FROM THE UNION FOR REFORM JUDAISM / REFORM MOVEMENT
Reflecting on 50 Years in Jewish Journalism
Aron Hirt-Manheimer
On the eve of my retirement from the Union for Reform Judaism, I’d like to share a few reminiscences and reflections.
Chapter One: Davka
I was a senior at UCLA in 1970 when our Hillel director, Rabbi Richard Levy, of blessed memory, asked students to come up with projects that needed funding. I proposed starting a West Coast Jewish Quarterly called Davka, meaning “just because,” reflecting the counter-cultural attitude I had embraced as a member of the Jewish radical community on campus. My proposal was accepted, and Rabbi Levy, who had been editor of The Harvard Crimson, showed me how to lay out the first edition — “The Ills of American Jewry” — on his dining room table. Click here to read more...
Social Action Center

March Mitzvah of the Month
Infant Clothes for Gently Hugged
In today’s economy, it can be difficult to provide the necessities that keep a new baby warm and thriving during the crucial first year of his/her life. Two nurses working in the field of public health noticed this and decided to do something about it. They founded Gently Hugged (gentlyhugged.org), an organization that distributes appropriate items to those in need. The idea is that those families who have the good fortune to enjoy excess clothing for their infants (some items perhaps worn once or twice before the baby outgrows them) can share them with others. Gently Hugged serves families with children ages preemie to 12 months.
Please join Temple Emanu-El’s Mitzvah of the Month, which will collect clothing and other items listed below for Gently Hugged. Please put them in the white Social Action barrel in the lobby of the Temple office building. For more information, contact Jean Seager at (619) 435-8130 or email her at jhseager@gmail.com. Thank you.
Preemie to 12 months sizes only
Gently used or new
Especially needed this month:
Pajamas: 12 month or newborn, 0-3 months and 3-month sizes Pants: Newborn, 0-3 months and 3-month sizes Onesies: long sleeved, 12-month size
Always needed:
Clothing, including hats, jackets, pajamas, hats, etc. Bibs
Blankets
Towels, washcloths
Board or cloth books

Links to Social Action Sites
- Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC) http://www.rac.org
- Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL) http://www.coejl.org
- Association of Reform Zionists of America ARZA/WORLD UNION http://www.arza.org
- Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger http://www.mazon.org
- The Hunger Site (donate free food) http://www.thehungersite.com
- Israel Religious Action Center http://www.irac.org
- North American Conference on Ethiopian Jewry (NACOEJ) http://www.nacoej.org
- St. Vincent de Paul Village http://www.svdpv.org
- Stand Down for Homeless Veterans https://vvsd.net/
- Being Alive San Diego (HIV/AIDS Resources) http://www.beingalive.org
- Jewish Family Service of San Diego https://www.jfssd.org
- Americans United for Separation of Church and State http://www.au.org
- Solar Cookers International http://www.solarcookers.org
- Nothing But Nets http://www.nothingbutnets.net/