Welcome to Kallah
Posted on 07/15/2010 @ 07:10 PM
Kallah
Kallah has officially begun! All of the teens arrived safely yesterday, and things are moving right along. They had icebreakers where teens got to know each other, had our first meal as a community, and held a program this evening to kick off our time together: we were treated to a performance by “Bible Raps”, a group that teaches Torah and Midrash (legends, interpretations and commentary) through rap music. Teens then spent some time with members of their dorms to get to know one another and settle in to their homes for the next three weeks.
Can't wait to be in touch regularly over the coming days to tell you about what the teens are doing, what they are learning, and to share news about the program!
Did you attend Kallah? Leave your favorite memories posted!
Impact: DC Jam 2 Kicks Off!
Posted on 07/15/2010 @ 11:59 AM
Impact: DC Jam 2
Yesterday was the first full day of Impact: DC JAM 2! We started the day visiting our service sites. Half the group went to Bright Beginnings, a day care center for low income and homeless children, while the half went to the Creative Center for Non Violence, one of the largest homeless shelters in DC. Has anyone out there ever been there before?
We then spent the afternoon “Biking the Sites.” It was a fun and active way to see some of DC’s monuments and memorials. After a little down time, we came back to the GW Hillel for an evening packed with programming.
We started with a Beit Midrash session about who we are responsible to give to. We then met with our Shabbat committees. (Each student serves on a committee to be sure that everyone can play a leadership role on Shabbat.) Following a yummy Chinese dinner, we had a program on pluralism!
More updates to come so stay tuned! What do you think so far?!
A Teen Perspective
Posted on 07/15/2010 @ 10:37 AM
Impact: DC Jam 2
Hi! I'm Jill Frey, I'm from Dallas, Texas and will be a Senior in the fall, over the course of the session different participants will have the opportunity to blog about our experiences here in DC:
What a crazy first three days we've had at DC JAM! When we first got here and after we got initially situated in the Hillel and Dorms we got to know each other with some great games taught by the staff and participants called "ship-pong" and "whiz-bang". They were a huge hit and had some great laughs. We had our first Beit Midrash session and took some text and studied what it meant to share among ourselves and the entire community.
The next day we woke up bright and early to head off to our two separate service sites, Bright Beginnings and CCnV. I attended Bright Beginnings where I got to be a teacher assistant for children who are 1-2 years of age. It was an incredibly rewarding experience that I cannot wait to continue throughout the rest of the session.
After our day's service we went to bike the sites or a staff led walking tour. I chose the walking tour where we went to the Old Post Office where the view of the entire mall and city was breath-taking. After that we walked over to the Washington Monument and the White House only to get glimpses of a mysterious press conference, it looked pretty important! We returned back to the dorms with an hour of free time before the next Beit Midrash. Later that evening we had a fantastic pluralistic program that gave everyone, regardless of personal preference, an outlook onto each different sect of Judaism.
Today, the group split into two different groups to learn about two different bills in discussed on the hill and are great pieces of legislature to lobby for next week. We learned about the affordable housing issue and childhood hunger issue which really makes an impact on our community of peers. Back at the Hillel, two members of the Jewish Council of Public Affairs (JCPA) came back to talk to us about becoming affective advocates back at home and when lobbying to our representatives.
So far, we have been super busy and learning a lot about the social justice issues around us. Everything will really help us prepare for our trip to Capitol Hill next week and in the future. Keep checking back for other kids' experiences on DC JAM!
First Day!
Posted on 07/14/2010 @ 11:02 AM
Impact: DC Jam 2
Today was our first full day of Impact: DC JAM. We started the day visiting our service sites. Half the group went to Bright Beginnings, a day care center for low income and homeless children, while the half went to the Creative Center for Non Violence, one of the largest homeless shelters in DC.
We then spent the afternoon “Biking the Sites.” It was a fun and active way to see some of DC’s monuments and memorials. After a little down time, we came back to the GW Hillel for an evening packed with programming.
We started with a Beit Midrash session about who we are responsible to give to. We then met with our Shabbat committees. (Each student serves on a committee to be sure that everyone can play a leadership role on Shabbat.)
Following a yummy Chinese dinner, we had a program on pluralism!
DC JAM 2 Students Settle In
Posted on 07/14/2010 @ 10:37 AM
Impact: DC Jam 2
Impact: DC JAM Session 2 is in full swing.
The students all arrived safely and got settled in their dorm rooms. We are staying in Crawford Hall, conveniently located just 2 blocks from the GW Hillel where we hold most of our programs.
After unpacking, we had our first Beit Midrash session lead by our Director of Education, Adam Greenwald. The session was an introduction to our study on Judaism and Justice.
We had a delicious dinner of schawarma and falafel and then played some fun icebreaker games.
This evening we were joined by our first speaker: Steve Culbertson. Mr. Culbertson is the Executive Director and President of Youth Service America. He spoke about the importance of getting involved in service at a young age.
Looking forward to day 2!
Natalie
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