On April 13, 2008 over 300 Jewish youth in MetroWest participated in a day of community service and improvement projects as part of J-Serve, a national day of volunteerism and engagement. This year marks the fourth in which thousands of Jewish youth from coast to coast turned out in force for J-Serve, designed to encourage Jewish service, community building and creation of connections across religious and societal lines. Through the coordination of The Partnership for Jewish Learning and Life, over 20 projects were carried out involving a diverse group of teen participants.
Participants came from the BBYO regional convention, the Iris Teen Tzedakah Program, The Diller Teen Fellows (together with their Israeli cohort), the Jewish Civics Initiative at Central Hebrew High School, SOS: Save Our Soldiers, Help Darfur Now, Temple Bnai Abraham, Suburban Torah, Etz Chaim and others who heard about the event on Facebook.
The projects addressed a broad range of needs throughout MetroWest. Teens visited with seniors at all five locations of the Jewish Community Housing Corporation, performing seder songs and conversing with the residents as part of the “Kids, Concerts ‘n Cookies” program developed by incoming JCHC chair, Eric Barr, who was on hand to participate in the program. Other JCHC projects included planting flowers and gardens, and decorating flower pots.
Hebrew language and talk of Israel took place at a number of projects. The Diller Teen Fellows, who were being visited by their Israeli counterparts, organized a project at the Turtle Back Zoo, where they helped repair the cougar habitat. Visiting Israeli Diller Teens brought along their guitars to perform impromptu concerts for seniors in JCHC housing. Teens from Temple Bnai Abraham made care packages and wrote letters to lone soldiers of North American descent currently serving in the Israel Defense Forces.
The proximity of J-Serve to Passover inspired a number of creative programs that relate specifically to the holiday. Chametz was collected and donated to the Bobrow Kosher Food Pantry by volunteers from Etz Chaim. Cars were cleaned inside and out in two different locations by members of Suburban Torah and SOS: Save Our Soldiers. Preparations for the annual model seder at JESPY house were made by members of the Iris and Diller programs.
Another timely project was the voter registration drive in the Livingston mall, organized by the Jewish Civics Initiative at Central Hebrew High School. “We think it’s important since it’s an election year,” said Keren Baruch, a junior from West Orange, who organized the JCI project. As part of Global Day for Darfur, activists from Help Darfur Now participated in a torch walk and rally for Darfur in Montclair. In support of the Rachel Coalition’s annual Run for Rachel, members of the Iris Teen Tzedakah program organized a team to raise funds and awareness about domestic abuse. A delegation from Congregation Beth Hatikvah joined local teens in New Orleans to participate in the Saint Bernard Project. The campaign department of the United Jewish Communities of MetroWest held a phone-a-thon or miniature version of Super Sunday; J-Serve volunteers helped raise over $12,000.
Preparations have already begun for next year’s J-Serve which will be on April 26, 2009.
Click here for pictures. (More to come!)
Click here to read an article about J-Serve MetroWest 2008 in the New Jersey Jewish News.
