Across the Bay Area, the Jewish High Holy Days are holy to the hungry as well.
Every year at this time, Jews across the Bay Area mobilize for food drives, with grocery bags filling barrels in synagogue lobbies. The donations aid local food banks, which depend on the Jewish community for a significant share of their annual food supplies.
“Food is so basic,” says Terry Kraus, director of membership services and supervisor of social justice projects at San Francisco’s Congregation Emanu-El. “It’s hard to imagine that every day we can go to our refrigerators and other people can’t. No one can argue the politics of food.”
Kraus says combating hunger is a central component of the synagogue’s social justice agenda. Not only does Emanu-El participate in the High Holy Days food drive, it also sponsors two year-round programs: a healthy children pantry at William L. Cobb Elementary School, and a commodity supplemental food program (CSFP), a federal program that provides monthly food to 400 seniors in the Mission.
“The Jewish community has been active in all aspects of the work,” says Paul Ash, executive director of the San Francisco Community Food Bank. “The fingerprints of the Jewish community are all over the food bank.”
Ash says last year, the High Holy Day drive brought in 15,000 pounds of food items.
Adds Ash. “We have barrels at every synagogue in San Francisco.”
This year, the food bank will distribute 26 million pounds of food. According to statistics provided by the food bank, nearly 150,000 San Franciscans, including children, low-income families and seniors, the homeless and people with AIDS face hunger. In the city, one in four children and one in five adults cannot afford to meet basic nutritional needs.
The numbers are no better in the East Bay.
The Alameda County Community Food Bank serves more than 40,000 people every month, distributing 12 million pounds of food in 2005. Like its sister organization in San Francisco, the Alameda food bank counts on the Jewish community year round, but especially during the High Holy Days, to come through with donations.
Carrie Holt coordinates all kinds of Alameda food bank drives, including the High Holy Day drive. She works with the East Bay JCC, Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay, Jewish day schools and local synagogues.
“We have immense need in Alameda County,” says Holt. “One out of every three children faces hunger every day [in the county]. The High Holy Day drive is one of our largest focused food drives.”
Making sure congregants at Oakland’s Temple Sinai keep up the generosity is Hallie Holtzman, the synagogue’s food drive coordinator. She says social action is a cornerstone of temple life, with hunger among the most important issues. “As a result,” she adds, “we consider the High Holy Day food drive as one of the major concerns in our immediate community.”
The Temple Sinai drive is similar to many synagogue efforts. Grocery bags are distributed during Rosh Hashanah services, with congregants urged to fill them with non-perishables and return them during the week. On Yom Kippur morning, a food bank truck shows up for the big haul.
“It’s a real assembly line,” says Holtzman. “And it’s amazing how many people get involved. Last year we donated 13,700 pounds of food, which became one of the biggest drives ever.”
Other Bay Area food banks have similar operations and also work closely with local synagogues.
Why are food drives so successful? Says Holtzman, “People are thinking about what they have done done and what they’d like to do for their communities. It’s local, which is very meaningful.”
Although the statistics grow worse, those involved in the battle against hunger continue to hope for a better day. “If only we could turn the world’s religious wars into a food fight,” muses Ash.
Adds Congregation Emanu-El’s Kraus, “I’d like to see all food banks work harder to put themselves out of business.”