Community book swap is April 3

MONROE — The Monroe Temple will sponsor a book swap, open to the community, on Sunday April 3, 2011, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Organizers said the event is sponsored by the Temple Torah School and its Social Action Committee to highlight the commandment of “bal tashchit,” the importance of saving trees and the environment. In contemporary Judaism ,advocates often point to bal tashchit as an environmental principle. “Congregants were asked to donate gently used books over a period of four Sundays and received a coupon indicating the number of books which they gave,” said Debbie Evans, co-chair of the Torah School Committee. “We have collected in excess of 1,000 books and will donate any left over after the book swap to the local library, Orange Regional Medical Center and a homeless shelter,” added Evans. On April 3, congregants can redeem their coupons and take home the same number of books as they donated. The swap is also open to the community who can buy books for 50 cents each. “The book swap has benefits to the community as well as the temple,” said Evans. “In addition to keeping books in circulation, thus limiting the number of new books which need to be produced, community groups will receive books and members of the community will have the opportunity to purchase books.” For further information, call 783-2626 or email to: mnrotmpl@frontiernet.net.