20 | DECEMBER 5 • 2019 I t’ s been a Christmas Day tradition for more than two decades. Mitzvah Day, the largest single day of vol- unteering in the Metropolitan Detroit Jewish community, is an initiative of the Jewish Community Relations Council/ AJC (JCRC/AJC) in partnership with the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. “This will be our twenty- third Mitzvah Day and it gets bigger and better every year, ” said Illana Stern, JCRC/AJC board member and co-chair of Mitzvah Day. “We have nearly 40 returning and new sites this year that offer volunteers the opportunity to do anything from delivering meals and toys to spending time with senior citizens, children and veterans and helping at animal shelters. ” Mitzvah Day was founded by JCRC/AJC’ s predeces- sor, the Jewish Community Relations Council, in 1996 in order to fill staff shortages or allow organizations to reduce staffing on Christmas Day. Through the years, the event’ s reputation grew, bringing more locations and volunteers into the fold, including par- ticipation from friends in the Muslim, Hindu, Christian and Sikh communities. Four years ago, Patty and Jerry Stelmaszak, heard about Mitzvah Day while attending services at Temple Emanu-El in Oak Park. The Ferndale residents, who spend much of the year in Nashville, thought it would be a wonderful way to spend Christmas . “When we first began vol- unteering, we spent the day handing out gifts and treats at a convalescent home. We were quickly hooked and, since then, have signed up for two locations to volunteer at each year,” Patty said. In 2018, the couple began the day preparing and serving meals alongside Chef Matt Prentice at Cass Community Social Services before heading out on Salvation Army’ s Bed and Bread Truck, where they served meals to individuals liv- ing on the streets in Detroit. “Every year we volunteer at two sites because each loca- tion gives us a different feeling around the city, ” Patty said. A Detroit Tradition Spend Christmas Day doing good in the community. LAUREN GARFIELD-HERRIN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS PHOTOS BY JEFF AISEN Jews in the D TICKETS: MichiganOpera.org The Jazz Gospel Messiah Too Hot To Hande l Sat., Dec. 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the Detroit Opera House TICKETS START AT JUST $33 ORDER YOURS TODAY! A hand clapping, soul stirring holiday celebration! Presented by Rackham Choir and the Detroit Opera House Alfreda Burke Rodrick Dixon Alvin Waddles Karen Marie Richardson