By , Special to JTNews
The Eastside Torah Center is urging every Jew to participate in the upcoming “Change The World” Week, an international grassroots campaign to promote people helping people. The week kicks off on February 20th, and asks people from all walks of life to go above and beyond the call of their daily routine, to reach out with acts of kindness to other people: family members, neighborhood groups or individuals in places all around the globe. These acts can be simple, like calling a friend you haven’t talked to for awhile or giving to charity. Anything that will improve life for one person, in one place, anywhere.
The theory, according to Jewish philosophy, is that individual small acts of goodness and kindness, added up, make a big difference.
“You don’t have to be a hero to change the world,” explains Rabbi Farkash, the local Eastside representative of Chabad Lubavitch, the worldwide Hassidic movement behind the campaign. “You just have to do what’s good, regardless of who you are, or how it insignificant or unimportant it may feel. It’s the little things that count.”
Also known as Chabad, Lubavitch is the world’s largest Jewish outreach and social-services organization, with over 4,000 full-time member rabbis worldwide in locations ranging from Shanghai to the Puget Sound area, including Seattle and Bellevue.
The “Change The World” campaign is dedicated to the legacy of Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, who spearheaded efforts to promote Judaism and ethical consciousness over forty-four years of leadership.
Rabbi Farkash noted that over 2,000 “Change The World” brochures have been mailed to Jewish homes throughout the area. Additionally, on February 22nd, a special lecture on Jewish unity will be given at the Eastside Torah Center, entitled “Two Jews, Three Opinions”. The class will begin at 7:30 p.m., is free, and welcomes everyone.
The Eastside Torah Center Chabad is located at 1837 156th Ave., NE, in Bellevue. Call 425-957-7860 or e-mail eastsidechabad@hotmail.com