Friday, March 13- Reflections

March 13, 2009

Today was our last day volunteering at IERU, and all of our projects came to a conclusion. We were able to see our hours painting turn into a mural and a fresh environment for learning and play, our cleaning turn into space to have separate classes for separate age groups, and our efforts turn into real improvements for the Jewish community at IERU.

I think we have all learned a lot about ourselves, the way we relate to the world around us, and the power we have to make important changes and help our peers. As we prepare for Shabbat, we are reflecting about questions that have been raised on this trip that are difficult to answer but exciting to try to figure out. Topics like the meaning of poverty and of being poor, the importance of helping those in our community versus those who may be suffering more but live further away, and whether or not helping other Jews should be a priority in tzedakah have all become very real and tangible to us this week.

I hope that our experience in Buenos Aires has expanded our perspectives and helped us to find our own answers for these questions, and I can’t wait until we discuss these questions further and can share more after Shabbat.

–Deena Fulton,
UNC-Chapel Hill, Class of 2011