Chesed Committee

The Chesed Committee (Chesed meaning loving kindness) is a new group at Beth Sholom with the primary purpose of creating a sense of community amongst the congregants where every member of Beth Sholom feels supported and cared for. Specifically, significant celebrations that occur throughout a member’s life will be recognized and blessed by Beth Sholom. And, crisis situations that also unfortunately occur in one’s life will be acknowledged, with comfort and support offered to the congregant during their time of need.

The Committee will be comprised of the Rabbi’s , Team Captains and Team Members. Information about the celebrations or crisis that arises in a congregants life will be passed on to the Rabbi’s and Team Captains in a variety of “systematic” ways. The Rabbi or Team Captain will then verify the veracity of the information and then act accordingly in a respectful, dignified, and discrete manner. Under no circumstances will the details of the situations be discussed outside the Chesed Committee.

As mentioned above, congregants will be able to provide information to the Committee about a celebration or crisis in a variety of “systematic” ways. The new Beth Sholom web site will soon offer a form that can be filled out and submitted to the Committee. Also, a Committee email id and a dedicated phone number will be provided if you prefer not to use the web site form.

So, how can you help make this a success? We need you to volunteer to be a Team Captain or Team Member. With enough volunteers, you efforts won’t consume your time. And, with the way the processes and procedures are being organized, you will be able to perform most, if not all, of your tasks from the comfort of your home.

Finally, to make this effort truly successful, we need all of our congregants to participate by sharing information about the celebrations and crisis situations in their lives and the lives of their friends and family. Most people want the celebrations in their lives recognized. But, we understand that it is more difficult for people to share the difficult times in their lives. We believe, however, that a close and supportive “family” is there for each other through thick and thin. Beth Sholom wants to be there for its congregants through the good times and the bad.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer Team Captain or Team Member, please contact Rabbi David Weisenberg. And look for more information to follow on how to share the times of your lives!