SALT LAKE CITY – In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Congregation Kol Ami worked Sunday to help people in their community.
The event is called “Mitzvah Day,” and the congregants spent the day completing various service projects.
Children and their parents made sack lunches for the Catholic Diocese’s Good Samaritan Program, and they also made fleece blankets for Project Linus. The blankets will go to children who are ill or who have been traumatized.
They also hosted a blood drive for the American Red Cross and wrote to lawmakers about issues they care about in the upcoming legislative session. Congregants also made greeting cards to distribute to those in need in the community.
Rabbi Ilana Schwartzman said civil rights are very important to Jews, because their history has included persecution.
“It’s not just today that we care about Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy, we actually–the Jewish community–was involved in the civil rights movement, and we did, we were part of the marches, we were part of the rides, and it’s very much a part of who we are to care about people who are disenfranchised and to help them become a stronger part of the community.”
For the last five years, Congregation Kol Ami has held a Mitzvah Day during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend.
For more information about Congregation Kol Ami, visit their website.
