I do not consider myself a religious or spiritual person, and, in the secular arena, I wouldn’t characterize myself as being particularly deep or reflective. However, as the Jewish High Holidays approach,  I find that I spend more time thinking about things more serious than whether the Jets will win a game this year, who will sit on the Iron Throne and other similar issues. My more serious reflections peak during the actual holidays - three days when I am not at work physically or through my iPhone – particularly on Yom Kippur. Although I am generally pretty busy that day thinking about my long list of sins and the many things about myself that I need to improve (too extensive to list here, but ask my wife and she would be happy to fill you in if you have a few days with nothing else to do), there are at least two times during the Yom Kippur service when my thoughts turn toward the community at large.

Every year on Yom Kippur a portion of the book of Isaiah is read, and I am always struck by Isaiah’s exhortation not to focus merely on the ritualistic aspects of the holiday (such as fasting), but to:

“Share your bread with the hungry,

and welcome the homeless into your home.

When you see the naked, clothe them.

All people are your kin:

do not ignore them."

Also, every year on Yom Kippur Yizkor-the memorial service for the dead- is conducted. During the Yizkor service, we pledge to give charity in honor of the deceased. One explanation that I have read is that by donating to charity we are performing a good deed in this world, something that the dead can no longer do themselves.

There are tens of thousands of homeless people in New York, many of whom have complex medical and mental health conditions. In the words of Isaiah, all of them are our kin. The Center for Urban Community Services (“CUCS”; www.cucs.org) is an independent non-profit organization whose mission is to help people rise from poverty, exit homelessness and be healthy. CUCS provides housing, care and support to approximately 50,000 New Yorkers every year. Among other things, CUCS is now leading efforts to help homeless living on the streets of Manhattan move into housing and has been running New York City’s first street medicine program that offers medical assessments and minimally invasive treatments to the homeless wherever they live (for more information, go to https://www.cucs.org/our-press/ ).

I am honored to be a member of the Board of Directors of CUCS and I urge you to take Isaiah’s words to heart by helping New York’s most vulnerable people and donating to CUCS.