Help community members in need with your family at home, by creating and packing Comfort for a Cancer Patient packages. We will provide a list of recommended items and instructions to include in each package. You can drop off completed packages at a selected location near you during the specified drop-off period.

Sign up to donate a pair of BRAND-NEW sneakers to a teen in need in our Israeli partner community of Ofakim which was devastated during the Hamas attacks of October 7. We’ll send you the shoe size(s) of the teen(s) who will receive your generous donation. Multiple drop-off locations available.

Join us in preserving the rich history of our Jewish cemeteries in Newark. We're documenting gravestones to accompany burial information in the JewishGen Worldwide Burial Registry. Help us ensure that loved ones can be visited from afar and our community's history is preserved. Join this meaningful mitzvah!

Lend a hand at Jewish Family Service of Central NJ in Elizabeth. Opportunities will include stocking the pantry and creating emergency food relief bags and “thinking-of-you bags” for local Holocaust survivors, or helping to prep their community garden for the spring. Space is limited.

Make soup for members of the community who could use this tangible act of love. *Address provided upon registration Online registration is now closed. Questions? Please contact mitzvah@jfedgmw.org.

Prepare lasagnas from scratch to be distributed to community members in need via Livingston Neighbors Helping Neighbors. Join us on-site or make at home and drop off.

Let’s get Hanson Park Conservancy ready for spring! Remove winter’s old leaves, branches, and silt left by winter storms. Refill mulch washed away. Plant flowers in sign beds and urns.

We will connect the six-month anniversary of the October 7 attacks to Passover, telling stories of heroes, people who died, and hostages.

Organize shelves, pack canned goods and non-perishable groceries into shopping bags, make plastic/paper grocery bag combinations, and break down cardboard boxes.

Join clients of JESPY House (adults with developmental disabilities) in putting together Rise and Shine Breakfast Bags to donate to Nourish.NJ to benefit community members in need. We will also create pamper-me kits to ship to Israel for widows of October 7. All materials will be provided. Program is appropriate for adults and children ages 7+. Space is limited!

We will carpool to a number of homes throughout Union County, bringing smiles and good vibes!

Make food packages for the Community Food Bank of NJ while learning about food insecurity on college campuses. All ages welcome.

Learn side by side with residents at Lester Senior Living about the important need for female hygiene products and then help us package products for local women experiencing homelessness. Program is appropriate for adults and children ages 12+. Space is limited.

Why are many people, once enamored by Israel, turning away from the state at an accelerating rate? This session will explore how many are grappling since October 7, and how to engage in empathetic, productive conversations at home with family, in the workplace, and with friends and neighbors. We’ll discuss the commonalities and dissonance, exploring the struggles people are having both in Israel and in America: enamor, disappointment, anxiety, etc. Learn how to approach these issues and discuss best practices for constructive intergenerational conversations about Israel.

This is a pivotal moment in modern Jewish history, and teens have a crucial role to play in it. Discover ways to make a positive impact in our community by learning the difference between anti-Israel and antisemitic statements, preparing yourself to participate in advocacy on college campuses, exploring your unique Jewish identity, and hearing firsthand insights from those who recently visited Israel. Plus, participate in a service project benefiting teens in one of our Israeli partner communities, Ofakim. Our Federation is celebrating 100 years of service and impact in the Jewish community, and the next 100 years are ours to shape.

Join us for a meaningful Community Mitzvah Day! Help pack art supply kits for Israeli children affected by recent attacks (2:30-3 p.m.), and enjoy a musical performance by Grammy award-winning musician Joanie Leeds (3-4 p.m.) as we celebrate our community's impact! Light snacks will be provided. All families and ages are welcome!

Following a brief review of the common misconceptions about who Jews are and what antisemitism is, we will deconstruct progressive philosophy, putting ourselves in the shoes of progressives to better understand how they think about structural power, and how that thinking influences their rhetoric on Israel and Jews. Finally, we’ll offer tools and strategies on how to engage in effective, thoughtful dialogue, particularly on how to depolarize conversations and strengthen connections with family and friends.