(201) 262-7691 | office@jccparamus.org

CARE Committee (Community Action Reaching Everyone)

Our Outreach

In keeping with Jewish teachings and the tradition of Tikkun Olam (healing the world), our CARE Committee participates in diverse outreach projects each year. As our Jewish calendar year begins, we encourage our members to bring non-perishable food to the synagogue on Kol Nidre Eve for Operation Isaiah, which provides much needed help to the local food banks. Last September we contributed more than 125 bags of food and other necessities to Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Northern New Jersey for them to distribute to needy families. In keeping with pandemic safety, bags of food were collected as congregants drove up to the the synagogue’s front door to pick up their High Holy Day machzorim. Our collections for the local food banks continue throughout the year.

Pre-pandemic, the group provided meals a few times a year for the Walk-In Dinner program in conjunction with Family Promise of Bergen County. The JCCP/CBT holds bi-annual Turkey and Food Drives to help ensure that people are not forgotten at holiday times, regardless of their religion. At Thanksgiving, the congregations “adopts” needy families in Paramus and brings at least 25 meals, including frozen turkeys, to the Paramus Food Bank.  Chanukah finds the group assembling and distributing gifts to those in need. The group volunteers to organize and stock the shelves at the Food Bank in Saddle Brook twice a year.

Our Knitting Bees

We are fortunate to have a wonderful group of knitters and are always looking to expand our group! The clothing items are sent to a Jewish orphanage, the Tikvah Home in Odessa. Pre-pandemic, the knitters met each month at the JCCP/CBT to knit and chat. Currently, we are knitting and chatting over Zoom. Please see our website to join! Experienced or not, anyone is welcome to join the group. If you need instruction, was are happy to help!

Our Caring Community During COVID-19

The Jewish Community Center of Paramus/Congregation Beth Tikvah takes great pleasure in knowing that our members have been extremely generous with the time and effort they have devoted to our projects. Our youth, seniors, and all those in between, are working together to stay involved and to give back during the pandemic.

Since March 2020, the CARE Committee has been giving, donating, delivering, collecting and doing for each other within the synagogue and for those outside the synagogue.

Paying close attention to social distancing guidelines, we delivered delicious challahs to our members in September.

In October, we taped videos of our members reading children’s books for the Boys and Girls Club of Paterson Book Buddies Program.

During November, we focused our efforts on the “Adopt a Family” program through the Paramus Food Bank to provide Thanksgiving Dinner for more than 25 families.

For December, we collected toys and gift cards in partnership with the Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Northern New Jersey.

Solomon Schechter Award for Social Action

The JCCP/CBT is a proud recipient of a Solomon Schechter Award in the Social Action category. Our entry highlighted our “Every Day Is Mitzvah Day” project.

Contact the CARE Committee

We would love to have you join our group!

Call the JCCP/CBT office, (201) 262-7691 and your message will be forwarded to either Roz or Debbie.