Yonatan Isser hanging out with his host family during an alternative break trip to Israel with Yahel.
Right now, colleges and universities across the country are kicking off their spring breaks. As students prepare for their time off, we thought we’d check in with someone who chose to spend his last break making a difference.
Yonatan Isser, a senior at University of Maryland, participated on an alternative spring break program in Israel with Yahel. While there, he and his fellow participants lived and volunteered with members of the Ethiopian community. Yonatan found the time to chat with Repair the World about why he chose Yahel and how this trip changed his life for good.
Why did you decide to join the Yahel trip last winter break?
I knew that I wanted to go to Israel for winter break, as I have done in the past. I come from a modern Orthodox background, so my previous visits usually included visiting family, going to the Kotel, and learning at a Yeshiva. This time around I wanted to see what it is like to really live in Israel as a citizen – to get the day-to-day experience for people with different backgrounds than mine. I wanted to see other sides of Israel I had not been exposed to before, and Yahel seemed like the perfect way to do that.
What type of activities were you involved with during your time there?
We spent a lot of time with the Ethiopian community, hearing about their lives and experiences. We had organized home stays within the community, where we got to know the families, and helped their kids with homework at night. That was wonderful for developing deeper relationships. We heard a story from one resident who had immigrated to Israel and joined IDF. He ended up being one of the soldiers on duty for Operation Solomon, which meant he got to help bring many other Ethiopian Jews to Israel.
We also did lots of hands-on service. We helped plant a community garden so that people in the community could partake in recreational agriculture. We painted a mural on a wall, and helped an elderly woman in the community with some light construction in her house. We painted her kitchen, fixed cracks in her walls – things like that. That was a more informal opportunity to connect with a community member; she had heard that we were going to be in town and asked for our help through an NGO in the community.
What was most special about this type of service for you?
Unlike my other trips to Israel, this trip really pushed me out of my comfort zone. It compelled me to emotionally connect with the world around me, and experience things on a much deeper level. It wasn’t like the typical acts of chesed (kindness) I learned about growing up. We actually got to know the people we were helping, and got to speak with them and hear their struggles first hand. It was about getting the deeper story. I came back to the United States with a desire to keep volunteering at this level as an important part of my life. The trip inspired me to do more.
Party like it's 1913! Celebrate Women's History Month and the 100th anniversary of the women's suffrage march on Washington. Photo via cc.
March is halfway over! Have you celebrated Women’s History Month yet? If not, don’t fret – there are still tons of interesting lectures, panels, film screenings and other events going on around the country to honor Women’s History Month (which is especially relevant this year, because 2013 marks the 100th anniversary of the women’s suffrage march on Washington!). Check out the options below:
This month marks 100 years since the Woman Suffrage March in Washington, D.C.
Brooklyn, New York On March 20, the Brooklyn Museum will host a panel (moderated by Gloria Steinem!) called Gender and Genocide: Sexual Violence During the Holocaust and Other Genocides. The panel will feature co-editors of a book about the topic, among other speakers.
Brooklyn, New York On March 23, the Brooklyn Museum will host another fascinating panel discussion – this time on women, art and body image, and particularly the body mass index (BMI).
New York City On March 25, check out a screening of the film Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines at the Chelsea Recreation Center in Manhattan.
Rochester, New York The University of Rochester is screening Oma & Bella, a documentary by filmmaker Alexa Karolinski about her grandmother Regina and her best friend Bella, two Holocaust survivors who now live, reminisce, and cook together in Berlin. On March 25th, the school is also hosting a Women in Music concert that’s open to the public.
San Francisco On March 25th, Artists’ Television Access will host a screening of “Half the Sky,” an inspiring book based on the Nicholas Kristof book about global women’s issues.
San Francisco Did you know that the bicycle played a role in the suffrage movement? Celebrate women’s history month on two wheels, with a Women’s History Month bike ride coordinated by the SF Bike Coalition.
Washington DC On March 20, head to the United States Capitol Historical Society for a book signing. Author Maurine Beasley will be signing copies of her book, Women of the Washington Press: Politics, Prejudice, and Persistence.
Washington DC Celebrate women’s contributions to the world of jazz at the third-annual Washington Women in Jazz festival from March 20-27.
Know of other great women’s history month events in your community? Share the news in the comments below or by tweeting us @repairtheworld.
With First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move healthy living initiatives in full swing, New Yorkers contemplating smaller sodas, and healthy school food programs being piloted all over the country, conversations about good health and nutrition are relevant like never before.
In other words, it’s a particularly awesome time to celebrate National Nutrition Month – a month-long celebration of nutrition education, healthy food, and physical activity sponsored by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Whether you’re a super healthy eater, someone who lives with a food allergy or sensitivity, or simply someone interested in learning more about nutritious food, there are lots of ways to get involved with National Nutrition Month. Check them out here:
Learn more! The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics put together a healthy eating reading list, with fascinating “good food” book titles for kids, adults, experts and beginners alike.
Buy local. One great way to celebrate National Nutrition Month is to celebrate the very people who grow our food. Buy local produce, grains, cheese, and more at your local farmers’ market, or sign up for a community supported agriculture project (CSA), and get weekly deliveries of fruits and veggies that support your health, and the farmers.
Cook right. Cut out all the processed and fast food from your diet by learning how to cook simple, delicious, and nutritious meals. Sign up for a cooking 101 class at your local JCC or culinary center, and check out publications like Cooking Light and Eating Well to get you started on the path of healthy cooking.
Prep your snacks.Snacking is one of the quickest ways to add unnecessary calories into our diets – but there are ways to really snack well. Get ahead of your cravings by making healthy snacks (like cut up celery and carrot sticks, fresh fruit, air-popped popcorn, and low-fat plain yogurt) readily available in your fridge or pantry. That way, you’ll be all the more likely to reach for something healthy during your next snack attack.
Ahhh, spring is in the air. Which means so is the sweet smell of bitter herbs. Passover gives us a lot to chew on (literally—and not all of which is that tasty) as we retell the really, really ancient story of our exodus from Egypt, finishing on a note to plants seeds of hope for the future. So what better way to start this spring than by making your Passover green.
Our three-part Green Your Passover series gives you all the tools you need to bring eco-friendly style to your seder. (After all, the Passover talk about locusts and lice and vermin can get a little buggy.) Read Part 2 of the series – all about your seders – below, and check out Part 1 about getting ready for the holiday.
How are YOU greening your Seder? Send us your photos through Facebook or Twitter and you’ll be entered to win a gift from Repair!
Green your charoset. Charoset is the sticky-sweet mix of apples, walnuts and cinnamon that represents the mortar the Israelites used to lay bricks while they were enslaved in ancient Egypt. This year, spice your charoset with fair-trade cinnamon, and use organic or locally-grown apples for an environmentally-friendly crunch.
Add something “green” to your seder plate. In the past several decades, many families have begun to add extra symbolic foods (like oranges and olives) to their seder plates to represent contemporary issues from gender equality to promoting peace. Pick a symbol that represents sustainability to you – like a leaf or a thimble full of clean water – and set it near or on your seder plate to spark conversation.
Use an organic free-range egg. The roasted hard boiled egg on the seder plate symbolizes both rebirth and the festival sacrifice that was historically offered in the Temple in Jerusalem. This year, use a free-range egg (ideally from the farmers’ market, where you can ask the farmer how he raises his chickens), and look for organic, hormone and anti-biotic free eggs as well.
Use potted flowers as your centerpiece. Skip the cut flowers – which are beautiful, but often grown unsustainably and shipped in from far away – and choose potted, seasonal flowers to make your seder table beautiful. They are kinder to the environment, and will last a long time after the seder ends!
Go vegetarian or source ethical meat. Go meat-free this Passover and swap out the chicken soup and brisket for homemade borscht and matzoh lasagna. Or, if you plan to serve meat, make sure it is ethically-sourced. There are severalcompanies that produce ethical, kosher chicken and meat – serve them up, and let your guests rave!
Share food justice texts. The best seders are the interactive ones. This year, bring food justice and environmental-related texts to your seder and start a discussion around the table. Check out On1Foot’s text database or Hazon’s Food for Thought sourcebook to get you started. Plus, check out Repair the World’s roundup of awesome service and food justice-related haggadot and seder supplements.
For additional ideas and Passover inspiration, check out Hazon’s healthy and sustainable Passover resources, as well as Uri L’Tzedek’s, Bend the Arc’s, and The Shalom Center’s food, justice, and earth-focused haggadot.
Ahhh, spring is in the air. Which means so is the sweet smell of bitter herbs. Passover gives us a lot to chew on (literally—and not all of which is that tasty) as we retell the really, really ancient story of our exodus from Egypt, finishing on a note to plants seeds of hope for the future. So what better way to start this spring than by making your Passover green.
Our three-part Green Your Passover series gives you all the tools you need to bring eco-friendly style to your seder. (After all, the Passover talk about locusts and lice and vermin can get a little buggy.)
How are YOU greening your Seder? Send us your photos through Facebook or Twitter and you’ll be entered to win a gift from Repair!
Green your travel. Lots of people end up traveling to family or friends for Passover. If you can, take public transportation like a bus or a train to lower your carbon footprint. But if you have to fly to you destination, you can offset your carbon emissions afterwards by making a donation to Carbonfund.org, or JNF’s Go Neutral campaign.
Repurpose your leftovers. Made too much food for the seders? Turn the borning leftovers into something new and exciting! Use leftover charoseth as a sweet topping for yogurt. Chop excess parsley from the seders and combine it with minced garlic, a squeeze of lemon juice and olive oil for a bright and herby salad dressing or topping for fish, or turn a tin of unloved macaroons into a delicious, kosher for Passover pie shell for cheesecake.
Compost your leftovers. Make sure food doesn’t go to waste by composting any inedible food scraps or leftovers. Composting diverts food scraps from the waste stream, and turns them into rich, usable soil. And spring is the perfect time to start a compost pile or bin – in the backyard, garage, or even in your apartment kitchen with vermicomposting.
Donate your leftovers. It’s fair to say that nobody wants to eat your extra boxes of matzoh. But if you stocked up on non-perishable kosher for Passover products that you aren’t planning to use after the holiday (like jams or soup mixes), donate them to a local soup kitchen.
Tote your Passover food in eco-style. Do you spend the week of Passover carrying around kosher for Passover-friendly food to nibble on? If so, use reusable glass jars, containers and other eco-friendly food storage and lunch boxes.
For additional ideas and Passover inspiration, check out Hazon’s healthy and sustainable Passover resources, as well as Uri L’Tzedek’s, Bend the Arc’s, and The Shalom Center’s food, justice, and earth-focused haggadot.
Ahhh, spring is in the air. Which means so is the sweet smell of bitter herbs. Passover gives us a lot to chew on (literally—and not all of which is that tasty) as we retell the really, really ancient story of our exodus from Egypt, finishing on a note to plants seeds of hope for the future. So what better way to start this spring than by making your Passover green?
Our three-part Green Your Passover series gives you all the tools you need to bring eco-friendly style to your seder. (After all, the Passover talk about locusts and lice and vermin can get a little buggy.) Read Part 1 about preparing for your holiday, then check out Part 2, which is all about the seders.
How are YOU greening your Seder? Send us your photos through Facebook or Twitter and you’ll be entered to win a gift from Repair!
Use sustainable cleaning supplies Getting rid of the chametz (leavened foods) is a big job, but also an opportunity to get a jump start on spring cleaning. While you’re emptying your cabinets of cereal and crackers, and scrubbing down your fridge until all those little crumbs disappear, be sure to use eco-friendly, non-toxic cleaning supplies – like these, or make your own – that rely on plants instead of chemicals to do their job. (Just keep an eye out for toxic additives that may be hiding in even the greenest-looking supplies.) Your house will smell and look great, will be chametz-free, and you won’t enter the holiday with any eco-baggage.
Dust off your good dishes Passover is a great time to break out the fine China and celebrate in style. The seder is modeled after a lavish Greek symposium, so all the more reason to use your best fancy-pants dishes. If you are planning on going disposable, however, make sure to stock up now on recycled paper dish ware or biocompostable goods (plates, cups, cutlery made from plants instead of plastic). Check out the goods from World Centric and VerTerra (they make their plates from – no joke – fallen leaves!)
Stock up on organic matzah. One thing is certain: you are going to eat a lot of matzah over the eight days of Passover. There’s not much you can do to make matzah taste like a warm loaf of bread, but you can make sure the matzah you’re eating is certified organic. Try Aviv organic matzah (which many Whole Foods locations carry around the holiday) or Lakewood Matzoh (which makes an organic spelt matzah). Even Manischewitz offers an organic line, bringing tradition into the eco-friendly 21st century.
Sprout your own karpas. Karpas is the green vegetable on the seder plate that evokes springtime and rebirth (and gets dipped in salt water to remind us of the tears the Israelites shed while living in slavery). The word comes from the Greek word “karpos” which means fresh vegetable. Most families use parsley, celery or lettuce for their karpas, but why not sprout your own? Quinoa is kosher for Passover and makes delicious crunchy sprouts in just a couple of days. Learn how to sprout your own (be sure to leave yourself about 3 days for the process from start-to-finish, then enjoy homemade karpas at the seder.
Start the holiday with eco-friendly candles. Passover, like Shabbat and many other Jewish holidays, begins with the lighting and blessing of candles. Start the holiday off on a green foot by using eco-friendly candles. Conventional candles are made from paraffin, which is derived from petroleum (an un-renewable and polluting resource). Instead, light your holiday the sustainable way, by blessing candles made of a green material like beeswax.
For additional ideas and Passover inspiration, check out Hazon’s healthy and sustainable Passover resources, as well as Uri L’Tzedek’s, Bend the Arc’s, and The Shalom Center’s food, justice, and earth-focused haggadot.
Organized by Points of Light, the conference brings together volunteers and volunteer coordinators, non-profit professionals, AmeriCorps representatives and alumni, social entrepreneurs, philanthropists and more for four days of workshops, sessions, exhibits and networking events. Last year’s conference included a plenary session titled “Solving America’s Education Crisis,” a community garden panel called “Seeds for Change,” and a session on exploring service opportunities for military members and their families.
The conference also features Servapalooza – an interactive, hands-on service project that lets conference attendees put their ideals into action. Needless to say, the potential for inspiration and idea-sharing is high.
Check out the video of last year’s opening session (called The Next Generation of Service), then take advantage of early bird rates and register to secure your spot at the service gathering of the year.
Hey all you do-gooders out there, this one is for you. Sunday, March 10th is Good Deeds Day – 24 hours straight devoted to making the world a better place, with good deeds big and small.
Founded in 2007 by Shari Arison, an Israeli businesswoman, philanthropist, and catalyst for positive change, Good Deeds Day is celebrated by 30 countries around the world. Last year, more than 250,000 people joined together in Israel and worldwide to organize service projects from volunteering with senior citizens, cleaning up beaches and park, and renovating local community centers. And the movement is growing.
If you live in the Washington DC area, you can join the University of Maryland Hillel in their celebration of Good Deeds Day. They have a jam-packed day planned including a phone-a-thon for Hillel, an environmental garden group activity (where they’ll make raised beds, build a fence, and begin seeding and planting), a panel on homelessness, a 5k run in Baltimore to benefit Yahel, and more! Find out more info on their Facebook event page.
If you live elsewhere, check out founder Shari Arison talking about last year’s Good Deeds Day below. Then, plug in to find out how you can be a part of the good deeds movement in your neighborhood!
Lena Dunham being interviewed at Fortune's Most Powerful Women conference in 2012. Photo by Fortune Live Media via cc.
She may or may not be the “voice of her generation,” but in the last year, Lena Dunham certainly has become a national sensation – not to mention a role model for girls and women (and men too) around the country. The 26-year old (half Jewish, by-the-by) writer, director and star of the HBO smash-hit series Girls has been widely celebrated for her awkwardly honest portrayal of the lives of post-college gals (and some guys) seeking their identities – and in many cases employment – in a post-recession New York City.
Girls has also sparked its fair share of controversy, from the many “layers” of Lena we see, to some critics’ claims that Dunham is narcissistic, that her show is exclusionary and too narrowly focused on the tiny subset of the young and the privileged.
And yet, you gotta give Dunham credit for doing her thing. Whether or not you like the show, or like the choices Dunham makes as a writer and actor, there is no question that she is making history as a fierce, fearless and funny woman. So in light of Women’s History Month - a month dedicated to honoring our shared history’s fierce and fearless women – we’re taking a look at Dunham’s social change track record. All in all, we think she’s pretty worth celebrating.
She’s a serious business woman. Privileged background or not, Dunham is an admirably hard worker. In addition to writing, directing and acting in Girls, she has also produced a full-length film (Tiny Furniture) and is hard at work on a new book of essays. She also just signed on to help create yet another HBO show. With so much success already under her belt and no sign of slowing down, it’s no wonder that Dunham was a featured presenter at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit last year.
She’s funny! (And not only because the Shoshana character dropped a reference to Camp Ramah). Dunham’s humor feels familiar to us. It’s silly, self-deprecating and a little bit lewd…and she even used her talents to write/perform a Purim Speil at this year’s Jewish Museum Purim Ball! But, most importantly, it’s boundary pushing. Dunham uses humor to tell the truths about the world as she sees them. We can’t think of a better use of comedy.
She promotes healthy body image. Dunham has received lots of criticism about baring her less-than-model-thin body on television. But in doing so, she offers an alternative to the “size 0 box” promoted as the ideal standard for women by the media. Dunham is comfortable in her own skin, and has helped broaden the scope of what we consider normal and beautiful. We think that’s pretty cool.
She ushered the late Nora Ephron’s feminist brilliance into a new generation. When acclaimed writer and director Nora Ephron passed away last year, Dunham wrote a beautiful eulogy for her in The New Yorker. When referencing Ephron’s movie, “This is My Life,” Dunham wrote: “I loved whoever was making these actresses comfortable enough to express the minutiae of being a human woman onscreen.” Dunham’s must-read piece evokes a vision of Ephron that goes beyond her well-known works – like When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle etc. – and evokes the powerful, game-changing woman she was.
She stands up for what’s right. Dunham and her boyfriend, musician Jack Anonoff have publicly stated that they do not want to get married until all same-sex couples are legally able to marry as well. While Dunham is hardly the first celebrity to make the claim, we admire her outspokenness and her support for equal marriage rights for all. She’s also well known for being very open on social media, engaging with fans and followers about causes that resonate with her, or issues she is passionate about. Dunham also responds well to the oft-negative response that comes with being so transparent and available to the public. For example, one recent incident involving comedian Lisa Lampanelli sparked widespread negative-outcry, yet Dunham handled the reactions with great tact and poise.
What do you think? Is Dunham a worthy role model worth celebrating, or too hyped for her own good? Let us know what you think in the comments below, or by tweeting @repairtheworld.
Also, be sure to check out what some of our favorite Women’s Empowerment Organizations are doing for Women’s History Month!
Israel Teaching Fellow Jesse Berkowitz reading with a student in Rehovot. Photo courtesy of Jesse Berkowitz.
When Jesse Berkowitz graduated from The College of Wooster last year, he knew two things: 1. he wanted to travel and 2. he wanted to make a difference. These two passions led him to Ma’ase Olam’s Israel Teaching Fellows – a 10-month service-learning program, that enables college graduates to help close the achievement gap in Israel’s educational system by volunteering in the country’s schools.
Halfway through the program, which began back in August, Jesse has realized both of his goals. He took some time to talk with Repair the World about his background with service, how a biology major ended up teaching English in Israel (and loving it), and the joys of singing with his students.
What was your background with volunteering before Israel Teaching Fellows?
I first got involved in high school with the community service club, and became president of the club my last two years. We would volunteering with different local organizations – helping out with Habitat for Humanity, volunteering at a local nursing home, or working with underprivileged youth. In college, I shifted my focus towards agricultural volunteering. I lived in my college’s organic farming house, where the students would all go volunteer on nearby farms. It was great because we got to get outside of the liberal arts college bubble.
How did you find the Israel Teaching Fellows program, and what compelled you to join?
I visited Israel for the first time with my family three years ago and, as cheesy as it sounds, I fell in love with the country as many people do. I loved the idea of coming back to live here after school, but wanted to find a meaningful way to do it. I found the program while I was Googling things to do in Israel. I began checking out the blogs of people who had down the program before, and getting in touch with a few of them to learn about their experience. There are so many teach English programs around the world, but this seemed like a particularly good fit.
Tell me more about the volunteering you do?
I volunteer as an English assistant in an elementary school. I serve as someone who can help the teacher by taking children out of the classroom for individual and small group instruction. Israeli classrooms tend to be overcrowded – having 40 children in one class is not uncommon. So taking some of the kids out calms things down, and allows for more individual attention. We mostly do reading and writing work, but if I have a small group, sometimes it’s nice to spend an hour just speaking with them in English. I try to get them talking about things that are relevant to their lives, or what music and television shows they like. If they are excited about talking in English, they end up trying harder to learn it, which helps them down the line.
I also teach them about one song a month. Right now I’m teaching them the words to Over the Rainbow, and I taught them a Maccabeats song around Hanukkah. They also wrote a school play and are goign to be performing that soon.
Are you involved with any extracurricular volunteering?
Almost everyone in our group has gotten involved with some kind of extracurricular community serve. Some participants are working in after school sports programs, or arts programs. I work in a community gardening group. We just started planting the garden at a community center in Rehovot. There are a bunch of gardening boxes and each one belongs to a family. It’s been great to get involved with agriculture again.
What’s been the most challenging thing about the program?
It has been challenging to adjust to Israeli school culture, which is much more laid back than American schools. Schedules aren’t necessarily adhered to, and it can be frustrating to come in with the hope of achieving everything on a list, and then things just don’t happen. But it’s been a fun challenge – I’ve learned that you have to just go with the flow.
It can also be challenging when I’m working with kids who know very little English. I’m learning Hebrew, but my Hebrew is currently very lacking – so it can be hard to communicate in those situations. At first I didn’t realize now it would work, but it somehow works itself out. It’s obviously easier to work with students who already know how to read in English, but I think it’s been important to work with both kinds of students.
What has been the most rewarding aspect of the program?
The teachers are constantly telling me how appreciative they are, so that’s nice to hear. The kids have also taken to me really well. It’s nice to walk into school and have a bunch of kids run up and say, “Jesse, good morning!” It’s great to have become part of the school’s community, and to really feel at home. It’s not always easy to see the progress the kids are making, but sometimes you see how well someone is reading, and you think about where they were at a few months back, and that reminds me of why I’m doing this.
Repair the World works to inspire American Jews and their communities to give their time and effort to serve those in need. We aim to make service a defining part of American Jewish life.
