Caption: American Jewish World Service/Jori Klein, courtesy
www.ajws.org
American Jewish World Service (AJWS) Through AJWS Alternative Breaks, students experience grassroots sustainable development and focus on the interrelationship of social justice, service and Judaism. This year 221 students from over 20 different universities spent their winter, spring or summer break with AJWS. Most of the participants traveled to and worked in rural communities in Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. Work projects included working in corn and coffee fields, building water reservoirs (making it easier for community members to access potable water) and building a community center that provided a gathering place for members of the community.
Tufts University students offer companionship to elderly Jewish community members in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC)This year, 122 students from 11 campuses served Jewish communities in Argentina, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Estonia, Lithuania, and Israel through JDC’s Short-Term Service Programs. With each project, participants had the opportunity to engage in meaningful service, connect with peers abroad, and learn about the pressing needs of Jews around the world. Together with local peers, students repaired homes and offered much-needed companionship to elderly Jews in Ukraine and Kazakhstan, painted Jewish schools in Lithuania and Argentina, and refurbished bomb shelters in Israel. Participants returned home feeling a strong connection to the communities they visited and have continued to take action on behalf of overseas Jewish needs through on-campus fundraising and advocacy efforts.
A group of students from Eastern Michigan University Hillel traveled to New Orleans in February 2008 to rebuild homes.
Jewish Funds for Justice (JFSJ)
More than 150 students traveled to sites throughout the Southeast, Baltimore, the Gulf Coast and Los Angeles this past year. Participants engaged in intensive service, met new people, and created an intentional Jewish community during their school break. JFSJ develops service projects in partnership with local community-based organizations throughout the country and students gained important skills while learning about and reflecting on relevant historical, social, and political issues through the lens of Jewish ethics and values.
Students painting the outside of a community center in Dimona.
Jewish National Fund (JNF)
Over 200 participants, representing over 80 colleges and universities spent their spring breaks working in different communities in the Negev and around Jerusalem. Participants worked in communities like Dimona, Arad, and Kiryat Yovel, in addition to working with local farmers in the Negev and with Gush Katif evacuees in Ein Tzurim.
Hillels of Latin America
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