Mitzvah Day 2017 saw activities take place in many parts of Barnet over the weekend. Theresa Villiers, MP for Chipping Barnet, attended Mitzvah Day events at Sha’arei Tsedek North London Reform Synagogue, in Whetstone, and at Woodside Park United Synagogue.
The literal meaning of ‘mitzvah’ is a commandment in Jewish law, but is more often used to mean a good deed or an act of kindness. The Mitzvah Day national charity encourages people to take part in volunteering and community work. Although the idea is rooted in Jewish tradition, Mitzvah Day brings together people of many different backgrounds to volunteer together.
Following her visits to local shuls taking part in Mitzvah Day, Theresa Villiers said “I am really pleased that Mitzvah Day gets such strong support in Barnet. For several years now I have been getting involved in Mitzvah Day activities and I am always really impressed by the hard work that goes into this every year by synagogues and community groups.”
“Mitzvah Day is an important opportunity to help out people facing hardship and I pay tribute to everyone involved this year. It was great to see so many children learning about Mitzvah Day and the importance of good deeds and voluntary work.”
At Sha’arei Tsedek Synagogue in Oakleigh Rd North N20, activities included a class for children to understand more about Mitzvah Day and a collection for Homeless Action in Barnet. At Woodside Park Synagogue, they were collecting for the Barnet Refugee Service and running a range of activities for children such as making greetings cards for the elderly and planting bulbs to be given to North London Hospice