Heritage Florida Jewish News - Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

Congregation Sinai, in Minneola, had its first Mitzvah Day on Sunday, May 3. What a success it was!

Mitzvah Day is a common event at many temples throughout the country. It is a day when congregants, both young and old, reach out to the community to give back. Since the meaning of "mitzvah" is a good deed, it goes along with Judaism's belief in "tikkun olam," repairing the world.

Congregants met at the temple at 9:30 a.m. for a continental breakfast. People enjoyed the bagels, donuts, juice and coffee before they left with their groups.

Thanks go to the students from the Religious School who participated. Singing at Orchard Heights with spiritual leaders Joe and Lynn Goldovitz were Gabe, Lily and Sarah Gaines, Alexis and Jared Miller, Gabriel Kersey, Kaylah and Emma Mack, Joseph and Jenna Farber, and Adam Karen. Phil Bloom also sang with the group, and Bob Miller accompanied on keyboard. Gwen Miller and Sheila Goldman, just back from their European vacation, came along to supervise.

Clermont Historical Village is now much cleaner, thanks to Karen Miller, Janet Bloom, Ellen Rosen, and Elaine Gardian.

We can thank Pete Sobel for cleaning litter from the Butterfly Garden at South Lake Hospital.

We had teams delivering sophisticated packages of jelly beans to our first responders, as well as South Lake Hospital, a shelter for homeless people, the guards at the correctional facility, the library staff, and the sheriff's offices. This was Congregation Sinai's way of thanking these people for always giving to our community. The teams who delivered were Marsha Gropper and Vicky Dingee, and Ron and Donna Horowitz.

Congregation Sinai members make 45 flower arrangements with flowers donated by WalMart, Publix and KimE Florist, and delivered them within the community.

On Saturday afternoon, the day before Mitzvah Day, a group of hard workers came to temple to make flower arrangements in vases that were donated to Flower Power by congregation members. This group consisting of Connie Lawrason, Tobie Koskie, Tina Sanford, Karen Mandell and Jeanne Lazev arranged 45 flower vases, tied ribbons on them, and added labels telling people they were donated by Congregation Sinai. A second label was added telling the recipients that the flowers were donated by WalMart, Publix, and KimE Florist. On Sunday, teams delivered the flowers. The Flower Power delivery teams were Rita Slotnick, Roz Silpe and Jeanne Lazev, and a second team of Barbara Salsitz and Karen Mandell. From the pictures that were taken as the flowers were distributed, it looks like they were well-received.

The last group of volunteers-Joyce and Norman Pollack, Kathleen Moshinsky and Debby Schumacher-went to the South Lake Animal League. There they helped do gardening and cleaning the mobile van. After singing at Orchard Heights, Tyler, Alexis, Jared and Helen Miller helped out at the animal league, as did Emma, Kaylah and Andrea Mack, and Marla Gould and Gabriel Kersey.

Mitzvah Day was chaired and organized by Mimi Miller and Michele Sobel.