Attention Post-Bnai Mitzvah Students:
INTRODUCING THE MOE GOLDBERGER TIKKUN OLAM AWARD

A Tikkun Olam award has been established in memory of Moe Goldberger and will be given annually to a post-Bnai Mitzvah student at Bnai Keshet.

Moe Goldberger was in the first generation of Bnai Keshet members. He and his wife, Edna, joined the congregation shortly after it was established, and Moe served in a number of leadership positions until his death in the spring of 2006. Remembered by family and friends as “the world’s most rational human being,” Moe brought his thoughtfulness, intellectual curiosity, honesty, and love of Judaism to every issue under consideration by the Board or the congregation. Tikkun olam was a particular passion of his. He cared about creating equity in an inequitable world, and—whether he was engaging in discussion, writing one of his many letters to the editor of the New York Times, or actively supporting a social-justice effort—Moe quietly pushed us all to think more deeply and imaginatively about how we, individually, might help solve some of the community’s and the world’s problems.

The Moe Goldberger Tikkun Olam Award will be given to the post-Bnai Mitzvah student who engages in tikkun olam in one of the following ways:

• Volunteering to work with either a Jewish or a secular service Organization at the local, statewide, or national level
• Creating and implementing a community service project of his or her own
• Acting as a leader in engaging members of Bnai Keshet in a social justice cause

Each applicant will demonstrate the contribution he or she has made by submitting an application with a description of the work or project. The description should be approximately three pages long and should include the following:

• The name and location of the sponsoring organization
• The purpose of the work or project
• The duration of the work or project
• Why the applicant thinks this work or project is important
• An informal assessment of what was accomplished

The applications will be judged by a three-person panel consisting of Rabbi Elliott, a Tikkun Olam Committee member, and a member of the Goldberger family.

The applications will be judged by the following criteria:

• The understanding the student demonstrates of the meaning of tikkun olam
• The extent of the student’s effort
• The outcome of the project—not just whether the stated goals were met but also whether the project helped create a greater interest in tikkun olam, helped build relationships within the Bnai Keshet community, or helped connect Bnai Keshet to another community

All applicants will receive certificates of recognition. The applicant with the project judged to be in first place will be give a prize in addition to the certificate of recognition, and the organization or cause associated with the winning project will receive a cash award.

For more information, contact Ellen Kolba.