Hillel aims to create an environment that generates a commitment to Jewish life. Throughout your internship, you have been creating programs that connect peers to Jewish tradition. However, once you complete your internship, what connection will these individuals have to the Jewish community? The following texts challenge us to think of how our work relates to the UF's future Jewish community.
Dr. Daniel Ziskin, Jews of the Earth, Golden, CO, June 20, 2000 (Testimony of COEJL Representatives at at U.S. Forest Service Hearings).
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"The Jewish religion values continuity. Our traditions have been passed down from generation to generation for the last 35 centuries... We should be passing unspoiled wilderness and viable populations of every single species to future generations."
[From COEJL website, http://www.coejl.org/learn/for_position.php] |
Discussion Questions
1. What is the strength of Dr. Ziskin's statement?
2. How does your internship relate to his view of the Jewish religion?
3. In what ways have you preserved a sense of community and continuity?
2. How does your internship relate to his view of the Jewish religion?
3. In what ways have you preserved a sense of community and continuity?
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
(ט) טוֹבִים הַשְּׁנַיִם מִן הָאֶחָד אֲשֶׁר יֵשׁ לָהֶם שָׂכָר טוֹב בַּעֲמָלָם:
(י) כִּי אִם יִפֹּלוּ הָאֶחָד יָקִים אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ וְאִילוֹ הָאֶחָד שֶׁיִּפּוֹל וְאֵין שֵׁנִי לַהֲקִימוֹ:
Discussion Questions
1. During this internship, when have you believed that two people better than one?
2. Who are your companions and how have you helped each other?
2. Who are your companions and how have you helped each other?
Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 63a
(אמר רבי) אבא אמר רבי שמעון בן לקיש: גדול המלוה יותר מן העושה צדקה, ומטיל בכיס יותר מכולן.
Discussion Questions
1. In your opinion, how does this text relate to community building?
2. During the internship, when has partnerships proved successful? When have partnerships been difficult?
2. During the internship, when has partnerships proved successful? When have partnerships been difficult?
Rashi, Leviticus 25:35 (cf. Torat Kohanim, Sifre Behar, Chapter 5)
והחזקת בו - אל תניחהו שירד ויפול ויהיה קשה להקימו, אלא חזקהו משעת מוטת היד. למה זה דומה, למשאוי שעל החמור, עודהו על החמור אחד תופס בו ומעמידו, נפל לארץ, חמשה אין מעמידין אותו:
Discussion Questions
1. On campus, there are students who do not feel as if they belong in the UF Hillel community. Knowing this, how can we still apply the wisdom of this text?
2. What can you do during the semester to create an inclusive space?
2. What can you do during the semester to create an inclusive space?