March Mitzvah Madness
duda • February 27, 2025
March Mitzvah Madness is Here!
Enhance your Madness this year with mitzvot!
March Madness brings the top college basketball teams in the country together for an intense 3-week tournament where one team will win 6 games in a row and become the national champion.
Join us this year for a fun community event where we support our favorite teams, pick upsets - and do good deeds along the way! Prizes are awarded to the winners of both brackets and to the person who does the most mitzvot.
Get ready to join the fun and make your picks in both the NCAA Men's and Women's pools!
No cost to participate!
Brackets go live on March 16th (Selection Sunday).
Register before March 16th to receive an email link from CBS Sports once Selection Sunday concludes.
Enter your brackets here:
We'll be adding suggested mitzvot for each round to keep the spirit going! Post about your mitzvot and tag us at #jcamarchmitzvahmadness.
Acts of Kindness (Gemilut Chasadim)
- Volunteer with Jewish Family Services Diaper Bank – Help ensure that families in need have access to essential baby supplies.
- Call or visit someone lonely.
- Offer to run errands for a neighbor.
- Write a heartfelt letter to a loved one.
- Let someone go ahead of you in line.
- Compliment a stranger.
- Help someone carry their groceries.
- Hold the door open for multiple people.
- Bake or cook for someone in need.
- Offer to babysit for free for a parent who needs a break.
Community & Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World)
- Donate to or volunteer with a local food pantry – Help provide nutritious food to those facing food insecurity.
- Participate in a community cleanup event.
- Advocate for a cause you believe in.
- Reduce waste by bringing reusable bags and containers.
- Support a local business.
- Offer to tutor or mentor a student.
- Make a care package for someone in need.
- Walk or bike instead of driving to help the environment.
- Support the JCA’s Annual Campaign – Help strengthen Jewish life in Southern Maine.
- Volunteer at a JCA event – Assist in making community programs run smoothly.
Jewish Tradition & Learning
- Light Shabbat candles and invite someone to join.
- Learn a new Jewish prayer or text.
- Listen to a Jewish podcast or read a Jewish book.
- Say Modeh Ani in the morning with gratitude.
- Share a Jewish teaching with a friend.
- Participate in a Torah study or discussion.
- Attend a Jewish cultural or educational program at the JCA – Engage in learning with the community.
- Reach out to someone in the Jewish community you haven’t spoken to in a while.
- Write a note of appreciation to a Jewish educator, rabbi, or leader.
- Sign up for a JCA class – Deepen your connection to Jewish culture.
Tzedakah & Helping Others
- Give tzedakah—any amount, to any cause.
- Pay for someone’s coffee or meal.
- Support an organization that aligns with your values.
- Buy groceries for a family in need.
- Donate blood if eligible.
- Contribute to the HIAS refugee resettlement initiative – Help welcome new Mainers to our community.
Last week, the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine welcomed Eugene Damlich, a survivor of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda, for a special lunch and community dialogue. Eugene shared the story of losing his family, surviving unimaginable violence, and rebuilding his life in the years that followed. The only surviving child in a family of five children, Eugene later immigrated to the United States, where, as an adult, he found love and belonging with a Jewish-American family. The gathering was not simply a testimony program, but a genuine exchange between communities. Eugene asked participants how the Jewish community has preserved Holocaust memory while helping survivors and their descendants live with hope, dignity, and purpose. He also invited discussion about forgiveness, justice, healing, and the responsibility to transmit memory across generations. Several people at the table were children of Holocaust survivors—one JCRC member, Anna Wrobel, shared that her mother was also the sole survivor of her family—profoundly relating to Eugene in a way that few others can. In preparation for the lunch, the JCRC held its first movie night, where participants watched Sometimes in April, a 2005 historical drama about the Rwandan Genocide. Last week’s lunch also built upon the JCRC’s participation in this year’s Kwibuka, which annually commemorates the Rwandan Genocide; JCRC members walked in the memorial procession, and a post-Kwibuaka gathering for Maine’s Tutsi community was held at the JCA. We are deeply grateful to Eugene for sharing his testimony, and we look forward to continuing to strengthen the relationship between Maine’s Jewish and Tutsi communities.
Camp is officially in session, and we’re so excited to welcome this year’s Israeli Shlichim to Center Day Camp. Each summer, our Shlichim (Hebrew for “emissaries”) travel from Israel to spend the season at camp—sharing their culture, traditions, language, stories, and everyday life with our campers and community. Through games, conversations, music, special programs, and lots of fun, they help create meaningful connections that bring Israel to life in authentic and personal ways. Wishing all of our campers, staff, and Shlichim an unforgettable summer ahead!
The JCA had a wonderful time hosting the Second Annual Jewish-Asian Friendship Dinner! This dinner brought together the Jewish community and nearly all major Asian organizations in Southern Maine. This year, we served Cambodian delicacies, Filipino comfort food, and Israeli falafel, with a special dish made for the event: a red onion curry challah created by Exile Bakery. Highlights of the night included honoring Manli Ho—the daughter of famous Chinese diplomat Dr. Feng-Shan Ho, who saved thousands of Jews during the Holocaust—and a Hamotzi blessing & invocation from Rabbi Rachel Isaacs. We also heard a moving story on growing up Asian from former Portland City Councillor Tae Chong, a speech from community leader Marpheen Chann, an introduction from Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, and concluding remarks from Tam Huynh, Executive Director of the Holocaust & Human Rights Center of Maine. Our Jewish Community Relations Council also presented an original artwork to the Watt Samaki Buddhist Temple in honor of our past year of friendship. Thank you to more than 150 community members who packed the JCA to celebrate Jewish-Asian unity. These include our friends at Khmer Maine, the Maine Jewish Museum, Azerbaijan Society of Maine, Chinese Gospel Church of Portland, Watt Samaki Buddhist Temple, Filipino-American Samahan of Maine, Chinese-American Friendship Association of Maine, Maine Asian-American Community Center, and The LUNAR Collective.
