Hundreds of Jewish college students saw the devastation of hurricanes Katrina and Rita first hand – and they made a difference in the lives of victims -- during dozens of relief trips organized by Hillel.
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Through Hillel's alternative-break programs, these students made tzedek (social justice) the centerpiece of their vacation by working long hours to rebuild communities that are still picking up the pieces.
Learn how their lives, and the lives of service recipients, were changed forever in the following video, articles and photographs.
"This Says Something About Our Generation – We Care"
Hundreds of Jewish students travel to Mississippi to help rebuild the hurricane-ravaged region.
Canadian Hillel Students Volunteer for Katrina Relief in New Orleans
Canadian students join Habitat for Humanity to repair hurricane-damaged homes in New Orleans during their spring break.
Working Hard in the Big Easy
Ten groups of students head to New Orleans to help residents clean up the massive devastation left by Hurricane Katrina.
Illinois Students: Alternative Break was "Eye-Opening"
Ten UIUC students "put a face to the destruction" caused by Hurricane Katrina during Hillel's alternative break to Mississippi.
Repairing the World, One Roof at a Time
Jewish students help rebuild the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast with Hillel's alternative-break program in January.
Hillel's relief efforts have caught the attention of numerous media outlets throughout North America, including:
The NewsJournal (Delaware)
The GW Hatchet (George Washington University)
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
KUJH (Lawrence, Kan.)
Los Angeles Daily News
The Student Life (Pomona College)
WROC-TV (Rochester, N.Y.)
Gainesville Sun (Florida)
Austin American-Statesman (Texas)
Washington University Record (St. Louis)
MIT News
Minnesota Daily
The Jewish Week (N.Y.)
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Jewish Exponent (Philadelphia)
Canadian Jewish News
Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin
Columbia Spectator
NewsChannel 34 (Binghamton, N.Y.)
WLOX (Biloxi, Miss.)
WENY (Elmira, N.Y.)