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International Mitzvah Days in Central and Eastern Europe Fuel Goodwill and Recognize Volunteers
Earlier this month, thousands of Jews in communities of Poland, Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Estonia and Serbia & Montenegro gathered in their respective communities to celebrate the second annual "International Mitzvah Days." A collaborative international initiative of JDC and local welfare organizations, Mitzvah Days are designated to promote a culture of voluntarism through Jewish-inspired activism and to acknowledge the contributions of current volunteers.
"I've been volunteering in the Jewish community for seven years, mostly delivering meals to elderly people," said Teodor, a 32-year-old volunteer from Warsaw. "It's very fulfilling for me as a person and as a Jew. I want to impact other people’s lives and I also want to develop my own potential to be a leader." In the Jewish tradition, the word Mitzvah (which literally means "commandment") is loosely translated to mean a good deed that one is obliged to fulfill. The giving of one’s time to good deeds such as delivering meals and medication to welfare clients, assisting with program development, and visiting the ill are ??mitzvoth OR Mitzvah that today are fulfilled by 70 registered volunteers of The Jewish Social Welfare Commission in Warsaw, and hundreds more Jewish community members throughout Central and Eastern Europe. To encourage and honor their participation, special Shabbat dinners and festive ceremonies were held for volunteers and their assistees, where they received certificates and token gifts of thanks. But amidst cultures where there is little if any precedent for voluntarism — particularly in post-Communist societies — volunteers give of their time for reasons far more profound than public recognition. Kamila, a 19-year-old Geology student and office manager of the Polish Union of Jewish Students (PUSZ), is a dedicated volunteer in the community. She first learned that she was Jewish six years ago, at age 13. Kamila’s maternal grandmother, having survived the horrors of the Holocaust, never discussed her Judaism and did not wish to pass along the tradition to her children or grandchildren. All of Kamila’s other grandparents and extended family members perished in concentration camps. Since learning of her roots, Kamila has taken it upon herself to read about the Jewish tradition and educate herself through JDC-sponsored seminars and summer camps. She explains her choice to contribute actively to the Jewish community and to embrace her identity: "Many Jews [in Poland], both younger and older, are ashamed of being Jewish; they're afraid of being Jewish because there is still a lot of anti-Semitism… Volunteering in the community is a way for me to respond to things that make me angry. It is a way for me to show respect for other Jews and also a way for me to respect myself. It is not always easy, as people who have survived the Holocaust don't always have healthy minds; they're not always happy. So, when I volunteer, or when I organize a Jewish event, or celebrate a Jewish holiday, I learn about myself, I learn about life, and I learn about responsibility." Iza, a 26-year-old member of the Warsaw Jewish community, feels similarly about wanting to reconcile the past and make a statement about a Jewish future through volunteering. Having learned at age 14 that she was Jewish, Iza began giving of her time at 18. "Jewish people in Poland have had a very difficult past. Many of the older members of our community feel disconnected, so I want to improve their quality of life. It just makes sense for Jews to help other Jews," she says, as though restating the obvious. "Volunteering is something I feel that I must do; it makes me a better person. And there's something very special about younger Jewish people connecting with the elderly. I think it's important to feel that we have a bond." It is for precisely this kind of commitment and spirit of giving that the community now recognizes volunteers each year through International Mitzvah Days. It is not only a time for volunteers to do what they do best — to make warm contacts with their assistees through visits, phone calls and other activities — but also to raise awareness of the needs and for the entire community to rally around the notion of voluntarism and its positive, resonating impact on Jewish community development throughout Central and Eastern Europe. January 2006 |
