Civil Rights Service Trip

Sinai’s community service and civil rights trips bring members together to rebuild homes devastated by natural disasters.  Through service, learning, worship, and fun this initiative creates meaningful and lasting impacts on communities we partner with, and permanent bonds of friendship among our volunteers and members.  Since 2008, Sinai members have made deep and lasting connections to survivors in Houston, TX; New Orleans, LA;  Birmingham, Alabama;  Charleston , SC and Union Beach, NJ. The projects we undertake do not require special skills as there is work for all ages from 12 and up. In the evenings, we have fun eating great southern cooking and taking in the local culture.

Our Past Trip: April 2017 | Rebuilding near Charleston, SC after Hurricane Matthew

In spring of 2017, Chicago Sinai’s service trip for the first time traveled to Charleston, SC, to rebuild communities that were damaged by Hurricane Matthew on October 6, 2016. Many towns in the low county of South Carolina were damaged from floods and high winds, and are in need of volunteers to remove debris and begin the rebuilding process.

We immersed ourselves in learning about slave and civil rights history in Charleston, with educational tours of the Old Slave Mart and McLeod Plantation. We took civil rights tours of the area and visited one of the first Reform Jewish Temples In America, Congregation Kahal Kodesh, Beth Elohim (KKBE), where we attended Friday night services.

Please contact jillpeters@rcn.com for trip details, scholarships, and to register for the trip.