Jewish Student Union (JSU)
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Event Date: Mar 10, 2009
On Thursday night, December 3, three Central students, Daniela Bitton, Adina Burstein, and I, flew to Denver with our JUMP advisor, Ms. Miriam Borenstein. From the minute we arrived, we felt a sense of warmth (even in the cold, snowy weather of Denver!). The Jewish community there did not just treat us with great hospitality, but treated us as family. Rabbi and Mrs. Alter welcomed us into their house and made us feel right at home. A member of the community was happy to volunteer her car for our use throughout the weekend. The families we met were very inviting and opened their homes to us for Shabbat.
Friday morning we went to the modern local elementary school, Denver Academy of Torah or DAT, where we ran programs for the kids we had planned in our JUMP clubs. Our first program was with the 7th and 8th grade boys and girls. We were running a few minutes late so I was a little nervous about what the feedback would be. As we walked into the library where the kids were waiting, I was truly amazed. Every single 7th and 8th grade boy and girl stood up and started clapping and cheering for us with big smiles on their faces. They were so excited for the program, and that was when I realized how special the kids were. We continued on with our day, running programs with the younger students, teaching parashah and making skits with them based on what they learned. After that we baked challah with the 7th and 8th grade girls, whom we would be spending our Shabbat with. From there we decided to drive around and explore the Denver community. We stopped by the local nursing home, Shalom Park, where we visited and played games with the residents. Our packed day of chesed energized us as we started Shabbat with a sense of passion and excitement.
Shabbat was incredibly fun and uplifting. We bonded with the 7th and 8th grade girls through zemirot, games, and divrei Torah. After Shabbat we went back to the Alters for dinner. We said our goodbyes to the girls that we had bonded with throughout the weekend. It was amazing how quickly we got to know each other and how close we became. On Sunday morning, we decided to go hiking through the incredible mountains of Colorado. We had quite a journey through the snow. While driving, we were able to see the great wonders of Hashem. The beautiful view of the mountain range was breathtaking. It was amazing to see the different gifts of G-d.
Looking back on that weekend, I was exposed to one of the many incredible wonders of Judaism. On Friday, Ms. Borenstein pointed out something that I will never forget. She noted how amazing it was that even though we were strangers from across the country and had never met these people before, they opened up their homes to us, gave us the codes to their houses, and lent us their car. It’s incredible how Judaism works. I remembered then, the famous Jewish quote of “Chaveirim Kol Yisrael”—All of Israel are friends. That weekend I actually felt it for the first time. I witnessed the real sense of trust and brotherhood we have. At the end of the day, that is what made our trip truly special.
Written by: Talia Kugelman for the 5 Town Jewish Times
Reproduced with permission from the 5 Town Jewish Times
www.5tjt.com
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