Alternative Spring Break
Alternative Breaks take groups of students out of their everyday surroundings and places them in new environments to engage in community service and experiential learning. As part of short-term service projects, participants are challenged to see and understand difficult social issues such as poverty, literacy, and natural disasters and to explore questions of Judaism and social responsibility.
In 2011, Texas Hillel is proud to be part of three Alternative Break opportunities.
Hillel/City Year Miami, January 2-9, 2011
Join 50 other service-minded students from around the country in Miami. This trip is a partnership between Hillel and City Year and will provide an opportunity to stretch beyond the everyday by coming together through hands-on service, team building and the exploration of social justice and Judaism.
contact Devora for more information
Spring Break to Budapest with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC)
JDC Short-Term Service Programs are connecting North American young adults to the global Jewish community through 10-day volunteer programs in a Jewish community overseas. With each project, participants have the opportunity to engage in meaningful service, connect with peers abroad, and learn about the pressing needs of Jews around the world as well as advocate for the Jewish community they visited upon their return home.
contact Devora for more information
Jewish National Fund Alternative Spring Break to Israel
Answering the needs of the Jewish homeland, JNF will send 300 people to volunteer in Israel during their spring break vacations this March to help with JNF’s Blueprint Negev initiative. Days will be filled with hard but fulfilling work, and nights with entertainment, music, and fun. The groups will also interact with the people they are helping and hear from environmental experts and scholars to better understand the complexities of the region.
A significant part of the ASB program is the educational curriculum, designed to complement the service work by providing an opportunity to explore Jewish insights and personal reflections on the service experience. Time is set aside each day for a discussion, reflection and learning.
ASB is a great way for American students and young adults to return to Israel and participate in a unique program that will transform their personal connection to Israel and JNF.
Make your spring break meaningful with JNF on Alternative Spring Break. Get back and give back to Israel! Join other students and young adults from across the United States to experience what the early chalutzim (pioneers) experienced by participating in service projects in Israel.
By Going On JNF’s Alternative Spring Break (ASB), you will:
· Enjoy a fabulous spring break vacation
· Strengthen your connection to the State of Israel
· Take part in the development of the land of Israel
· Be a 21st century pioneer!
Spend Spring Break in Israel with JNF: Weeks of TBA
Past participants have said: “Putting my own sweat into the land made me reconnect with it on a more personal level as well as develop a more personal interest in its future…this was true altruism and devotion to the state of Israel.” — Rhoni R., Pittsburgh, PA
For more information and to register, visit www.jnf.org/springbreak, or contact us at asb@jnf.org or 212-879-9305 x245. This trip is partially sponsored by a generous grant from the Repair the World Foundation.
“One of the farmers was so impressed with our motivation that he asked us, ‘Where were you 50 years ago?’ This simple question reminds me that the State of Israel is still young and there is so much work to be done…to ensure that it will thrive in the future.” — Jennifer L., New Jersey
Participants will be responsible to raise a minimum of $975, using an easy online program to communicate by email to family and friends. Monies raised will go towards JNF’s Blueprint Negev campaign supporting Israel’s newest generation of pioneers in developing, inhabiting, and preserving the Negev Desert — Israel’s last frontier. Once the money is raised, the program is FREE, paid for by generous JNF donors. Round trip domestic airfare is not included.
JNF’s Alternative Spring Break (ASB) provides Jewish college students, graduate students and young adults between the ages of 18 and 30 with the opportunity to connect to the land and people of Israel through meaningful acts of tikkun olam (community service). It is designed for people who have already toured Israel on past trips and are now prepared to involve themselves in community service and give back to Israel.
contact Margo for more information.