Altruists unite for day of the (good) deed

It’s the tenth annual local Good Deeds Day, created by Israeli magnate Shari Arison

By Jessica Steinberg

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15 March 2016, 3:23 pm

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Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center

It’s your day to do some good on Tuesday, with the arrival of Good Deeds Day Israel 2016.

Created by magnate Shari Arison, Israel’s wealthiest woman, the annual celebration of good deeds is Arison’s mission — through her foundation, Ruach Tova — to encourage good deeds and positive thinking.

It’s been celebrated every year since 2007, and usually in March, although there it is generally marked on a different day in Israel than in the rest of the world. This year, it is being held on April 10 worldwide.

According to ShariArison.com, nearly one million people in 61 countries participated in last year’s Good Deeds Day, offering more than three million hours of volunteer time in over 11,000 projects.

This year, the range of good deeds projects in Israel is wide and eclectic, with a full listing available (only in Hebrew) at the Israeli website, Good Deeds Day Israel.

Handing out bagged fruits and vegetables at a bus station for Good Deeds Day (Courtesy Good Deeds Day)

Here’s a small selection to choose from:

Give blood at Magen David Adom stations throughout the country, with a full listing here. Some stations are open all day, others only in the late afternoon.
Make public spaces more attractive in Jerusalem with local artist Talya Adi, who will be embroidering benches and painting Persian-style tile art on the pavement in Jerusalem’s Gonenim neighborhood, Yehuda Hanasi, corner Elazar HaGadol, from 11 a.m.
A community fair in Sderot will offer a number of do-good stalls, including giving blood, donating hair, a give-and-take clothing market, nominally priced Purim costumes, an organ card station and an animal shelter station. Sderot, near the Sderot Cinematheque, 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm.
In Herzliya, senior citizens can bring their important photos and documents for scanning, a process that helps keep memorabilia in proper order. Herzliya, Youth Center, 5 Sokolov, 10 am – 6 pm.
Beersheba’s students are running a market for the city’s residents, with drum circles, makeup stations, street performances and live music. From 129 Rager Boulevard to 14 Alexander Yanai Street and Neighborhood D, Beersheba.
Drink beer with Knesset members Meirav Ben-Ari (Kulanu), Tamar Zandberg (Meretz) and Ayelet Nahmias Verbin (Zionist Union) at El Vecino, Tel Aviv, 192 Ibn Gvirol, 8 pm.
In Jerusalem, hang out with Knesset members Sharren Haskel (Likud), Roy Folkman (Kulanu), Oded Forer (Yisrael Beytenu) and Mickey Levy (Yesh Atid) at Bar HaTaklit, 7 Heleni Hamalka, Jerusalem, 7:30 pm – 10 pm.

For more information about other Good Deeds events in Israel, go to the Good Deeds website or call *9093. The organization’s Facebook page also includes updated information about projects that still need volunteers.