Fair Trade Bar/Bat Mitzvah Projects

Take Tzedakah Global

Social action is at the core of Global Goods Partners. When you work with us on your bar/bat mitzvah project, your efforts will make a real impact on social change. Join us in:

• raising awareness about poverty, injustice and other critical global challenges
• encouraging action and engagement among your friends and members of your community
• supporting marginalized women and families around the world

We welcome your ideas, energy and commitment to tikkun olam (repairing the world)!!

Q. What does a Global Goods Partners Bar/Bat Mitzvah Project look like?

A. Ask Alexa Herlands of Glastonbury, Connecticut, who set up her own table at her local synagogue to sell fair trade products. She explained to her customers where and how each product was made and some of the challenges facing the women in their community.  Alexa summed up her Tzedakah experience with “I thought it was important to help other people even though I made only a small difference.  It was incredibly fun and felt really good to do something for others.”

Jake Taft of Rye, New York, chose to work with us for his bar mitzvah project because he wanted to contribute to fighting global poverty. He knew that by selling fair trade products he would be making a difference in the lives of poor women and their families around the world. Jake displayed samples of the handmade products and took orders once a week for one month. Here’s a photo of Jake distributing orders at his synagogue.

Q. How involved may I become?

A. Ask Tatum McCormick of Chicago, Illinois, who worked closely with our staff to learn about all of our artisan organizations in Asia.  Tatum chose to raise funds for Friends International, an organization providing education to former street children and economic opportunities to their families in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.  Tatum has raised money to support a grant to Friends International and she will participate in the grant-making process alongside one of our staff members. Tatum wrote, “my interest in particular was in finding a community organization that would help children in need and over the next two years, I hope to raise a significant amount of money in support of their programs.”

Q. May I design my own Bar/Bat Mitzvah Project?

A. Yes, we have had students make their own jewelry from hand-made recycled beads purchased from an artisan group in Cambodia.  The students sold the jewelry with proceeds going to both our organization as well as a nonprofit organization of their choice.  We have had students put on fashion shows with fair tarde products; set up fair trade clubs to both sell products and have a Global Goods Partners speaker come to their school; and organized a booth at their community fairs and school assemblies.  We also invite students to design their own landing page to be featured on our website with information about their Bar/Bat Mitzvah project, including personal photos and messages.

For more information about the Fair Trade Bar/Bat Mitzvah Program, please contact Catherine Shimony, cshimony@globalgoodspartners.org, phone 212-461-3647.