When signing up to go on Alternative Break with SF Hillel, I wasn’t quite sure what I was signing my self up for. All I knew it was a social justice trip. I had been inspired to join after speaking with Emily, our Hillel staff member, about how angry I was with the lack of equity in today’s society. Emily and I shared this conversation just days after the presidential election occurred, so emotions were running high. Emily recognized my anger, and challenged me to think about what I was or could be doing in my community to help change the status quo, because sitting with anger wouldn't help anyone or anything. When my mind drew a blank, Emily suggested that I participate in Alternative Break.
When I signed up for the Racial Justice Seminar, I was so excited for the trip, but I was also nervous because I had never tutored school children or volunteered at a food pantry before. My nervousness gave way to fulfillment as my favorite projects on the trip were tutoring students with Reading Partners and doing food kitchen prep work at Masbia Kosher Soup Kitchen.
Growing up, everyone always knew that I was the kid who loved to read. I started at a very early age, finishing the first Harry Potter book at only five years old. I even took it upon myself to teach my brother how to read when he was very young. For me, the ability to read and appreciate words felt like the most important gift that I could give someone, and on our third day in New York, I got to meet an organization which felt that same way.
On Monday, April 3rd, 2017, a group of 25 diverse students from SF Hillel's community sent this letter to SF State's President Wong expressing their concerns over the president's invitation of Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat to campus and other recent events:
Dear President Wong: We are writing as SF State Jewish and/or Hillel students with serious questions and concerns about your recent actions. Unilaterally inviting and bringing the Mayor of Jerusalem back to campus with one week’s notice, and without consulting a single student, appears to be a reckless political stunt. We do not see what it is designed to achieve. If you have a clear vision for creating a welcoming and inclusive climate for Jewish students on this campus, we want to understand what it is. Because, unfortunately, your actions are actively undermining Jewish student life, and enabling an environment causing actual discrimination against Jewish students. We are diverse in our ethnicities, backgrounds, religions and viewpoints. Some of us are zionists while others are not. Some of us strongly support Israel’s government and others are strong critics. Whether we each agree with Mayor Barkat’s opinions or not, he is an important political figure with a specific viewpoint. We will welcome Mayor Barkat as we did left-wing Israeli journalist Ari Shavit and OneVoice Palestine’s Samer Makhlouf. However, we do not understand your recent actions. Dear Jewish Community Members,
I wish to update you on a concerning incident of antisemitism, and also to praise the university for its swift and proactive response to this event. A UC Hastings student returned from spring break to discover that the mezuzah on the doorframe of his Hastings Tower campus housing had been partially burned. The student was understandably disturbed and upset by this act of antisemitic desecration. Since learning about the incident, SF Hillel has been working with the student, the Hastings Jewish Law Student Association, the ADL and campus administration to address it and provide support. Hillel International Springboard Fellowship Welcomes Second Cohort, Expands Focus to Include Social Justice: Twenty-five new Springboard Fellows will be trained in innovation and social justice through two-year grants
WASHINGTON – Continuing its drive to cultivate the next generation of Jewish leaders, Hillel International is expanding its Springboard Fellowship with a second cohort of 25 new participants for the next year of the program, building on the first class of 20 early career professionals. The two-year fellowship provides hands-on mentorship, competitive compensation and dynamic professional development opportunities from local and national Hillel staff as well as experts from across the corporate and non-profit worlds. The ‘Bet’ class of fellows will focus on either innovation or social justice, while the ‘Aleph’ class will enter their second academic year, continuing their concentrations on innovation and social media. This article was originally published in JWeekly, the Jewish News of Northern California on February 8, 2017.
When the Jewish community found out Paul Cohen was being honored for his 25-plus years of community activism, including serving on the board of San Francisco Hillel, the event became the hottest ticket in town. All it took was a save-the-date announcement. “It sold out before we sent out a single invitation,” said Ollie Benn, S.F. Hillel’s executive director. Cohen, who has given his time to a wide cast of Jewish organizations and causes, will be honored at a Feb. 12 gala at Lake Merced Golf Club. The event will raise money for the Paul J. Cohen Fund for Student Leadership, which will, among other things, support outreach efforts to incoming Jewish college freshmen. This statement was sent to SF State University President Les Wong to communicate the feelings of students of San Francisco Hillel.
Dear President Wong, On behalf of San Francisco Hillel, we wish to express our support for the actions and sentiments you outlined in your Monday, January 30th, statement regarding refugees, visa holders and permanent residents from certain Muslim-majority countries. Our perspective is rooted in our Jewish values. On 36 different occasions, our Torah commands us to remember the experience of being a “stranger,” recalling our experience as foreigners and victims of oppression. Rooted in the Exodus story, a central Jewish narrative, the ancient Israelites are told “you shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the feelings of the stranger, since you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 23:9). Throughout our history, and to this day, this serves as a call to action, reminding our Jewish community that we cannot stand idly by as those among us are subjected to discrimination. We stand in solidarity with those at SF State directly impacted by these orders. As a global people, Jews have lived as minorities in countries around the world. We have often been subjected to restrictions on where we could live and study. Many of us and our families came to this country as refugees and immigrants seeking a better life. We know if an order singled out Jews, we would ask our campus to act. As such, we are ready to stand with our campus to protect our basic freedoms, ensuring our constitutional rights to free speech, press, and assembly remain a core part of our places of learning. As part of a global movement, we readily offer SF Hillel’s allyship and resources as our campus together navigates the consequences of the recent Executive Orders. Thank you, Sasha Presley SF Hillel Student President The words below belong to a Hillel student leader, who was present during the April 6th visit of Mayor Barkat to SF State.
Dear Those Who Don’t Know What To Do Next, On April 6th, 2016, SF Hillel hosted the mayor of Jerusalem to speak on campus about his vision for the future of Jerusalem. I’m not naive, this was a campaign stop. As someone likely to run to be the next Prime Minister of Israel, Nir Barkat wanted his photograph taken with college students. But, no matter his motives for coming, Mayor Barkat is an important political figure in Israel and on the international stage. So his visit was an exciting opportunity for our campus, and we expected it to bring out a diverse crowd of participants. I was excited that our school was hosting a influential, albeit, controversial figure. Anticipating the student body would have thoughts and questions to share, the event was set up to have 50% of our time dedicated to an open floor Q&A for all in attendance. However, approximately 5 minutes into his speech, student protesters stood up in the back and interrupted Mayor Barkat with loud anti-zionist, anti-Israel, and in my opinion, anti-Semitic chants. They continued for the next 45 minutes, until the Mayor’s time with us concluded and he had to leave. Despite the interruption, a group of students, faculty and community members gathered in the front of the room around the Mayor, in an attempt to salvage the discussion and ask our questions. Unfortunately, the shouting made even that almost impossible. In May, 2015, massive flooding devastated the Austin,Texas area. San Francisco Hillel has sent 7 students to contribute to the long-term recovery effort; here are their reflections.
Throughout Alternative Break, I’ve been honored to hear accounts from survivors, first responders, and volunteers what it was like to live through the horrendous 2015 floods. I’ve listened as they shared their stories of survival and pain, and I’ve worked hard to help in any small way I can while I’m here. I’m leaving this trip inspired that people have traveled here from every corner of the country, drawn together to Texas through empathy and the aim to do good for people who lost everything. As all the different narratives sink in, I keep reflecting on how the theme of unpredictability weaves these diverse perspectives and experiences together. Most natural disasters are almost wholly impossible to prepare for. Storms and flood water simply can’t be stopped. And therefore governments, both federal and local, have an enormous challenge in planning for and responding to the environmental, structural and human loss that follows. Again and again the Texans we spoke with echoed the same story: when the water came, no one could tell where it would go. And once people’s homes were gone, there was no sense of when they would get help. Many felt the government hand didn’t or couldn’t stretch far enough. Some of the survivors mentioned that so little government aid was given, that if third party organizations (like us) hadn’t stepped up to help in big ways they wouldn’t have been able to rebuild. It’s hard enough to lose your home; to be forced to pick up the pieces not knowing what resources are available to you seems altogether impossible. Another part of the San Marcos story, is the unpredictable way the storm turned strangers into community. So many people who wouldn’t have crossed paths without this tragedy were brought together across state and party lines. When faced with seemingly overwhelming challenges and uncertain futures, we’ve learned that tapping into our empathy creates the space for compassion, action and growth. |
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