“In Pirkei Avot, Rabbi Tarfon, reminds us that it is not on us to complete the task, though neither are we free to abandon the work. Though the recovery efforts in Texas following Hurricane Harvey will continue for years, NCSY-ers who participated in Act Now Houston’s volunteer initiative, indeed lived their Jewish values of repairing the world. Over the weeks and countless hours that the teens helped to re-build damaged homes, they not only increased their own competency, confidence, empathic understanding, and moral character, they also strengthened community. And one might wonder, is it possible that unskilled, unexperienced volunteers could learn how to install new floors and sheet rock and actually be helpful? The simple answer is absolutely. With the right tools and (equally important) intention, anyone with a few hours can make a contribution to the incredible work of helping to bring a family home. It is about the collective joining in solidarity and action, showing up to meet the needs of those you serve, and the compounding contributions of volunteers who build upon the work that came before them and pass their work to those who will come after, which restores and revitalizes humanity.”
