Volunteering & Tikkun Olam

Congregation Emanu-El has been preparing meals for those in need, whether they are homeless, underemployed or food insecure since 1982.

The time commitment for the Sunday Lunch Program is minimal… just two hours from 10:00 AM to noon every Sunday. We particularly need volunteers on holiday weekends and during the summer.

QUESTIONS? Contact the Sunday Lunch Program at .

Tikkun Olam has held an annual Fall Mitzvah Day since 2005 and added a Spring Mitzvah Day in 2023. Volunteers come together to offer help and support to our neighbors while creating community among our members. We look forward to being together again, as we assemble packages that contain essential items for the most vulnerable populations in New York City.

Read about our first Spring Mitzvah Day in 2022.

Thanksgiving Dinner

Temple Emanu-El’s Annual Thanksgiving Dinner is made possible by a generous sponsorship from Dr. Barbara Ritchin

Every year Temple Emanu-El hots an Annual Thanksgiving dinner for 125 seniors and women and families from local homeless and domestic violence shelters.

Second Seder for the Elderly is one of the longest running community-service programs offered by Temple Emanu-El. It is staffed by dedicated congregants who volunteer their time to help make this evening possible. Prior to Passover, temple members also volunteer to pack bags filled with Passover foods for delivery to homebound seniors.

Each year on the second night of Passover, Temple Emanu-El holds its annual community seder for 250 elderly Jews in need of assistance. Our guests come from senior centers and are provided transportation from all areas of the city to come to this event. By organizing this community seder, the temple seeks to enable those who no longer have families or whose families are far away to share the prayers and fellowship of this significant Jewish holiday.

Invitations are extended and arranged through the representative social workers from the different agencies only. If you are a social worker and wish to have your agency added to the invitation list, then please send your request in writing to Temple Emanu-El, One East 65th Street, New York, NY 10065 (Attn: Second Seder). Please include your agency’s background information.

Stitch’n Time is a knitting group for temple members who would like to knit or crochet items for various organizations.

Stitch’n Time participants knit warm scarves and caps for clients of Temple Emanu-El’s Sunday Lunch Program, as well as knitted goods for children and other adults in need. Both experienced and novice knitters are invited to join us. However, participation is limited to members of the congregation. Instruction is available for those who need assistance. Yarn and patterns are provided, but you must bring your own needles (#8).

Sessions meet from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

If you have questions or would like to join us, please send an email to .

The role of Emanu-El’s greeters is to greet congregants and guests, answer their questions and maintain the solemnity of the service. Greeters accomplish this by welcoming worshipers, helping them find their place in the prayer book, and by directing those unfamiliar with the temple building to seats, restrooms, exits and other necessary locations. Greeters are expected to dress in a dignified and unobtrusive manner and to maintain decorum in our sanctuaries with the help of temple employees. Greeters are provided with a manual containing basic information about their duties.

Being aa greeter at Temple Emanu-El is an important position. We welcome the interest of members who would like to join this longstanding group of dedicated volunteers who enhance the worship experience for members and visitors alike. If you are a temple member interested in volunteering as a greeter at Friday Evening Shabbat Services, please email .

TOUR GUIDES: Every Saturday, following worship services, a member of our congregation leads a tour of the temple for interested visitors. These guides discuss the important architectural features of our magnificent Fifth Avenue building, the history of Temple Emanu-El as one of the great Reform temples of the world, and the programs we offer today to members of the congregation and to the community at large.

Each volunteer receives training from temple staff and generally is needed only once every two months. Often, the guide also will act as an usher for the morning service.

Worship is conducted at Temple Emanu-El every day of the year.

The Sunset Service began in 1945 when members of the Men’s Club committed themselves to lead worship on all days except those of Shabbat, holidays and festivals. Since then, a countless number of volunteers have sustained our Sunset Service with remarkable fidelity and devotion.

Today, the Readers Panel includes women and men from throughout the congregation. It is supervised by Peter and Mary Kalikow Senior Rabbinic Chair Joshua Davidson. While the panel remains under the auspices of the Men’s Club, participation is open to all congregational families — including teenagers who have completed their bar or bat mitzvah studies.

Volunteer congregants are needed to continue this magnificent tradition. Each reader leads the service about once a month. Readers acknowledge readily that leading the service — and thereby enabling others to worship — is a deeply fulfilling experience.

Read what members of the Readers Panel say about participating in this experience »

If you are a temple member and are interested in becoming a reader, then send an email to , or call 212-744-1400, ext. 251.

Note: Temple Emanu-El’s Sunset Service is open to the public. Attendees should enter at the Marvin and Elizabeth Cassell Community House, One East 65th Street.