B’nai Mitzvah Tzedakah Ideas

B’nai Mitzvah Invitation Ideas:

• Include a special note asking each guest to bring a specific item to be donated such as a children’s book, food item, hotel toiletries, etc

• Instead of a traditional invitation, the Jewish National Fund will print invitations onto their tree certificates.  If you order over 100; you will not only receive a discount, but you will have planted a “forest” of trees in Israel in honor of your B’nai Mitzvah! Call JNF at 1-800-700-1312 or locally at (714) 957-4540.  Jewish National Fund,

      2900 Bristol, Suite C-104, Costa Mesa CA  92626 http://www.jnf.org/site/PageServer

Donate a percentage of your gift money to charity, or make a donation in honor of each guest and MAZON will provide stylish personalized gift cards to be placed at the tables instead of party favors.  Give 3% of the cost of your B’nai Mitzvah to:

MAZON, A Jewish Response to Hunger

http://www.mazon.org/

1990 South Bundy Drive, Suite 260; Los Angeles, CA 90025; (310) 442-0020;

Since 1985, MAZON has provided food, help and hope to hungry people of all faiths and backgrounds. It has done so through donations from the Jewish community, which is allocated to the most effective hunger relief organizations in the United States, Israel and in poor countries worldwide.

Ritual Items:

Order beautifully crocheted Yarmulkes and help support Mayan women from the villages of Guatemala. MayaWorks, the organization that sells them, is devoted to reducing poverty and illiteracy by creating markets for these hand-woven products.  The income they receive from these sales sometimes makes the difference between 2 or 3 meals a day.  Please make sure to mention you heard about them through Ziv Tzedakah Fund/Danny Siegel (see next page).  Great for bulk orders for B'nai Mitzvahs, Confirmation classes, and synagogue gift shops.  Contact: Kathleen Morkert, [email protected], 773-506-4905, www.mayaworks.org  

Fabulous Tallis Bags Made by Ethiopian Jews: Contact the North American Conference on Ethiopian Jewry, 212-233-5200, [email protected], www.NACOEJ.org

B’nai Mitzvah Decoration Ideas:

• Make a spectacular food basket/book basket, etc. instead of flowers to be used on bimah, and then donate.

• Instead of traditional centerpieces, make: pails filled with toys; gym bags filled with sporting goods; tote bags filled with books; and attach note to these creative containers stating which charity will be receiving them.

•  Instead of candles for a “Candle-lighting Ceremony”, honor your family and friends by having gift containers, pretty wrapped boxes, etc. that will go to various charities.   You can even coordinate organizations that match the personality of those you are honoring!

Send leftover B’nai Mitzvah food to a shelter.

Many families create a Bar/Bat Mitzvah service booklet to help explain the service to their guests.  One great addition to your booklet is to include a “13 Tzedakah Organizations” page listing your family’s favorite organizations for donating time and money.  This is yet another way to share that helping others is a part of being Jewish.

Continue your Mitzvah project after your B’nai Mitzvah.

Additional mitzvah ideas can be found on the Ziv website:

Ziv Tzedakah Fund, Inc.

www.ziv.org home page

http://www.ziv.org/direct_israel2.html Helping those in need in Israel

http://www.ziv.org/bar_bat_mitzvah.html Bar/Bat Mitzvah Guide

http://www.ziv.org/teach-6major.htm Seven Major Mitzvah Projects

http://www.ziv.org/teachers.html 116 Practical Mitzvah Suggestions

384 Wyoming Ave.

Millburn, NJ  07041

(973) 763-9396—Ask for Naomi Eisenberger

Danny Siegel over 20 years ago founded this non-profit organization to help fund efficient grass-roots community projects worldwide.  He seeks out ‘Mitzvah Heroes,” and then gives lectures to a variety of groups to get involved, to fix the world, and to make a difference.

Volunteer opportunities: Raise funds for this organization; call to receive a copy of their current annual report and help one of their “Mitzvah Heroes” directly.

Bureau of Jewish Education
of Orange County
One Federation Way, Suite 205
Irvine, CA 92603
Phone: 949.435.3450 Fax: 949.435.3456
E-mail: [email protected]
http://www.bjeoc.org/