple Beth Am
of  Merrick, New York
brings books and joy
to schools in the Western Negev!

Temple Beth Am is a Reform Jewish Congregation, located in Merrick, a Long Island suburb of New York City.
As part of its ongoing effort to contribute to its community -- a community that certainly includes Israel -- Temple Beth Am's Social Action Committee is charged with finding worthy projects and then organizing Temple members to help meet those needs. 

In 2003, Michael Brody, chairman of the Social Action Commitee, learned about the Books for Israel Project from Pam Brandenberger, chairperson of the Temple's School Committee.  He brought the information  to committee members Gail Volk, Maxine Diamond, Ilene Buchman and Betsy Brody. The Social Action Committee quickly decided to endorse the project and set to work. After reviewing the profile write ups of several school communities, they chose to adopt the Ma'aleh Habsor Regional Junior and Senior High school flagship, which provides books to a range of schools in the Western Negev, including the regional kibbutz schools, which serve the communal farm populations as well as kibbutz youth, local Druze and Bedouin schools, and Kaye College which is taking adult level texts and books on educational theory and psychology for their teacher training work in the region. Beth Am's Michael Brody has been the main contact person with the Israeli flagship school.

So far, Temple Beth Am's Social Action Committee has sent over 20 M-bags of books, each weighing from 20 to 25 pounds, to Israel. The books are collected from Temple members and from others in the geographic area who became aware of the project through news articles in the local press.  Funds for mailing the books to schools in Israel are contributed by the donors through the Temple's "A Book and a Buck (Or More) for Israel" campaign.  The program is an ongoing one, so that collection bins placed throughout the Temple continue to be filled.

The books are packed and labeled by the Social Action Committee, Temple Beth Am's Men's Club and its Youth Group.  The Sisterhood has also provided assistance.  Books that are not considered suitable for the project are donated to a local hospital that cares for the needy.

Through the Bikur Cholim organization, made up of nine local Jewish congregations, Temple Beth Am's Social Action Committee has inspired other synagogues to start their own book drives.

Warm thanks to everyone at Temple Beth Am, of every age, who has joined hands and hearts in this wonderful book drive! Special thanks to Michael Brody, Betsy Brody, Gail Volk, Maxine Diamond, and Ilene Buchman for coordinating this entire effort.

 
 

Temple Beth Am's building in Merrick.
Merrick is a neighborhood in Long Island, a suburb of New York.

   Nicole, Beth Am's unflagging secretary, creates the labels on the computer and clears technical arrangements for the book processing activities over the phone.

 
 
From children in America to children in Israel, with love! -- the sixth grade Sunday School class gathers with Michael Brody for a book labeling and packing session.
 		   School principal, Sue Zucker, joins the 6th graders as they organize themselves into a factory-like line up, with each child taking on another section of responsibility in labeling and packing the books.
 

 

Sue Zucker, Beth Am's school principal (seated left) is joined by the Temple's cantor, Tanya Tamarkin.
 		   Processing the hundreds of books can take hours. These kids have a lot of patience, and demonstrate some real care for children in Israel who will now have wonderful books to read.
 
 

The unflagging sixth graders keep smiling, labeling and packing while Michael Brody oversees that the line up processing goes smoothly.
 		   Members of the Senior Youth Group at a book processing and packing party take a break of music and food before plunging back in to process and box up more books.
 
 

The Brotherhood gathers to celebrates Succoth -- and to volunteer for several hours at another book packing session -- in the Temple's Succah!   Members of the Senior Youth Group take a break with Temple Beth Am Rabbi Ronald N. Brown