Lexington, KY - For many people, spending time with family is the hallmark of the holiday season, specifically on Christmas day. For over 10 years, the Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass has helped make sure more workers and volunteers at regional non-profits are able to have some needed time off with their annual "Tzeason of Tzedakah" program.
"Tzedakah" is a Hebrew word for charity, though the term also connotes righteousness and justice. ("Tzeason" is a cute play on words, since this time of the year is also a "season of giving.")
Participants will fill in for much-needed volunteers and staffers at agencies such as the Catholic Action Center, the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Bluegrass, Meals on Wheels, Moveable Feast and area nursing homes.
"Rather than just giving to charity, there's an obligation among Jewish people to do what's just and what's righteous --
so it's not considered just something that's nice to do," said Judy Wortman, the executive director for The Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass. "It's considered our obligation. Charity is sort of voluntary; tzedakah is obligatory."
Organizers for the campaign say nearly 100 participants will be involved, either directly from the Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass, or from other local Jewish institutions who are coordinating with the federation.
"That's one of the wonderful side effects," said Talia Smolkin, the federation's director of Jewish Family Services. "We're bringing all of our Jewish communities together to do this. We're pulling our resources to make it easier for people to fulfill that obligation."
Tamara Ohayon, the organization's communications director, says their tzedakah program is very popular with local Jewish people, and it engages members of the community who might not be very involved at other times of the year.
"There's a handful of people who are not very involved in the community otherwise, but they always call around Tzeason of Tzedakah and say, 'I want to do my regular volunteer gig, so sign me up,'" she said.
This year, most of the tzedakah participants will be on hand to help the local organizations and their volunteers Dec. 25 - 26, a time Wortman says is most beneficial to the community they are trying to serve.
"We're serving the non-Jewish community and that seems to be the time that connects most with people," she said. "We want to serve people in a time that means the most to them."
Tzedakah organizers also point out that while this a Jewish program, some of the participants are not of that religion, and that they will assign a volunteer responsibility to anybody who is able to help.
For more information on The Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass, or to volunteer for a time during Tzeason of Tzedakah, visit www.jewishlexington.org or call (859) 268-0672.
(Note: The Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass, as well as many of the organizations they will serve this Tzeason of Tzedakah, are part of this year's GoodGiving Guide Challenge. To make an online donation and be a part of that campaign, which is held in a partnership with this magazine's parent company and the Blue Grass Community Foundation, visit www.goodgivingguide.net.)