Temple Beth Jacob to Receive Irving J. Fain Award
for Outstanding Social Action Programming for “Lauren’s Regalo”

Temple Beth Jacob has been chosen to receive the 2009 Irving J. Fain Award for Outstanding Synagogue Social Action Programming, presented by the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism. The award is among the premier honors available to congregations within the Reform Movement.

The “Lauren’s Regalo” endeavor responded to the needs of a poor community in Guatemala, which had been brought to the attention of Temple Beth Jacob by Lauren Pomerantz, formerly of Newburgh, who was volunteering in Guatemala, prior to attending medical school.  Members of Temple Beth Jacob and others in the surrounding communities collected and shipped over one ton of clothing, school supplies and toothbrushes, sent 75 desks and raised over $7000 towards the building of a new school. 

“I am so blessed to have been raised by and within such a loving, aware, and nurturing community.“said Ms Pomerantz on hearing of the award.   “Thank you so much for taking this seriously and transforming it into a real, legitimate cause- one that attracted the attention of local media, numerous donations, and beautifully united two communities of people from very different backgrounds.”

Speaking on the importance of the Fain Awards, Rabbi Marla Feldman, Director of the Commission on Social Action, said, “The congregations that win Fain Awards exemplify the passion for social justice that is at the very foundation of Reform Judaism. These outstanding congregations bring hope and healing to their communities through their efforts to fulfill the Jewish mandate ‘l'taken et haolam’ – to repair our broken world.”

Project chairs Susan Levy and Gay Miller were thrilled to have Temple Beth Jacob receive such a prestigious award. The Fain Awards were established in 1983 in honor and memory of Irving J. Fain, who served for a decade as chair of the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism and who was an ardent proponent of social action and the commitment to the work of tikkun olam, healing the world. Temple Beth Jacob’s Fain Award will be presented during the Consultation on Conscience, April 19-21, 2009, the biennial public policy conference of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.

 “The Torah demands that we feed the hungry or clothe the poor,” said Temple Beth Jacob Rabbi Larry Freedman.  “I’m so proud of our congregation for imagining and implementing this amazing project and working with the community to make Lauren’s dream, of helping those in need, a reality.”