Kindness Through Song: A Hesed Initiative of Shabbat with Friends
Wed, Jul 17
|Kindness through Song
We are inviting people who want to engage in an organized and intentional act of kindness that reflects the values of Shabbat with Friends NM. Kindness through Song is a Hesed initiative to bring the joy of Shabbat song to shut-ins, the ill, and isolated individuals. Learn More...
Time & Location
Jul 17, 2024, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM PDT
Kindness through Song
Guests
About the event
Kindness Through Song: The SWF Gemach (Kindness Society)
An Initiative of Shabbat with Friends NM
Summer 2024.
Kindness through Song h is a Shabbat with Friends NM initiative to provide organized and intentional acts of kindness for people in need in our Jewish community of New Mexico. A Gemach (גמ’’ח) is an acronym for “gemilut chasadim” the traditional Hebrew term for acts of lovingkindness. A Gemach is a group that forms to engage in a particular act of kindness to bring comfort and solace to those in need.
Because Shabbat participatory singing is a core value of Shabbat with Friends, we want to bring this especially joyful practice to individuals and families that face illness, isolation, and disability.
During this past Passover, we initiated a program called “Passover Caroling”, bringing melodies of the festival to shut-ins, residents in senior living center, and to isolated individuals. Those of us who made the visits were deeply moved by the responses of joy and gratitude we witnessed. We realized that it would be wonderful to continue bringing gifts of Jewish song throughout the year.
In that spirit the Kindness through Song Gemach has been founded. It is organized under the auspices of Shabbat with Friends. We welcome volunteers who would like to volunteer to visit and sing with people in need. We are also looking for musicians who can volunteer 2-3 hours a month to accompany us on our visits which will take place once a month.
For volunteers this is an opportunity to learn Shabbat melodies and to share them in joy with others in need. You don’t have to be a trained singer or someone with a home background of Sabbath song. We will also seek a couple of volunteers to help us organize visits either in Santa Fe or Albuquerque on a monthly basis. Many of the songs we sing we will also share at SWF gatherings throughout the year.
An organizing meeting is set for Wednesday evening, July 17, 2024 from 8-9pm on Zoom and in-person . The location of the in-person meeting will be at Rabbi Dov’s home in the North Campus neighborhood of ABQ. If you want to participate, but cannot attend virtually or in person on that date, please write to Rabbi Dov by clicking on the second button below. Feel free to contact him by email with any questions about the project.