Alternative Winter Break What Do Weeds and Dreidals Have in Common – Eva Fischer

Today I volunteered at San Kofa, a garden that supplies fresh vegetables to people, and I helped throw a Christmas party. While we were at the garden we weeded a lot, but also meditated, and since the dirt had clay in it, we made a dreidel out of it. It was super fun, and we also learned about systemic oppression. Andy, the employee of the organization for the last three weeks, explained about how the lower ninth ward was discriminated against, and still is, by not having convenience stores. We were helping people get healthy food options while having tons of fun and joking around. At the end of the five hours we spent there, I could see all the work we had done which was awesome to have a physical representation of what you did.At the Christmas party, I helped set up, and then sat behind the food table and talked to the people that can by. There on one kid,a thirteen year old boy named Louis, who I talked to the most. He was super positive and extremely nice. When the kids got their presents, it was very satisfying and made me realize how much it all meant to them. Overall, today was eye-opening because I got to see how other people lived since I am from a very sheltered area and in the Midwest where natural disasters aren’t very common.

~ Eva Fischer is a 9th grader from Medeira, Ohio and this is her first Young Judaea National event.