for Reform Jews of Every Age + National High School Voter Registration Week Regional Competition
The ten days between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, otherwise known as the Days of Awe, challenge us to live the values of teshuvah, or repentance, by reflecting on what we can change in the coming year, t’filah, or prayer for the things we cannot change, and tzedakah, or pursuing justice. Therefore, Every Voice, Every Vote: The Reform Movement’s Civic Engagement Campaign must not be halted; rather we must challenge ourselves and each other to do the work to pursue justice more than ever in these Days of Awe.
In the spirit of the High Holidays, the Civic Engagement Campaign, and social justice, allow this week to be a competitive manifestation of that challenge for yourselves, your family, and your community (past and present). If you would like to participate in the NFTY Regional Competition, you can add your region to your name during the following activities and each region will receive points for every participant in each event. The winning region will receive a one-of-a-kind personalized trophy and bragging rights until the next civic engagement competition! B’hatzlacha!!
Mindful Monday
September 21, 2020
To kick off our week, we will practice teshuvah by reflecting on what we do not know with the intention to learn and use what we have learned moving forward. Throughout the day @officialnfty will post quiz questions on the Instagram story and you will have to be one of the first three people to answer correctly to get points for your region (each of the first three correct responses will receive 100 points each for their region).
Take Action Tuesday
September 22, 2020, 8:00 pm ET
Civic engagement is about practicing what you preach. We will be doing just that by working to get the most people registered to vote as we possibly can. Your challenge? Practice tzedakah by joining us to register to vote through a riveting scavenger hunt and bringing as many people as possible with you. In this case, more people does not only mean more points, but also more power to make the changes we want to see in the world. Each current NFTY participant will receive 10000 points for their region, and each NFTY alum will receive 10500 points for the region they participated in.
When We All Vote Wednesday
September 23, 2020, all day and 6:00 pm ET
T’filah, prayer, is a vital part of these ten days, so please share what you think the world could look like if everyone who was eligible voted and/or if everyone was able to vote without barriers. Submissions should be shared in your Instagram stories with @officialnfty and @theracgram tagged on your post. Each video submission earns 1000 points, each photo submission earns 500 points, and each text submission earns 100 points for your region.
T’filah however, cannot be practiced alone. We must put our prayers in action to create the world we envision. Join us in the Religious Action Center’s Every Voice, Every Vote: Every Week Action Night and phone bank with the New Florida Majority Education Fund to low propensity voters in Florida at 6:00 pm ET to practice the acts of tzedakah that must come with t’filah. Each participant and alum will receive 5000 points for participating in the action night.
That’s How It’s Done Thursday
September 24, 2020
Whether it’s how it is done or how it will be done, voter registration is important. Practice teshuvah and reflect on your voting journey (or lack thereof) by submitting a photo of you checking your voter registration and practice tzedakah by registering yourself, encouraging people in your life to register to vote, and submitting a photo once you or others in your circle are registered. Looking back on our past actions coupled with changing our current actions is what this time is about. Submissions should be shared in your Instagram stories with @officialnfty and @theracgram tagged on your post. Each submission is 1000 points, and family and alumni count!
Future Friday
September 25, 2020
For the last day, when we think about social justice and civic engagement, we practice teshuvah, reflecting on what we have accomplished and what we have failed to accomplish, t’filah, praying for a better world, and tzedakah, doing justice work to make this year better than the last. Please submit a video, a photo with a caption, or a text blurb to tell us, using all three values of the days of awe, your plan for pursuing justice this year. Submissions should be shared in your Instagram stories with @officialnfty and @theracgram tagged on your post. Each video submission earns 1000 points, each photo submission earns 500 points, and each text submission earns 100 points for your region.
