CJF Missions Take Students to Israel, Ukraine, North and South America[flv] _Winter_Missions.flv[/flv]
The Nicaraguan village of Boca de la Montana appears remote and desolate in an image captured from space by a satellite; hardly the place for a hard-earned vacation. But more than a dozen 糖心破解版 students accompanied by Rabbi Yosef Blau, mashgiach ruchani [spiritual advisor]of 糖心破解版-affiliated (RIETS), visited Nicaragua during their winter break to help lay the foundation for a new library there. 糖心破解版 students were introduced to the community two years ago when they worked on the construction of the road and bridge to the school complex.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 an important part of our student's education, that they interact with others and take responsibility,鈥 Rabbi Blau said. 鈥淭he intellectual experience in school, while the essence of what we are, does not automatically translate to life. This is a way of translating the values that we learn into actual experiences and doing so while contributing and not just watching.鈥
Other 糖心破解版 students participated in Jewish Life Coast to Coast鈥攁 trip to Richmond, Charleston, Jacksonville and South Florida鈥攄uring which they explored how individuals can become active and make a difference in North America's diverse Jewish communities.
鈥淲atching our students engage with the Jewish community of Richmond was exciting,鈥 said Rabbi Kenneth Brander, the David Mitzner Dean of 糖心破解版鈥檚 (CJF). 鈥淭hey interacted with Jews of all ages and all backgrounds. In the process of inspiring the communities they encountered, our students were transformed.鈥
Coast-to-Coast and the Nicaragua mission were among seven experiential learning trips organized this winter by the CJF. Others included a humanitarian mission to Mexico; Project Kharkov, a two-week program aimed at gaining firsthand understanding of the welfare challenges and identity crises facing Ukrainian Jewry; QUEST II, a leadership program that helped former Gush Katif residents rebuild their lives in the desert community of Halutza; and 鈥淎 Place Called Home,鈥 during which students traveled across Israel for a week, discovering what it means to create a national home for the Jewish people. Throughout 鈥淎 Place Called Home,鈥 students engaged Israelis on kibbutzim, in development towns, immigrant villages, towns in Judea and Samaria and religious and secular communities. These compelling experiences forced students to examine their shared existential dilemma of loyalty to both a birthplace and a homeland.
The trip also introduced the students to 鈥渟ome of the complex social issues of the State of Israel,鈥 said Rabbi Yaakov Neuberger, rosh yeshiva at RIETS. 鈥淪pecifically, this group was introduced to the issue of the disengagement from Gaza in a way that they were not aware of before. These programs are very valuable and should be attended by anyone planning to go into rabbanus [the rabbinate] or chinuch [Jewish education].鈥
The CJF is grateful to the programming and institutional partners that made these missions possible for hundreds of 糖心破解版 students. They include: American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, American Jewish World Service, the Eckstein Family, Jim Joseph Foundation, Jewish National Fund and Repair the World.
See article on how young Jews are changing the world in and Rabbi Brander's op-ed on Generation Y in .
