Milwaukee’s Jewish Teens Help Save the Day at Teen Day of Social Action 2009
On Sunday, April 5, thirty-two Jewish teens from the general community and from several area congregational schools and organizations joined forces to help Milwaukee ’s needy Jewish families at the fourth annual Teen Day of Social Action, a joint project of Coalition for Jewish Learning (CJL) and Tikkun Ha-Ir of Milwaukee. This year’s event focused on supporting Milwaukee’s Moath Chitim project, an annual program that provides traditional Seder foods to those in need. This time honored project was in peril due to lack of funding. Thanks to the efforts of the Wisconsin Council of Rabbis and the Jewish Community Pantry as well as CJL and Tikkun Ha-Ir, families throughout the community donated matzah, grape juice and gefilte fish for families in need.
The day began as buses and cars dropped teens at the Milwaukee Jewish Home and Care Center , where they assembled to pack packages of Passover staples. A long line of people—most of them elderly Russian immigrants—awaited the teens as they arrived. The teens quickly went to work, forming themselves into an assembly line in order to put together the food packages. Over 500 packages of food were picked up at the Milwaukee Jewish Home and Care Center, and leftover packages were distributed to needy home s as well. All told, over 575 families received packages of Passover food.
When they finished packing, the teens discussed the impact the morning had on them. It was obvious that it had been a moving experience. One teen felt rewarded by “seeing the smile on people’s faces to be able to have their own Seder event if before today they may not have been able to afford it.” Another said “I think the most rewarding part was seeing how happy the people were about celebrating Passover. Yet another liked “helping others and seeing how much I was able to affect them.” One teen was proud “that I was doing something for other people and not just myself.”
Another “really loved seeing all of the bags that we made together! It was a group effort.”
The Coalition for Jewish Learning and Tikkun Ha-Ir of Milwaukee would like to thank all the teen volunteers and youth serving agencies that helped make this day so meaningful.
View photos from the event here.
