This spring, the JUF Tikkun Olam Volunteer (TOV) Network partnered with Israel Education Center (IEC) and local Hillels to launch Chicago’s inaugural Good Deeds Day.

Good Deeds Day was started by Jewish philanthropist and businesswoman Shari Arison to catalyze positive social change. What started in Israel in 2007 now spans 50 countries across the globe and is an internationally recognized movement. With the tagline, “Made in Israel. Good for the World,” Good Deeds Day was intended to shift the focus from hostile anti-Israel sentiment and divestment to the positive impact Israel is having on the world.

Six local Hillels signed on to launch Good Deeds Day on their own campuses, each creating volunteer projects that resonated with them. Columbia College hosted a blood drive and collected enough blood to save 70 lives. Students relayed the positive message it sent to students of all streams, that Hillel is committed to bettering their community and applying Jewish values to their daily lives. It was an important message, especially in light of the anti-Israel sentiments pervading campuses.

Loyola University partnered with a Just Harvest, Inspiration Corporation, Cornerstone Community Outreach, Imerman Angels, and Ronald McDonald House for projects focused on hunger relief and raising the spirits of the sick. Students expressed the poignant timing of the event, only a day after the student government passed a divestment from Israel bill.

Students appreciated the opportunity to portray a different side of Israel and to partner with local student groups, including Alpha Psi Lamda (Latino student group) and Loyola Coalition for the Homeless, in addition to several others. The event sparked interest in future partnerships with Hillel, and provided an opportunity for student government members to show up in support and participate in an Israel-related event.

UIC used Good Deeds Day as an opportunity to create cards for children at both the Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago and a children’s hospital in Israel.

Northern Illinois University scheduled Good Deeds Day during their campus ‘Week of the Young Child’ and partnered with the Child Center in donating time to read, interact, and assist in activities with children throughout the day. It gave Hillel positive exposure on campus for the good they are doing in the community.

Northwestern University hosted a sandwich making drive for Campus Kitchens during Israel Celebration Week. Students also partnered with Cranes for Courage to make origami cranes that were sent to patients in mental hospitals or suffering from addiction. “Good Deeds Day provided students several easy and enjoyable opportunities to truly make a positive impact on those in need,” said one Northwestern student. “It was quite a successful initiative and I think Northwestern students should commit to continuing to sponsor this event for years to come.”

At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, students packed 800 bags of rice that were donated to the Wesley Food Pantry in their community and featured a “Giving Tree” that offered multiple opportunities to carry out random acts of kindness on their campus, with friends, family, and the community.

Good Deeds Day in Numbers:

• Over 1,500 individuals impacted
• 700 sandwiches made/donated to local shelters
• 800 bags of rice packed for local shelters
• 180 cards sent to local and Israeli hospitals
• 20 random acts of kindness
• 70 lives saved by blood donations
• 50 children impacted
• 207 volunteers
• 29 co-sponsors/organizations involved
• 6 college campuses participated

Yael Brunwasser is the director of Volunteer Services (TOV) of the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago.