3 minute read
A Story to Tell: Tzedakah Across Generations
October 2023
By Bonnie Shaw
The ability to read may seem like a simple thing. You learn to link together letters and sounds that somehow form words. Then those words link together to tell a story. In that story one can find mystery, intrigue, learning, and pure magic. Temple Kol Ami’s most recent bar mitzvah Jayden Horton-Jones understands the magic of those words. He understands them so much that he wants to share his love of reading with children who may not have the same opportunity to grab a book from their nightstands and just start reading. So, Jayden made his mitzvah project about reading and sharing his love of reading with others. He decided to donate books to the non-profit organization Promising Pages. (www. promising-pages.org)
Jayden’s mitzvah project took on a life of its own. He was able to donate 1,500 books to Promising Pages; 1,500 magical stories that other children can now immerse themselves in. The love of reading is at the core of who we are as a Jewish people. Our Torah houses written words and tells the stories of our people and how they have overcome challenges — how they have emerged victorious. Temple Kol Ami has the privilege of owning two historical Torot. Our beautiful Torot, though, were not complete. They have lovely mantels and one has a beautiful breast plate. But we were missing the crowing jewels of the Torot. We did not have Torah rimonim, that is until now. One of our long-time members, John Robbins, decided that it was time that our Torot completed their ensembles. His gifts of these Torah rimonim will honor the stories that our Torot hold. For the first time in our temple’s history, our Torot have their full adornment. As a retired college professor, John understands the value of reading and of the written word. He understood that so much he chose to help adorn our sacred scrolls as they should be. Both Jayden and John took their love of reading and what it represents and chose to make significant donations in their own way. They chose to honor one of the core values of our faith: tzedakah — justice, to give.
Those of us at Temple Kol Ami hold this value close and are honored to have both Jayden and John as valued members of our congregation. We hope that you take the time to stop by one of our services and discover what makes us special. Come meet all of the TKA family. I invite you to sit next to me and I will share with you why Temple Kol Ami is full of stories — stories of amazing members who contribute their gifts in so many beautiful ways. As a congregation that embraces all generations, we welcome you to make TKA your Jewish home. If you live in the York County or the Ballantyne area, Temple Kol Ami might be the place for you! We are a warm and inclusive congregation comprised of Jews from diverse backgrounds. We have Friday night Shabbat services on the first and third Fridays of each month. For more information check us out at www.templekolamisc.org.
