tzedakah

(see my tzedakah blog for background.)

Values
Organizations
PEACE. I want there to be peace in the world, and I see peace as something qualitatively different than either utopian harmony or mere absence of war. I believe peace begins within ourselves and in our relationships with the people closest to us. I believe we can cultivate peace through learning better communication skills, teaching people to respect one another, educating individuals and communities about other cultures and religions, and observing and sharing Shabbat in meaningful ways.
CRISIS, TRANSITION, AND GROWTH SUPPPORT. Beyond life-and-death emergency response, the right kind of support at a particular time can often prevent a crisis from turning into a long-term problem, keep a transition point from derailing someone, or help someone flourish. I believe this support tends to have the most impact when it is individual and personal, rooted in the relationship between people.
HEALTH. It is important to help people be healthy, stay healthy, get better, die peacefully, and not lose their shirts from a single health catastrophe or a chronic illness. It is important to keep them company when they are ill, and to teach good health, nutrition, and exercise from an early age and through the lifespan.
ENVIRONMENT. We live in a world full of beauty and power, fragility and durability, and we share this world with other living beings, from algae to human. We should take care of this world as best as we can, be mindful of our impact, seek to live in a sustainable manner that will leave the world a little better than we found it, and teach these skills to the next generation.
THE ARTS. The arts are important to our mental health and creativity and happiness and enjoyment of life and fulfillment of self. Inviting kids into a world of art is a mitzvah.
EDUCATION. I believe strongly in EDUCATION for everyone. I believe education is important for its own sake and for the potential it brings to our lives. I believe education works best when it is responsive to individual learning styles and motivations, when it respects the learner, and when it teaches individuals how to ask good questions and direct their own learning process.
HUMAN RIGHTS AND GAY RIGHTS. Each generation, it is said, encounters new forms of slavery and oppression and must seek new kinds of freedom. In this country at this time in history, I see gay rights and especially transgender rights as the arena where the most significant of these struggles are taking place.
POVERTY, HUNGER, AND HOMELESSNESS. I would like to believe that poverty, hunger, and homelessness can be eliminated, and I do believe that we should act as though it is possible, especially in terms of individuals experiencing these conditions. I also believe that the most effective means of doing this is by "teaching people to fish."