Comments regarding the sermons...email Rabbi Karp.
Click here. Rabbi Karp's Sermons ... ROSH
HASHANAH HUNGER APPEAL 2004 Shanah Tovah! May the year to come be one of blessing for each and every one of you! Every year, I open our Rosh Hashanah worship with an appeal for you to join in our quest to feed the hungry of our community, our nation, and the world. Almost every year I promise myself, and sometimes even you, that I will keep it short. Well, this year I intent to keep that promise! You are all intelligent, sensitive people. All of us are aware of how profoundly tragic the hunger situation is on our planet. “The United Nations reports that there are 520 million malnourished people in the world. Each year, 15 to 20 million people die of hunger-related causes, including diseases brought on by lowered resistance due to malnutrition. Of every four of these, three are children. Over 40% of all deaths in poor countries occur among children under five years of age. UNICEF states that 17 million children died last year from preventable diseases - one every two seconds, 40,000 a day. At least 50 million children are permanently blinded each year simply through lack of vitamin A. More than 500 million people in poor countries suffer from chronic anemia due to inadequate diet.”[1] While we may not have known the statistics, we all are acutely aware of the crisis. We are a community of Jews. While there are those of us who are deeply involved in our religious practices and Temple activities, and there are those of us who only show up for the High Holy Days, and there are the rest of us who fall somewhere in between, still each and every one of us knows that our Judaism calls upon us to help our fellow human beings who are in need. As our Torah teaches us, “You may not stand idly by while your neighbor bleeds.”[2] What more must be said? We all know what the problem is. We all know who we are. We all know what we must do. In past years, our congregation has responded humanely and enthusiastically to this challenge. I pray that our hearts will be so open this year. As in past years, I call upon you to participate in three hunger programs - The CROP Walk Against World Hunger, our food drive on behalf of the River Bend Foodbank, and our solicitation of donations to MAZON, the major national Jewish organization fighting hunger at home and abroad. In 2002, we fielded 62 walkers for CROP and raised $2,142.00, which was significantly down. However last year we fielded 107 walkers - the largest contingent our congregation has ever sent to CROP - and raised $2,676.00, which was a mere $34.00 short of our all time high. We can feel justly proud. But pride isn’t enough. Pride feeds our egos, not the hungry. We should also feel charged to do even better this year. Walker sign-up and pledge forms are in the lobby. Please do both, and if you cannot walk, then make an extra effort to support those who will be walking. Last year I reported that in 2002 we collected 1,075 pound of non-perishable food items for of the River Bend Foodbank, which was the least we had collected since 1994. Once again, you responded. Last year we collected 1,316 pound of food - 241 more pounds than in 2002. While it wasn’t the most we ever collected, it was close to it; a mere 70 pound shy of our all time high of 1,386 pounds. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could break that record? For it is not just a record. It is literally putting food in the mouths of hungry Quad Citians. In the lobby you will find grocery sacks, several of them decorated by children of our religious school. Take them home. Fill them with non-perishable food. Better yet, do as I do. Go to Sam’s. Take a shopping cart and don’t leave until that cart is full. Then there are those MAZON envelopes in your prayer books. We cannot track how much our congregation sends to MAZON, but the important thing is that the money gets there. So take your envelop home, write a check, and mail it in. While writing that check, considered how much it would cost your family to enjoy one meal at a restaurant. Shanah Tovah! Let us make this year a good year not only for ourselves, but for all who are in need as well. AMEN |
