December 23 until February 1. A full five weeks I was given off from Queens College. That’s almost half a summer! Making plans was inevitable, back and forth between the classic Miami winter break vacation, to maybe mixing it up and going to Orlando; LA was an option, and then, of course, maybe Israel and doing the whole “back to sem life thing.” But I wanted to do something different.
I recalled a rabbi who taught in my seminary, Midreshet Tehillah, telling me about these life-changing trips he runs to Thailand, Nicaragua, South Africa and Peru through an organization called Justifi, through which they attempt to understand and help people affected by issues such as human trafficking, HIV/AIDS, child slavery and environmental issues—all of which take place in these remote countries.
Initially I was hesitant about signing up since I’m not passionate about social justice or women’s rights or anything regarding politics, to be honest, and honestly know very little regarding these matters. I was nervous that being a frum girl on a program with some secular Jews would be challenging as well, but I signed up blindly, hoping for the best.
After a 15-hour plane ride, stopping in Guangzhou, China, to have a four-hour layover to catch another two-hour plane… I finally arrived in Thailand.
Justifi set us up in hotel rooms before the program was to begin the next morning so we could all be refreshed for the first day.
Meeting the group initially that first morning was slightly intimidating; being the youngest on the trip I was afraid I wouldn’t be taken seriously as a “mature adult,” especially since I’m still 19. But right off the bat a Rabbi Cowland, the group leader, and my rabbi from Israel, led us to the Chabad in Bangkok where we had our first session.
The goal of the sessions were to create a safe atmosphere for people to share ideas, insights, fears and challenges they had before going on the trip. And right away, the 18 of us were bonded through the fears and excitement we shared.
The trip was split into a mixture of touring and conquering social-justice issues. In our case, our mission was to conquer and learn about human trafficking, which involved visiting a rescue center for trafficked people, teaching English in a local elementary school and being involved in building/painting a new school in rural Thailand. We got a chance to experience much of the Thai culture as well, riding elephants, zip lining and shopping in local night shops; we even had our own private Thai chef who cooked 100 percent kosher food, which was the most palate-alarming food I’ve ever tasted—try combining pineapple, curry and coconut into one dish! You’d be surprised how amazing it is.
If I’d had to pick though my favorite and most memorable part of the trip, it would probably be the relationships I’ve formed with the directors and the people I spent the two weeks with. We all experienced beautiful views, waterfalls, amazing, enormous animals, stray monkeys and long truck rides in which we had life-pondering conversations. We were people from all different walks of life, and regardless of whether we were frum, not frum, Modern Orthodox, completely secular or “undecided,” we all became extremely close through this life-changing experience. No one ever felt threatened to conform to anything they felt uncomfortable with; it was a free environment for everyone to discover their best self.
Due to my extreme involvement in Teaneck NCSY and love for teens, I talked a lot to my rabbi about running teen trips to these amazing locations as well. They have had experience in the past—with a teen trip to Nicaragua this past summer, and this year they are running a special Modern Orthodox trip for teens to Thailand and Nicaragua! The teen trips will have less of a focus on human trafficking and more of a community chesed-based focus. To see the work we put into the community making a direct impact truly is humbling.
The decision I made to go on this trip for my winter break this year was definitely up there with the top best five decisions I’ve ever made. If you have the opportunity to do something life changing, take it!
To contact or for further information visit Justifi.org (for college-aged programs), Justifinow.org (for teen summer trips) or direct trip alumni Sophia Berman—[email protected].
Sophia Berman lives in Teaneck, NJ, and attended Bruriah High School. She spent a year abroad in Midreshet Tehillah on Neve Campus and now is a freshman in Queens College. She plans to focus her studies in psychology and business to help her develop further into the world of kiruv. She also hopes to staff future Justifi trips.
By Elizabeth Kratz
