A few weeks ago the Parallel Lives group I'm a part of this year went to a young adult center called GalGal. They are a place for young adults (18-26) to go to take a shower, get some food and connect with counseling if they want. We thought that it would be a good opportunity for us to give service to the community in Jerusalem.
The group of us went to the center and learned a little bit about the and the work that they do. Then we got started.
We were divided into groups and given different tasks for us to work on. I ended up in a group of people that were scrubbing the tiles in one of the bathrooms after they painted it. It took our entire two hours of service to clean up the room we worked on. Other groups were painting other rooms, cleaning out trash, moving tiles and sweeping out the dirt.
After the evening that we spent cleaning out the place, we broke into groups for a little discussion about service and how it plays a role in Judaism as well as our different cultures. We had a very meaningful discussion about it and I learned about a place that I can donate blood here and to continue to help the communities around here.
It was a great evening and I'm glad that I had the chance to donate my time to a worth project.
In addition to the Parallel Lives group I'm working with, I'm also working on the Ride4Reform to raise money for the IMPJ. If you are able to donate to that cause, please follow the link on the side of my blog.
Showing posts with label Parallel Lives. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Parallel Lives. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Trumah Project - Parallel Lives
As a part of our Year in Israel Program, we are all asked to take part in something called a Trumah project. Some of them involve volunteering to spend time in other communities, and others involve raising money for other causes. One of the projects that I am taking a part in is called, Parallel Lives.
The gist of the program is that we are spending time with Israeli Soldiers and learning about their lives as young Jews in Israel. We also will get a chance to share with them, what it means to be a Reform Jew from America (although some of our participants are from other countries as well).
A few weeks ago, we had our first meeting and got to know the majority of the Israeli participants. It was a really nice program that we got to talk with them about where we are in life. A common theme that we shared with them was that for the next few years, we don’t have a large amount of choice.
I know I will be in school for the next five years, maybe six, and at the end of that time I will hopefully be setting up what could be the rest of my life. Many of the soldiers shared a similar point of view. We’re all in transition and we hope to know who we are at the end of it.
I am really excited to get to know the soldiers better and think this could be an opportunity to build some good friendships. I’m also excited to work with one of my classmates and some of the soldiers to write a program. It should be a lot of fun!
I did hint that I am working on another trumah project this year. Expect an announcement when I need to actually start the fundraising aspect of it. In the spring I will be riding a large swath of road in Israel as a part of the Ride for Reform. This is the reason why I bought a bike earlier this year (you can read the blog about my Orange Dreamcycle). It will be a lot of fun getting to ride a long ride and this project will raise money that will go to helping progressive movements in Israel.
The gist of the program is that we are spending time with Israeli Soldiers and learning about their lives as young Jews in Israel. We also will get a chance to share with them, what it means to be a Reform Jew from America (although some of our participants are from other countries as well).
A few weeks ago, we had our first meeting and got to know the majority of the Israeli participants. It was a really nice program that we got to talk with them about where we are in life. A common theme that we shared with them was that for the next few years, we don’t have a large amount of choice.
I know I will be in school for the next five years, maybe six, and at the end of that time I will hopefully be setting up what could be the rest of my life. Many of the soldiers shared a similar point of view. We’re all in transition and we hope to know who we are at the end of it.
I am really excited to get to know the soldiers better and think this could be an opportunity to build some good friendships. I’m also excited to work with one of my classmates and some of the soldiers to write a program. It should be a lot of fun!
I did hint that I am working on another trumah project this year. Expect an announcement when I need to actually start the fundraising aspect of it. In the spring I will be riding a large swath of road in Israel as a part of the Ride for Reform. This is the reason why I bought a bike earlier this year (you can read the blog about my Orange Dreamcycle). It will be a lot of fun getting to ride a long ride and this project will raise money that will go to helping progressive movements in Israel.
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