On a single day this month, 10 volunteers walked into the Maryland State House carrying thank-you petitions signed by 2,789 people for every elected official in the state — and 200 jars of kosher, Maryland-made honey. And while most visits to the State House come with an ask, this one didn't.
In Jewish tradition, we are taught hakarat hatov, or the value of expressing gratitude. The Jewish community worldwide has experienced a steady stream of antisemitism over the past few years, making it even more important to highlight those who stand with us and against Jew-hatred.
Through Jewish Federations’ One Mitzvah A Day (OMAD) initiative, we do just that: recognize a person or organization’s stance against antisemitism, especially those with significant platforms. At a time when they may receive flak for their allyship, thanking the recipients goes a long way — reinforcing why they should continue to stand with the Jewish community despite the pushback.
OMAD offers opportunities for action in communities big and small. The Jewish Federation of Annapolis and the Chesapeake, one of the newest network communities in the country, showed what that can look like. The petition its volunteers carried expressed gratitude to lawmakers for supporting the state’s security grants for faith-based and nonprofit organizations. These grants, provided by Maryland’s Protecting Against Hate Crimes Grant Program (the state’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program), help synagogues, day schools, community centers, and other nonprofits cover the security measures that have become a fact of Jewish communal life: cameras, alarm systems, reinforced entrances, and trained security staff.
“With Jewish communities continuing to face the threat of antisemitic domestic terrorism, this investment sends a powerful message that the safety and security of vulnerable communities matters,” said Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, Co-Founder/Secretary of the Jewish Federation of Annapolis and the Chesapeake. “As members of the local Jewish community and constituents, we wanted to make sure our elected officials heard firsthand how crucial NSGP funding is for the structure of Jewish communal life in our state – and our gratitude for their leadership.”
The Federation’s Mitzvah Day reached legislators on both sides of the aisle, including Governor Wes Moore (D), Speaker of the House of Delegates Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D), and Delegates Kathy Szeliga (R) and Ryan Nawrocki (R).
The Mitzvah Day also demonstrated the power of hakarat hatov in action. Sometimes the most powerful thing a community can carry into a room is a jar of honey and the words “thank you.”