Thursday, October 1, 2026
Temple Avodah in Oceanside will be holding its annual Mitzvah Day on April 22, when members of the temple and the Oceanside community will come together and do good deeds.
“Mitzvah” is a Hebrew word that has come to mean an act of kindness. Community service is part of the Jewish tradition, and Mitzvah Day celebrates that. But the community at large is welcome to participate, not just the members of Temple Avodah.
The participants perform many different deeds during the day. They usually start by dropping off food collection bags to homes all over Oceanside. These are collected later in the day (hopefully filled with food) and then distributed to local food pantries. Last year, participants collected 1,000 bags of food from Oceansiders.
The temple’s Junior Choir travels to a local nursing home and performs for the residents there. Meanwhile, the Senior Choir travels to Mercy Medical Center to perform.
Some of the children who come out to help travel to Oceanside Library, where they read to younger children.
And one of the recently added services is gardening at Temple Avodah and helping to improve the aesthetics of the property.
The day usually runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. said Paul Engel, Temple Avodah’s Mitzvah Day coordinator. Participants are treated to a bagel breakfast and pizza lunch.
Anyone in the community can participate. Those interested in helping should contact Engel by emailing paulmengel@hotmail.com.
