Dial "M" for mitzvah

ILAN SARAGOSTI SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN

Kids today are spoiled. The western world is selfish and materialistic. Evil has taken over since Sept. 11. These ideas, generally thrown around as fact, are being debunked by a devoted new group of do-gooders – the Mitzvah Group.

An offshoot of Vancouver Talmud Torah high school's popular annual Mitzvah Day, the Mitzvah Group is a monthly initiative of the Ohel Yaakov Community Kollel. The concept is simple, yet certainly not common in this day and age: Volunteers of all ages get together for a day of helping those in need and generally making Vancouver and, in turn, the world a better place. Think globally, act locally is the Mitzvah Group's de facto motto.

"Kindness and helping those in need is an important foundation of Judaism," said organizer Rabbi Shmuelik Yeshayahu. "Mitzvah Day was so successful at bringing together four generations of Jews – kids, young adults, adults and the elderly – with one common goal that we knew we had to make it into something more permanent."

Some of the Mitzvah Day activities that were carried out by the 200 or so volunteers that will also be undertaken by the Mitzvah Group include hospital visits, helping the B.C. Cancer Agency, socializing with the mentally challenged and cleaning local beaches.

One local woman who is definitely keen on the mitzvah phenomenon is Robyn Segal of Richmond. Segal and her three children participated in the last Mitzvah Day and she is convinced that it was an experience that has changed them all.

"My kids are nine, 13 and 16 so getting them to do anything together is difficult," said Segal. "They hummed and hawed at first because it was such a nice day, but they all came along. By the end of the day, none of us wanted to go home. It was such a moving experience that we didn't want the day to end."

Especially touching, said Segal, was a visit with an ill, elderly woman, who turned out to be a Holocaust survivor who had cut all ties with the Jewish community.

"She was very hostile at first; she said she wanted nothing to do with Jews. But we persevered and by the end of our visit she had warmed up considerably and asked us if we could come back and see her again." Such a hands-on lesson in human nature, morality, and the Holocaust are invaluable, said Segal, things that cannot be taught in school.

"Whether the person or organization you're helping is Jewish is really not important," concluded Segal. "Teaching our children to make the world a better place is what counts and that's a hard lesson to teach."

The Mitzvah Group meets on the last Sunday of each month. Their first event is a hospital visit on May 26. The group will meet at 2389 West 10th Ave. at noon. For more information or to register, call 604-267-7060 or go to www.mitzvahday.ca.

Ilan Saragosti is a filmmaker and writer living in Vancouver.

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