Alternative Winter Break 2016 Post The Possibility of Progress – Adina Ornstein-Luks
By Year Round Programs
Adina (r) and Rachel Powell at the Heal the Bay beach clean up
Oxford Dictionary defines possibility as “a thing that may happen or be the case” (Possibility, oxforddictionaries.com). This definition explains an essential component of the impact of social action work. Today, I initially struggled with understanding how our work was directly benefiting and bettering our world. While learning from JQSA and cleaning the beach were enjoyable, there were no abundant immediate results. This concept baffled me. How was I as a part of Young Judaea making a difference? On top of this, what I struggled with was the vast amount of additional problems that felt insolvable. I was confused what the importance of our work was if the beach was just going to get trashed again or if no one directly acted on what they learned at JQSA. I wrestled with these ideas today as I was walking to the Santa Monica pier. I reflected on the experiences of the day with friends and contemplated how I could make a difference. Eventually, the work all started to make sense. This was a very small aspect of a big picture. Our work as illuminating the importance of progress. Our progress as Young Judaea isn’t enough to solve problems like trashed beaches and creating safe spaces for everyone in the LGBTQ+ community. Social action is broader than one organization. One organization can participate in bettering our world, but it is when everyone works together that we progress toward a more sustainable, eco-friendly, inclusive global community. Together we can see the possibility that our progress holds in its strides.
