The Spreading RASh

October 1996 Volume 1, Issue 1

The Official Publication of the CRE Regional Aleph Shaliach

My Brother Alephs and My Sister BBGs,

Shalom. This is your first of many Shaliach Releases. Sorry about its lateness, but, for now on it will come monthly. Congratulations to all of you who are chapter Shaliachs (TANZER). You are the first of many proud Shaliachs down the line. Included in this edition of the Spreading RASh you will find almost all that you need to know about being a Shaliach.

As Shaliach, you are in charge of not only Social Action and Community Service, but many other important jobs. Look through this whole booklet and become familiar with each of the items.

CRE has it's own homepage hosted at: http://www.bee.net/cre/

Please give me any input on it and send in information and articles to be posted on it.

In this booklet you will find information about The ACT Network, TASC, Israel Education, Jewish Oppression Around the World, Jewish Awareness, and a plethora of other information.

Fraternally,

David Ari Hulnick
Regional Aleph Shaliach
Central Region East 1996-1997

I can be reached at:

David Ari Hulnick
525 Beaumont Circle
West Chester, PA 19380
(610)436-4073 (home)
(610)363-9008 (fax)
[email protected]
http://www.bee.net/cre/

Inside:

2. ACT Network
3. TASC
4. Israel
5. Jewish Oppression
6. Jewish Awareness
7. Drug Awareness Day
8. Sample News Release

"It's Gonna Spread!"

The A.C.T. Network
The A.C.T. Network or the Actively Concerned Teens Network is a system developed to help the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization take a stand on social concerns that affect our communities and the world.

Examples of A.C.T. Network programs that can be done by your chapter:

1. Helping the Environment

• Can Drive- Recycling cans is one way we can help the environment. By recycling cans we can help to stop the depletion of the earth's natural resources.

** If your state has a recycle for money program, your efforts to help the environment can also service as a fund-raiser

• Adopt-a-Highway- This program is offered through the local Highway Department. The Adopt-a-Highway program is a program where volunteers are assigned a part of a major highway to keep clean. This program can also be done unofficially; just find a spot that is not clean. As you work, make sure that you inform local media of what you are doing and that you are not happy that you need to clean up after others.

2. Challenge the Government

If there is anything that your local government or school government is doing that your chapter does not agree with, don't just stand there and watch ... TAKE A.C.T.ION!

• Write a Petition- Get signatures from your chapter, region, school, JCC, or synagogue. By having the community sign your petition, you educate the community on what the government is doing that might both be beneficial to the whole community.
• Write to Local Papers- Write the local newspaper a "letter to the editor" article sharing with the paper (and eventually the community) how you feel. The article can be written as a chapter or on an individual basis.
• Make Posters- Make up catchy slogans that state your feelings and hang them up. Places that might be good to put the posters: schools, synagogues, JCCs, gas stations, intersections, and any other place you think people would see them.
• Prepare Public Service Announcements- Also know as P.S.A., these are 30 second home-made commercials or advertisements bringing awareness of a problem that exists in the community. The P.S.A. do not have to be against the government. P.S.A. might be on drunk-driving, drugs, wearing seatbelts, recycling. The Public Service Announcements can be aired on a local access channel.
• Hold a Conference or Rally- At your rally or conference you can invite speakers to motivate people to take action. You can also invite a speaker from both sides of an issue and hold a debate. Make sure that you show people what the problem is and how we can change it.

Who to invite...

• government officials
• synagogue members
• the region
• the media
• JCC members
• the community
• parents
• friends
• students

T.A.S.C.

T.A.S.C. stands for Teens Actively Serving Communities. This program was established to assist the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization's chapters in their efforts to improve their communities.

Examples of T.A.S.C. program that can be done to help your chapter improve the community:

• Canned Food Drive- Collect cans at chapter meetings, regional events, or around your community. Find a local community supper or soup kitchen and donate the canned food to them..
• Help Build a Handicap Ramp- Many communities have laws that say all new buildings are required to be handicap accessible. However older building do not have the same requirement and do not have to become handicap accessible. The B'nai B'rith Youth Organization can help to make these buildings handicap accessible. BYO does not just have to help build handicap ramps.
• Help the Elderly in Your Community- Sometimes in small communities there is no public transportation for the elderly to use if they are not able to drive. Your chapter can volunteer to drive these Senior Citizens to do their errands. Your chapter could volunteer to help by picking up groceries.

Other things that your chapter can do...

• Visit senior citizens who live alone
• help with yard work
• Make phone calls to check that everything is okay

Other T.A.S.C. programs your chapter could do...

• Volunteer at a pet shelter
• Run a clothing drive
• Baby-sit during services
• Run a furniture drive
• Tutor students with learning disabilities
• Participate in a Big Brother/Sister program for latch-key kids

Promote and Educate Your Chapter on Israel

The position of Shaliach is responsible for your chapter's education and promotion of what is going on in Israel.

Examples of programs that promote and educate your chapter on Israel:

• Weekly Reports on Current Events- At each chapter meeting provide your chapter with what is happening in Israel. Include events that the world has noticed as well as more local events.
• Promotion of Trips to Israel- Two programs you can encourage chapter members to go on are ISI (Israel Summer Institute) and ILSI (International Leadership Study in Israel). These trips are both offered through the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization.

For more information about ISI or ILSI please ask the regional office or write:

ISI and ILSI Information
1640 Rhode Island Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036-3278

• Guest Speakers- Often you will find members of the community who are familiar with what is happening in Israel. Ask these people if they would like to speak to your chapter. If you are not able to find a guest speaker to talk specifically to your chapter, check to see who is speaking to other groups and ask that group if your chapter can also attend.
• Hold Discussions- Hold open chapter discussions on Israel. Include topics such as:
• government
• lifestyle
• Arab-Israeli relations
• the Army

Helping to Stop the Oppression of Jews Around the World

Some people might say that one chapter cannot make a difference. This might be true in some cases, but we can at least try to help free fellow Jews from places where they are oppressed. Who knows, maybe we can make a difference!

Examples of programs that can be done in your community:

• Letter Writing Campaigns and Petitions- Your senator and congress member are obligated to respond to the general view of their state. Therefore they will hopefully act because of our campaigns.
• Education- Educate your chapter on the places where Jews are being oppressed and why they are oppressed.

Your chapter might be helpful if you also help those immigrants who come to your community by...

• Tutor English and reading
• Run clothing and furniture drives
• Provide transportation to those immigrants who don't drive or cannot afford a car
• Help the local JCC or synagogue with the projects that they do

Jewish Awareness

Sometimes the duties of Shaliach includes those of Jewish Awareness Chairperson and Religious Chairperson. Jewish Awareness is a way of providing your chapter with knowledge about being Jewish and ways of being proud that you are Jewish. The Religious Chairperson is responsible for organizing services.

Example of Jewish Awareness and Religious programs that can be done by your chapter...

• Shabbat Services- Help with children's services as well as regular Shabbat services
• A Different Kind of Service- Hold a service at a Mini-Golf place. At each hole hold a different section of a service. If it is for Shabbat make sure that you pay in advance.
• Start a Puppet Troupe- A Puppet Troupe can perform at nursing homes, chapter services, or regional conventions. The puppet show can be that week's Torah portion or the reason we have a holiday. Be creative; a puppet show is a fun way of promoting Judaism.
• Hold Jewish Awareness Discussions- In these discussion include topics like...
• Keeping Kosher
• Traditions
• The different branches of Judaism
• Jewish views and your views on controversial topics
• Promote the Holidays- Before each Jewish holiday, make sure that the whole chapter is aware when we celebrate and why we celebrate.

Support BBYO's New Simultaneous Program:

Drug/Alcohol Awareness Weekend

November 29-December 2, 1996

Monday, December 2nd is declared

1996 International Drug/Alcohol Awareness Day

At the International August Executive Board meetings, representatives voted to take a united stand on a tragic issue confronting our society: drunk driving and drug and alcohol abuse. They decided the best way to show our united concern about these issues was through the creation of a new simultaneous program. Therefore, on December 2, and throughout the weekend preceding that Monday, each member, chapter, council, region, and/or district should do something concerning the topic of drugs & alcohol and/or drunk driving.

Knowing that members throughout the world are all concentrating on solutions surrounding theses problems, this will serve as a reminder that although BBYO is an International organization, when we establish the same ideals and goals we can experience the POWER OF WE!

Whether you merely get together to read statistics, listen to speakers on the topic, or write your congressman....B'nai B'rith Youth Organization shall act together as a team to create a mighty force.

Shaliach Shtuff
CRE Homepage