Habitat For Humanity Clergy Build

Rabbis in Hard Hats: (back row) Rabbis Ed Elkin, Jerry Steinberg, Aaron Flanzraich, Sean Gorman, Stephen Wise
(front row) Rabbis Danny Gottlieb, Elyse Goldstein, Jennifer Gorman and Baruch Frydman-Kohl.

Rabbi Elyse Goldstein participates in Clergy Build for Habitat for Humanity

"What an amazing tikkun olam project! We as Jews have a special sensitivity to the meaning of "home" and building with Habitat really hit me as a Jew. Everything from the floor tiles to the paint to the appliances to the labor to build these beautiful homes is donated- even the land upon which they are built. Families who apply for a Habitat home meet strict criteria: they must hold down a steady job, be able to repay an interest-free mortgage (which is over 15 years to prevent them from moving in and then "flipping" the home quickly, as these homes are mortgaged at much less than what they can bring on the open market) plus volunteer 500 hours themselves with Habitat to build someone else's home. The home we worked on was being finished for a November move in- quite exciting. Ours was a 5 bedroom, 2 and a half bath home for a family of 9 who have moved from Pakistan. It was truly a lovely home, for Habitat's philosophy is that everyone deserves a beautiful home, not just a "sub-standard, quick-job" home. My "team" was myself, Rabbi Danny Gottlieb and Rabbi Jerry Steinberg and we caulked windows, sanded and filled walls (I learned it is called "mudding"), primed and painted. Our work was inspected by the team leader to ensure quality; there was no "this is good enough, its just poor people" kind of thinking.

I'm so looking forward to doing the Clergy Build again next year! To find out more about Habitat for Humanity, go to http://www.torontohabitat.ca and prepare to be impressed!

Our team sanded, caulked, "mudded" and primed