Aitz Hayim is a community founded on the values of genuine caring and compassion. We take Rabbi Akiva’s declaration to “love your neighbor as yourself, for this is Torah” very seriously. Caring is woven into the fabric of our community: it’s part of the culture of Aitz Hayim to reach out to people who are new to the community, to invite them to our homes, to attend each other’s important events. Whether there is cause to celebrate or mourn together, we show up for one another. We bake homemade desserts for each other’s B’nai Mitzvah and shiva minyanim; we volunteer to help out with errands or rides if there’s an illness; we join together with prayers, phone calls, emails, and offers to help if ever there is a loved one in need.