Operation Isaiah Fights Hunger in Atlanta

Inspired by scripture from the prophet Isaiah, “to share your food with the hungry”, Atlanta’s Jewish Community holds their metro-wide food drive in the fall of each year during the High Holy Days, known as Operation Isaiah, to benefit the Atlanta Community Food Bank. During this year’s virtual fundraiser, more than $37,000 was raised to help the food insecure in the greater Atlanta community which equates to over 148,000 meals. The project spanned over the 2021 Jewish High Holidays and was supported by the generous contributions of eight local synagogues.

“We are incredibly grateful for the support and dedication of all the participating synagogues and their congregants,” said Kyle Waide, president & CEO of Atlanta Community Food Bank. “In years past, participants of Operation Isaiah would rally to bring in hundreds of bags of food to support our cause. We applaud their fluidity as we shifted to a virtual event due to the pandemic. This partnership is very important to us, and we look forward to this connection for years to come.”

The eight teams that participated in this year’s Operation Isaiah included Ahavath Achim, B’nai Torah, Congregation Bet Haverim, Congregation Beth Shalom, Congregation Shearith Israel, Temple Beth David, Temple Beth Tikvah, and Nancy Weiner.

It has been over 30 years since this initiative started, and in that time, over 1 million pounds of food was provided throughout the Atlanta community. The High Holy Days is all about making amends, giving back and resolving to do better in the future, which is exactly what Operation Isaiah stands for.