Social Action Spotlight

The Social Action committee is excited to share some updates on our 2026 projects and to reflect on what we have done in the past few months.

As part of our 2026 Climate Action Plan, David Lasris, Michael Palefsky and Leah Schwarz have started a vegetable garden in the backyard! We are growing tomatoes, squash and cucumbers. We hope that these home-grown veggies will make it into our congregational meals soon. Check out the garden next time you visit the synagogue!

We honored Pride Month on June 12-13 by welcoming JTS (Jewish Theological Seminary) Trans and Non-Binary Student Clergy Ambassador puck glass. puck lead Kabbalat Shabbat with guitar, gave inspiring D’var Torahs and led a group text study after kiddush lunch. They encouraged us to embrace change. As they eloquently described, “if we want [Judaism] to remain alive, we cannot simply preserve it exactly as we found it. We must love it enough to repair it, to strengthen its worn corners, to make room for new people and to hear new voices..” We hope to keep Judaism alive at RST through our dedication to Tikkun Olam (Repair the World) and our commitment to seeking out diverse voices.

The Social Action committee is now busy planning our next year of events, speakers and projects. Let us know if you would like to see anything by emailing socialaction@rodefsholomtemple.org.