Tikkun Olam—Repairing the World—A Win-Win for All

“If the garment or accessory is right for prom, it’s right for this donation.” So said the flyer I wrote that was sent out to Temple B’nai Torah, Wantagh, NY congregants in anticipation of the yearly Mitzvah Day, held this year in May 2024.

Like in other temples, this yearly day was all about good deeds and impacting the world. We in my family were no strangers to the concept of tikkun olam as it often entered our household through fundraising events with our local Hadassah chapter and through donations to National Hadassah. It entered through annual charity walks and donations to raise funds for research into various diseases and syndromes. Mitzvah Day is one of those opportunities our temple believes makes it easy for children, adults and anyone in between to participate and contribute to improving the world through a variety of activities. A win-win.

Our goal was simple: one day to gather up prom gear for both men and women: gowns, suits, shoes and accessories. It was a way to fix a little part of the world, giving back by donating to the North Babylon High School Bulldog Boutique in Long Island, NY. People really spent the effort to clear their closets to fill another. Another win-win.

My intention in any case, upon learning about the existence of the Bulldog Boutique, was to independently donate my daughter’s three bridesmaid gowns of various shades and styles that would not be worn again. A fourth dress, a senior prom gown, also awaited us in the basement, carefully shrouded in clear plastic. And although the digital era beckoned us to try to sell them online, both my daughter and I had a collective Jewish conscience that beckoned us to donate them so others could enjoy what is normally a most expensive part of the high school experience.

Before we knew it, family friends, learning of the upcoming Mitzvah Day, delivered garments to our home. We picked up other items on the fly and, targeting the daughters who had just finished up bridesmaid duties paid off too. Another win-win.

Over the course of the Mitzvah Day morning, people delivered items, which my son, husband and friend bagged and hung on clothing racks, as if this were some dry-cleaning operation. My husband and son found a portable white board and kept track of the number of gowns received as they came in. The board, acting as a makeshift tote board was a magnet for people to come by our location and read the latest numbers.

My son became the de facto point person when some ladies stopped by the racks, realized they needed to go home to get their contribution of gowns and, once they returned, made a beeline to him with the goods.

One hundred and thirty gowns later, the entire lot was generously delivered to the school building by a temple couple who told us their experience the following Friday night. It appeared that once they arrived, six young men (students getting a few minutes away from their class) carried the garments from the van into the school.

Kind, considerate and grateful helpers, they made our work easy. It was as if the mitzvahs came full circle. Win-win.

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Lauren B. Lev is a member of the Hadassah Educators Council.