Our Mitzvah Corps

  Check out the article in the Seattle P.I. about a Mitzvah Corps member:  Click Here            

Our Mitzvah Corps, just what is it?  What is this piece of our congregational community that seems to be the glue that holds it together?  What does it do? How does it work?  What is its role within Beth Shalom.

In the very early days of Beth Shalom, a couple of members took it upon themselves to call members who didn’t show up for Shabbat services, or if someone were ill or just given birth, they prepared meals. Eventually, (as the membership grew exponentially), the concept of a Mitzvah Corps was formalized to be what it is today.  Over the years, it has become the means which has allowed the community to fulfill the mitzvot of Bikkur Cholim, Nihum Avelim, Gemilut Hasadim, Bein Adam L’chavero, and Tikkun Olam in an organized and loving way.

As a committee, today’s Mitzvah Corps is comprised of a number of neighborhood volunteer coordinators (NVC) who have made a commitment to organizing the care for those in our community and to fulfilling the above mitzvot.

What exactly does that mean?  Well, Mitzvah Corps does the following:

• We coordinate meal support for individuals and families who are in mourning, new parent who has just given birth and her family, and those who are suffering from illness. 

• We help to coordinate Shiva Minyanim, arrange for minyan leaders and spread the word to those who would want to attend.

• We reach out to members through phone calls and visits.

Most people who have had experience with the Mitzvah Corps - either on the giving or receiving end - have had positive experiences, yet we still ask the question, what is it that makes this committee so successful?  The answer is simple.  It boils down to the fact that our community has made a commitment to the Mitzvah Corps and to help it serve a specific function within the Beth Shalom community. 

Rabbi Borodin and the staff work closely with the Mitzvah Corps. Although much of this is done behind the scenes, the rabbi is always directly involved in fulfilling the rabbinical & pastoral needs of each member. Beth Shalom’s staff handles many of the logistics, and the Mitzvah Corps provides the support.

Our 22 neighborhood volunteer coordinators (NVC) have committed to organizing support and serving as “command central” during times of a simcha or sorrow.  Each neighborhood (organized by zip codes) has its own volunteer coordinators who are in contact with the members and together they assess the needs and formulate a plan.  The NVC communicate the plan to the rest of the neighborhood.

The plan most often involves community volunteers committing to cook for others in need. These volunteers sign up for dates with the Mitzvah Corps NVC, thereby not duplicating cooking efforts and making sure that the needs are met.  Other volunteers commit to doing other things, such as leading and/or attending shiva minyanim. 

Without the support of the community, the Mitzvah Corps could never work, let alone survive. Some would say, “That’s just what we do here”.  In reality, our volunteers have committed to acts of kindness for the sake of the acts themselves and they have fulfilled them in a most loving way.

Finally, and perhaps most special, there is a trust within our beloved Beth Shalom community that allows everyone in it to know it is OK to reach out to the Mitzvah Corps during times of need and to graciously accept the support that is offered. Very often those who have been on the receiving end of Mitzvah Corps support later become volunteers themselves.

Each facet of the Mitzvah Corps is essential, the Rabbi and staff, the Neighborhood Volunteers, the community volunteers and the community itself.  It is the combination of all the parts working together that allows the Mitzvah Corps to be so successful and it is indisputably what makes this Beth Shalom Community so special.