Check out some of the amazing things Temple Emanu-El has done!
Temple Emanu-El in Action
Rise Against Hunger
We packed 20,000 meals for Rise Against Hunger!
Past Events
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Packing Emergency Food Bags for Jewish Family Services
Past Events
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Cleaning Up a Local Park
Past Events
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Volunteering at the Hillside Food Bank
A group of determined volunteers from Westfield’s Temple Emanu-El descended on the Community FoodBank of NJ to help assemble after-school meals for children in the center’s kitchen and sort and pack food supplies in the voluminous warehouse, all of which were destined to provide relief to hundreds of families in New Jersey.
Past Events
How to Talk to your Kids About Race
As early as 6 months, children notice race-based differences. Between ages 2 and 4, children internalize racial bias. Conversations with children and teens about race and racism can be difficult. How do you begin the conversation? What is developmentally appropriate for talking with children of different ages from a young age to teenagers? From parents to families and caregivers, we could all use a little support in finding the right words.
We were thrilled to welcome anti-racism educator Jodi Friedman who shared best strategies for fostering these conversations with kids (and parents/childcare providers).
Past Events
Virtual Discussion with Bryan Stevenson
We were honored and excited that Bryan Stevenson, acclaimed human rights attorney, founder of The Equal Justice Initiative and author of The New York Times bestseller “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption”– adapted for film and released in 2019— spoke to Temple Emanu-El and our broader community.
Stevenson, a defender of individuals wrongly accused and mistreated by our criminal justice system, will discuss racial injustice as experienced by his representation of capital defendants and death row prisoners since 1989. His Equal Justice Initiative, based in Alabama, is committed to the fight against mass incarceration and excessive punishment. Stevenson, who has won multiple cases at The United States Supreme Court, speaks with unusual candor and insight about racial systemic mistreatment of the innocent that continues to exist in our country today.
Past Events
MLK
Past Events
Stop Asian Hate
Past Events
Isabel Wilkerson
Building on Temple Emanu-El’s highly successful livestream presentation last March by Bryan Stevenson, one of the most influential social justice lawyers of our time and author of “Just Mercy“, we are excited to officially launch The Temple Emanu-El Kol Tzedek Speakers Series, an annual program addressing various topics of critical importance to the betterment of our world and how we can move forward with hope and action. The lecturers we consider will be acclaimed authorities from their respective fields of specialization. The Hebrew term Kol Tzedek means righteous voice.
Timed to coordinate with the Passover season, when we reflect on our people’s enslavement in Egypt and flight to freedom, this year’s presentation–to be delivered by Isabel Wilkerson, will draw from her most recent #1 New York Times Bestseller “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents”, published in 2020. Based on her deep research into the history of caste systems, Wilkerson delves into our country’s treatment of Native Americans and African Americans as well as what the Nazis learned from studying America’s caste history and applied to their plan for elimination of the Jews. Given the rise in antisemitism and acts of hatred against other minorities, her topic is extremely relevant during these troubled times.
