Guest Blog Post by Debbie Abeles from Temple Beth Am
Sawdust on your pants, caulk under your fingernails, paint specks in your hair…there’s no better way to spend a Sunday. When we signed up with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles to participate in building a home in Montebello, we thought it would be helpful to a family in need, a good old-fashioned mitzvah. Little did we know how meaningful it would be to us. Working with a group of 40 volunteers from various shuls, all who had little construction experience, we made a real contribution to the details of two duplexes. What began as a bunch of novices with no idea how to use an electric saw or putty knife, ended as a group – a true kehillah – of friends putting finishing touches on four homes. The best part? Meeting members of the families who will be moving in to these homes in the next few months. Their energy, their enthusiasm, their happiness, their gratitude toward us – strangers who became their benefactors – left a lifelong mark in our hearts.
For more information on how to get involved in Habitat LA’s Jewish Coalition, click HERE.