On Mitzvah Day, the Jewish community celebrates the world of the volunteer. On Sunday, members of the Central Council of the Jews with Arab Refugees to work.
Josef Schuster, President of the Central Council of Jews, on Mitzvah Day 2015 in Berlin, photo: Jörg Carstensen/dpa
What is the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Berlin environmental projects and Arab immigrants in Berlin have in common? You want to be together at 17. November the world a little bit better. Because once a year, the Jewish community is calling on the worldwide Mitzvah Day. “Mitzvah” is Hebrew and means “good deed”. On the day of the good deeds of the Jewish community wants to show that anyone can do with different projects, some Good. On a Playground in Berlin-Marzahn employees of the Central Council of Jews in Germany and of the Film – and integration project “R. future TV: refugees for democracy and human rights will meet on Sunday lunch”. The Jewish community, and the members of the Initiative want to work together to build, cook, and bake.
The day in Berlin , A group of Jewish students from the synagogue in Fraenkelufer makes on 17. November in the garden of a retirement home over the winter. A Klezmer group plays on Sunday in the soup kitchen of the Franciscan monastery in Berlin-Pankow for 300 guests. Pupils from a 7. Class of the Jewish gymnasium plants and trees.
– Green T-Shirts in Order to strengthen the feeling of community, all participants on the day of the good deeds of green T-Shirts with the inscription “Mitzvah Day”.
More info and registration mitzvah-day.de. (lula)
Among them the Berliner Hannah Dannel by the Central Council of the Jews. In 2012, she learned through an article by the volunteer acts and the representation of Jewish values on Mitzvah Day in the United States. With the Judaism many people would connect the negative memories of the story or to attacks, says Dannel. In order to bring Jewish values of improving the world, or justice among the people, organized them, therefore, since the Mitzvah Day in Germany. This year, it has motivated the participants to projects with a positive impact on the environment.
“Last year, we have baked Christmas cookies for an output point of the Berlin panel. Makrobet This year we have been involved with a Muslim group for a Playground in Berlin-Marzahn. We get around in the city,“ says Dannel. For Sunday, you want to cook a typical Jewish soup. A total of 60 Refugees, Jewish people and children want to remodel the Playground and a farmer’s garden and winterize.
in addition, the group wants to build an oven of clay to bake in it Arabic bread for the Jewish soup. In the clay the Arabic greeting “Salam Aleikum to” – translates to “peace be engraved with you” – in Arabic, Hebrew and English. Then all want to eat together.
At Mitzvah Day 2015 had Dannel in an Emergency room for refugees in Prenzlauer Berg, the Refugees met that commitment today, for R. future-TV. At that time they had distributed there, together with colleagues from the Jewish Central Council of Hummus and drinks and music. Now, four years later, had come the Refugees, in turn, to the Central Council to involve himself in the Mitzvah Day and give something back. For many of them, it was at that time a special experience, just arrived in Germany to Jews have been received.
The integration initiative R. future TV was founded in 2015 by the Syrians and former refugee, Sami Alkomi and produced Documentaries. “We want to enlighten, even people from Arab countries, other people from the Arab countries about German values and rules”, so Alkomi. The films act of tolerance to different life models, of women’s rights, self-determination, or of anti-Semitism. Each episode focuses on Arabic with a theme of the democratic life, which is migrated due to different socializations, laws, and traditions is a challenge for the Course.
Met the two groups are now working together on Mitzvah Day 2015, in a refugee accommodation
On the day of good deeds, it was particularly important something, and it is not depended on the size of the wallet, said Dannel. With low-threshold projects such as the redesign of the Playground you want to get together with the Jewish community of people from their homes, and the volunteer’s strengths.
For the year’s projects in Berlin have logged in 250 Jewish and non-Jewish people. In Germany approximately 3,500 participants*would be on Sunday the inside when you plant trees, construction of insect hotel, or the Cleaning of rivers for a social with each other.
