'It should be Mitzvah Day every day'

Hand-made blankets were one of the many items congregants spent hours working on to donate to charity.

Rebecca Rogak/Herald

Max Schrier wrote a thank you letter to Israeli soldiers at Temple Emanu-El’s Mitzvah Day on May 3.

Rebecca Rogak/Herald

Noah Diamond, Andrew Gramlich, Evan Weinstein, Mitchell Goldberg, Judah Baroukh, and Alex Weinstein helped Hofstra students with a car wash, raising money for the Nepal earthquake relief efforts.

Courtesy of Sara Diamond

Gladys Greene, Tiffany Alterman, Janet Goldstein, Sharon Gramlich, and Carol Fettner assembled fleece blankets to donate to the Mary Brennan INN in Hempstead.

Courtesy of Sara Diamond

Robyn Weinstein, Shelia Mendelson, Shari Jacobs, Jenn Goldstein, Jodi Luce and Alisa Baroukh created mosaic tiles to hang up in the religious school, while other volunteers sorted non-perishable foods.

Courtesy of Sara Diamond

Cayla, 13, Janette, and Allie Goldstein,15, from left to right, were some of the approximately 100 volunteers who took part in Mitzvah Day.

Rebecca Rogak/Herald

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It was a day of community service and goodwill at Temple Emanu-El on May 3, as about 100 congregants joined together for the the second annual Mitzvah Day.

Dozens of different volunteer opportunities and activities occurred throughout the day at the Merrick Avenue synagogue, with the aim of encouraging people to become lifelong helpers.

In one corner, residents sorted through 4,000 pounds of food collected throughout the month of April to be donated to Island Harvest. In another, people were busy making no-sew fleece blankets to donate to the Interfaith Nutrition Network in Hempstead.

Other activities included the designing of bookmarks to give to Nassau Literacy, a Freeport-based organization that tutors adult English learners. Residents also crocheted baby blankets for the Bethany House in Roosevelt, which provides residence for homeless woman and their children.

The goal of the event, said chairwoman Sara Diamond, is for people to find a volunteer experience that best suits them. “It was a really feel-good sort of day,” she said. “We want to get that feeling on a regular basis by continuing to do service opportunities.”

Cast members from the synagogue’s recent production, “The Pajama Game,” visited the Fulton Commons nursing and rehabilitation care center to perform a scene from the play. Congregants also performed music at the nearby Bristol Assisted Living. Potted plants in decorated clay pots were also delivered to the two facilities.

A blood drive, through Long Island Blood Services, was held throughout the day, and several volunteer organizations — including the East Meadow Kiwanis Club, the American Red Cross and the Long Island LGBT Network — set up tables to inform residents about their missions.

Diamond said members from Hofstra’s Hillel chapter stopped by and set up a car wash outside, with the help of local residents, to raise funds to donate towards Nepal recovery efforts.

“The idea is that it should be Mitzvah day everyday,” Diamond said. “We want it to become contagious where they want to continue having those experiences on a regular basis.”