“I’m on AWB to make a change in a person’s life, make a difference in the community, and inspire others to do the same.”  Emily Hecht, 9th grader from Westfield, NJ.

“By living and working in communities where the effects of their efforts can be felt, these teens learned firsthand about the issues affecting those who live in recovering and struggling areas. ” Andrew Fretwell, Alternative Winter Break program manager.

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From Alternative Winter Break Participant Jake Doobrow of Florida

Today, along with my other Young Judaean friends we visited the Lantern Light Soup Kitchen. This soup kitchen not only offers food but also offers bathrooms, showers, toiletries, doctor check-ups, and help for people applying for jobs.

This one guy who I had a delightful discussion with was named Paul. Paul had a previous job as a truck driver who drove over the permitted hours to make extra money for his family. Then Paul divorced from his wife and was all on his own. He then went and wasted all of his money. He was born in Chicago, Illinois and ended up in New Orleans. He found the soup kitchen as a place to get his life back together. So after I was done talking to Paul, I went on my phone looked for the picture from last year because I thought he looked like the same person from last year. It turned out he was the same person.

On AWB 2012, I went to the Lantern Light and had a discussion with this man and his name was unknown to me at the time. I came back this year on AWB 2013 and saw the guy and learned his name. Since visiting the Lantern Light for the past two years it has changed me as a person. The single best thing that I learned was not to judge people. Something else I’ve learned is to take advantage of what I am given. I can’t wait until AWB 2014 to help a lot more people. I hope to see the people that I saw today with jobs, owning homes, and finding an easier time making ends meet.

From Alternative Winter Break participant Aodhan Lyons of Tuscon, AZ

As wonderful and profound as it is to see a child’s smile, it is nothing compared to seeing the second part of the trip today. Going through the wealthy and simply rich portions of L.A. was stunning, beautiful, and absolutely downright painful. Every street corner had someone on it, who was homeless, or simply needed help of some kind. I wish I could have given to all of them, but there was only one of me, with just two 20’s in my pocket. My brother had been asking for change for one of his 20’s two days prior, and was laughed at by one of the men at PATH, People Assisting The Homeless, for having a twenty on him in the first place. How privileged am I to have that much money on my person?

One man had a cardboard sign in front of him that said something along the lines of: “imagine if you were in my shoes; you would want help too.” It struck my heart. How was it that people who could be so wealthy, and absolutely full of their own money, could ignore the pleas of the helpless surrounding them. There was no other way to describe this striking experience aside from just using one single word: hurtful.

There were people littering the streets of that gilded walk down the road of stars, with costumes of many kinds depicting famous figures. People laughed, and took pictures with them. It would be a lie to say I didn’t cry a little bit. They merely needed the money, and were probably degraded to costumes of people I’m sure they wanted to be; superheroes, movie stars, and the general rich public. There were at least six Spidermen along the way, blowing animal balloons, or just standing there. As my group walked by, imitating some web-slinging along the way, I couldn’t help but feel one thing: hurt. The work that AWB has been doing so far has been just a start to helping the people in need, almost hidden between the “land of fame and music” and “the happiest place on earth”.

I’m really excited for this experience, it’s something that you don’t really get to do everyday, and kids this age don’t really do this stuff. Not only do I get to participate in this amazing experience, but I get to go through it with some of my best friends.  – Ethan Gertzman (11^th Grade, Hunterdon Central Regional High, Ringoes, NJ)

I’ve been on AWB before, and it’s really just a great experience to go and help people who can’t help themselves that much. It’s really a great feeling to get do these things. Because of that, that’s why I keep coming. – Aodhan Lyons (11^th Grade, Tucson High Magnet School, Tucson, AZ)

I’m really excited to better the community. Being in another community, not my own and helping to better people’s lives, that’s not something I usually get to do. – Matthew Kreitman (11^th Grade, Fiorello H. Laguardia H.S., New York, NY)

I feel really good to give back to a community that I am not a part of, because it is rewarding to give without taking back. It is great to be able to give back with friends who feel the same way I do.  It is a great feeling to participate in tikun olam hands on and have fun! – Kareem Rabbat (10th grade, Moravian Academy, Bethlehem, PA)

You help a person (pebble); you drop that pebble into a lake and the pebble spreads.  – Salomon Levy (10th grade, North Miami Beach, FL)

AWB allows me to explore a new perspective of the community of Los Angeles, while having fun and changing the world for the better. – Leah Klempner (9th grade, Great Neck, NY)

I’m having a lot of fun already because I have always been scared of the problems going on in the world but this has helped me help others with my friends and not be scared. – Skye Maisel (9th grade, New City, NY)

I came to AWB because I wanted to help my community without and I didn’t want to spend my winter break WASTING MY TIME, I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING MEANINGFUL. – Noah Kleiman (10th grade, Aventura, FL)

It is great to be working as a team with people I have just barely met. We are repairing the world while having fun. Everyone is enthusiastic and has a great attitude towards what we are doing. Not only are we repairing the world but we are helping out my home town as well. – Yosef Reich (11th Grade, OFL, Los Angeles, CA)

I wanted to go on AWB to help me discover more issues in the world that I didn’t know were there.  And I wanted to help out, which you don’t do everyday because people are caught up in their own daily lives and can be selfish.  This trip allows me to be selfless. – Ben-Ami Halpern (9th grade, Irvine, CA)

I really enjoyed the fact that I was helping kids experience a fun and beautiful summer camp experience that they deserve. It was all small stuff but I could tell what a huge difference it was going to make for so many kids. – Marissa Heffler (11th Grade, Anderson High School, Austin, TX)

Going in, I didn’t think that we would really make an impact on these peoples’ lives or that working at Midnight Mission and PATH would impact me. I was wrong. So many people said thank you and were unbelievably nice to us teens. I have a new found appreciation for everything I have. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting with the people at these places and I had (and hopefully the group as well) had a great bonding experience. – Brett Kleiman (11th Grade, Robert M Beren Academy, Houston, TX)

AWB is inspiring to me because it allows me to jump outside my comfort zone and help those in need.  I feel that, as a Jew, it is my responsibility to give back to people who need me. – Rachel Powell (9th grade, Springfield, NJ)

I’m on AWB to make a change in a person’s life, make a difference in the community, and inspire others to do the same. – Emily Hecht (9th grade, Westfield HS, Westfield, NJ)

Written by Alternative Winter Break Participant Brett Kleiman from Houston, TX

As Team Rebuild headed up the street to volunteer at Midnight Mission, there was one overwhelming visual: the staggeringly high amount of homeless people lining the streets. We immediately knew how intense this day would be.

Rebuild helps serve meals (and help out in general) to over 600 homeless people in a little less than an hour. Needless to say, there were many great and inspiring stories from all of us. After the meal, we helped supply winter coats to whoever needed. It was a very worth-wile experience that was a great way to start our week of service.

After leaving Midnight Mission, we were to go to PATH (People Assisting the Homeless) and actually cook a meal for over 150 residents of the amazing homeless shelter. The 20 of us were split up into 4 groups to help cook the meal and it was such a great way to come together as a group. The meal might have not been of 5-star quality, but it was a hit for the residents and left a huge smile on all of their faces. I was one of the 6 people helping serve food for the meal and the amount of positive energy that was in that building was palpable. We all ended up mingling with the PATH people and learning a couple important and profound life lessons from people who have seen it all.

Since I was told to keep this relatively short, I will. There were so many more things I could talk about, since each experience was so great and meaningful. So of course this was an intense day, but that is what we signed up for, and we all took it in stride. These are truly the best group of people I have ever been with and I already have a sense that this will be one of the very best Young Judaea Alternative Winter Breaks that there has ever been.

From Alternative Winter Break Participant Jacob Rogatinsky from Hollywood, FL

I am glad to say that day one of AWB New Orleans 2013 was a great success. For those who may be a little unfamiliar with how the program works, the volunteers are split into three groups so that we can help out in several city locales at once. Today, my group (Team Transform) was delighted to meet Mrs. Debra, who spends her time at the Lower Ninth Ward Apostolic Outreach Center.  An outgoing lady who likes to share her experiences, she told us how her childhood affected her decision to evacuate before Hurricane Katrina. She also urged us to realize that rebuilding the city does not just end when organizations like FEMA leave, but that it requires help from citizens and outside volunteers.

So, how has Mrs. Debra helped rebuild her community? As a Master Gardener, she took it upon herself to start a garden in her dear church’s once empty four-acre expanse. She uses this endeavor as an opportunity to teach others about sustainable living. But more importantly, she taught us the importance of cooperation between different communities. Think about it this way: we live in a global society where information is dispersed around the world in a matter of seconds. However, we are simultaneously separated in the sense that we forget about the news as soon as it stops circulating. We have to realize that just because Hurricane Katrina- or even Hurricane Sandy or the shootings at Sandy Hook- is no longer in the news, it does not mean that the victims no longer need our support. Whether we support with monetary donations, physical volunteering, or simply just raising awareness through social media, we need to understand that we are not truly global until we can peacefully cooperate together.

Now I know that I am way over my writing limit, but this brings me to one more point. Volunteering with AWB has shown me the importance of different religions, races, creeds, and ethnicities working toward common goals. We, the Jews of America, must initiate these interactions, especially considering Israel’s current situation with neighboring countries. Going back to this idea of our global community, we cannot truly be global until we eliminate the detrimental sectionalism between countries of the world, like in the Middle East. We are an influential group in the United States, and the United States is influential around the world. We have the power to initiate change for the better, but only if we have support from others. Through programs like AWB, the future generation of Jewish Americans can learn to voice itself in a way that benefits the global community.