Repair the World Hosts Jewish Friendsgiving

Alexandra Toren, service ambassador with Repair the World Atlanta, hosted a Friendsgiving centered on meaningful Jewish service amid SNAP disruptions. Toren mobilized a local network to join a potluck and food drive, where they collected pounds of canned and dry food for local Syrian families facing the impacts of disrupted food stamps.

The group of friends discussed how their service connects to the Jewish value of repairing the world, tikkun olam, the very value that inspired Toren to serve with the Syrian refugee community almost a decade prior. Toren shared, “I felt overwhelmed learning about the Syrian civil war but felt very connected to refugee families, as my Jewish ancestors have been refugees in many generations. My grandmother, who I am close with, was a refugee from Czechoslovakia as her family escaped the Nazis in 1939. That history led me to develop a relationship with a few Syrian refugee families in pursuit of tikkun olam, and it meant a lot for my friends to donate today to help these families during this particularly difficult time. It was a really fulfilling experience to blend something so personal with a community gathering that had greater impact beyond just our group.”