Midrasha in Berkeley

Monthly Homeless Dinners

Midrasha is committed to helping the community by preparing and serving dinner on the first Wednesday, third Tuesday and fourth Thursday night of each month at the men’s shelter run by the City of Berkeley. We need volunteers to assist in shopping, cooking and serving. This is a perfect family activity. If you can’t come to the shelter, consider baking cookies at home. We are also always happy to receive donations to underwrite this activity. This project is coordinated entirely by Midrasha students. Scheduling questions should be directed to Lindsay Martien (225-8952, buygoopysoupy@yahoo.com), Amira Kipnis (527-7024, amirita007@aol.com ), Ariel Karwat ( 289-3731 bubblebibibaby@yahoo.com Zach Piser (701-2619 piserfam@comcast.net) and Ziva Sholin (717-9482 zivalikewhoa@yahoo.com)or Cynthia Colvin (549-3716, chaya100@comcast.net).

Volunteering at a Homeless Dinner? Please preview the directions and instructions.

Abraham's Vision - Unity Program

Inter-Group Muslim and Jewish Conflict Transformation Program combines class learning, meetings with students from an Islamic school and field trips to create an environment where students learn with and from the "other." To download the separate application for this class go to www.abrahamsvision.org. This class meets on Sundays from 11:40- 1 :00 p.m. and is a full year commitment.

Jewish Coalition for Literacy

Midrasha families have the opportunity to volunteer with JCL- THE JEWISH COALITION FOR LITERACY. We serve as reading tutors on a one-to-one basis, an hour a week in the Berkeley schools. Tutoring occurs either during school hours or as a part of an after school program. Tutors can be adults, teenagers (16 and older) or even younger family members if accompanied by a parent.. There is a two and a half hour training session for all tutors. Being a tutor requires a commitment of a semester, although a year-long commitment is preferable. If you have more questions about this program, visit the JCL website at www.jclread.org contact Helene Tinkler, helene@jfed.org, 839-2900 ext. 272.

Spark: HeartAction: Connecting With Our Elders

In the second semester Midrasha 10-12th graders can take a weekly class where they study issues of the elderly and go on frequent visits to the Jewish Home in San Francisco.

Sandwiches at Break

Each Sunday Midrasha students prepare sandwiches during break, which are delivered by volunteer parents to a local shelter.

Opportunities to fulfill Community Service Requirements

Whether it’s cooking at a shelter, tutoring reading or providing holiday gifts for the needy, Midrasha provides various ways to fulfill community service obligations at our students’ secular schools. Just ask the Midrasha office to sign off when students volunteer through one of our activities.