Through the SAR HS mission to New Orleans, students experienced the opportunity to give back to a community in need. The mission, led by Zehava Seidman, was an initiative organized by the OU Relief Missions, and was designed to empower teens to make an impact and give them the opportunity to contribute to something bigger than themselves.
On the first day, the students volunteered with lowernine.org, and helped with the rebuilding process of three different homes that were destroyed in the hurricane. Junior Gavi P. said, “My group installed flooring for one of the houses. We moved the furniture in order to strip off the old flooring, then learned how to put in new flooring. It felt so great to be helping their community in any way we could.”
After the building project, the students met Burnell Colton, a veteran who is the owner of a local grocery store and laundromat. He told students the story of how after Hurricane Katrina, he was left with very few neighbors in an area labeled a “food desert” and opened a grocery store where they could get food. In addition, he made sure his supermarket had Wi-Fi for local children to do their schoolwork. Burnell spoke about how his hard work has paid off as he has been able to help his community in so many ways. They ended the night with dinner at Kosher Cajun and an evening at Rock n Bowl.
The next day, the students drove to Green Light New Orleans where they learned the process of furnishing recycled barrels that would further be used to collect rainwater. They were able to show their creativity through painting unique designs, such as Zeva G.’s and Tali Z.’s Campbell’s Soup-inspired barrel. Students packed over 100 meals for the homeless, then distributed them while hearing their stories. Later the group drove to a Jewish cemetery, where they commemorated the burial of the many holy Jewish books that were destroyed due to Hurricane Katrina and sang Acheinu together.
The students enjoyed a beautiful Shabbat at Chabad, and spent time with members of the local community. After lunch, they had the privilege of speaking to a couple who recently converted to Judaism, and had the chance to ask them questions. On Saturday Night, they headed to Preservation Hall, an old fashioned live Jazz club for a performance by a Grammy award winner, then to Cafe Du Monde to try New Orleans’ famous beignets, followed by a walk along the Mississippi River and a closing ceremony. They reflected on their responsibilities as Jewish people to do tikkun olam, and discussed how they can bring what they learned back to New York with them to do even more good for those in need.
