This past week, 12 students from the Bergen County High School of Jewish Studies went on a mission of tikkun olam to New Orleans. Accompanying them were Miriam and Zvi, both of NCSY, and BCHSJS Principal Fred Nagler.

The purpose of the trip was to contribute to the ongoing rebuild of neighborhoods destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. One project was bringing and installing energy efficient light bulbs to homes in need of affordable lighting through Project Green Light. Another project was working with the Audubon Nature Institute in which students brought mulch in wagons and covered water soaked ground with it making nature trails passable. Working with Habitat for Humanity, students painted homes in the lower ninth ward, the hardest hit area of New Orleans. The chesed continued even during off hours, as students distributed sandwiches to the homeless.

Another aspect of the trip was learning about New Orleans and its Jewish character. This included a visit to a Jewish cemetery where students learned about and saw where Torah scrolls and Jewish holy books were buried. Kosher cuisine was enjoyed at Casablanca, a Moroccan restaurant; Kosher Cajun, a New York style deli with local favorites in a store that also housed New Orleans’ only kosher grocery store; Waffles on Maple which had a myriad of waffle choices; and beignets from Cafe Du Monde.

As result of this trip, 12 teens became a close knit unit and all stated that upon return to Bergen County they would look for other ways to make our world a better place.