Helping Each Other
U-M Hillel's alternate spring break helps Argentinean Jews.
Stephanie Steinberg
Teen2Teen Staff Writer
I
nstead of basking in the sun and tan-
ning until my skin turned red as a
tomato on a beach in Mexico during
spring break, I traveled to Buenos Aires,
Argentina, to perform community service
with 19 college students from Hillel at the
University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
I'll admit, I partly signed up for the
alternate spring break trip to escape the
miserable Michigan winter and soak in
Argentina's 85-degree summer weather.
But mostly, I went on the trip to help the
largest Jewish community living in South
America. Around 125,000 Jews reside in
Buenos Aires, with more than one-third
living below the poverty line.
I've seen poverty on the streets in Detroit
and in small towns I've traveled through in
the United States, but never before have I
seen Jews living with such hardships.
One morning, the 20 of us visited a
day care center for impoverished Jewish
children ages 6 months to 3 years. Funded
entirely by Jewish philanthropists in
America, the center provides a safe envi-
ronment for children while their parents
are at work. It also provides meals, which
may be the only source of food for some of
the children the entire day.
We colored and played with the chil-
dren as the director told us some of their
histories. She pointed to one boy coloring
with a red crayon and explained his father
abused his mother and sister. The girl slid-
ing down a plastic slide had a father in jail.
The mother of a pair of twins almost com-
mitted suicide while pregnant with them
because she knew she couldn't afford to
raise the children.
As I looked around at the kids' smil-
ing faces, I understood the center existed
solely because of Jews helping each other.
Before its establishment, mothers left their
babies alone in their one-room homes and
prayed nothing would happen to them
while they worked. But because
of American Jewish donors,
Painting in Argentina were U-M students Stephanie
these same mothers could leave
Steinberg, Mindy Welford, Sarah Linden, Teddie
their children in a safe place.
Olender, Becky Stolow and Josh Goldstein.
Our group also spent a day
remodeling and painting an
elementary school in a shanty-
town. Before coming to Argentina, we col-
converse with the Argentineans in Spanish,
lected school supplies and stuffed animals we discovered some of us could speak with
them in Hebrew, which helped us learn
to donate to kids at the school. One girl on
the trip said the highlight of her week was
about their lives as Argentinean Jews.
giving a little girl a teddy bear and seeing
The week culminated in a Havdalah
ceremony with Americans intertwined
her whole face brighten.
We left the school splattered in white
with Argentineans in a large circle. At that
paint and dripping with sweat, but know-
moment, I realized this trip bore more sig-
ing we had done something to improve the nificance than lounging on a beach. Even
though we're Jews living at the opposite end
educational experience of children living
in the community.
of the world, our small deeds throughout
However, not all Jews living in Buenos
the week had strengthened the Jewish com-
Aires are destitute. Throughout the week,
munity in Argentina and had made a differ-
ence in lives less fortunate than ours.
we visited a synagogue, Dor Jadash,
where we worked side by side with Jewish
Argentinean peers to paint the walls and
Stephanie Steinberg, 19, is a freshman at the
windows. While not all the Americans could University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
You get more than just theories and equations at Lawrence Tech. You're exposed
to the tools and practical experience you'll need to realize your dreams.
The goal is simple: To prepare you to not only compete within your profession, but to lead it.
Explore over 80 undergraduate, master's. and doctoral programs in
Architecture and Design. Arts and Sciences. Engineering. and Management.
Visit Itu.edu/applyfree to have your application fee waived!
Lawrence
THEORY
PRACTICE
Tech
Lawrence Technological University
Office of Admissions
21000 West Ten Mile Road
Southfield, MI 48075-1058
800.CALL.LTU • admissionstu.edu • Itu.edu
April 2 2009
C19