Since campuses closed down due to COVID-19 in mid-March, here is how OU-JLIC has continued to engage, support, inspire and educate its students and their families:
IMPACT IN NUMBERS –
- 9,363 conversations between educators and students, including virtual chevrutah learning and check ins.
- 6,508 students and their family members took part in the 577 chaburot and shiurim given by OU-JLIC educators.
- 1,409 students were delivered food by OU-JLIC educators.
- 1,348 divrei Torah were sent by educators to a total distribution of over 36,900 people.
- 3,920 halachic questions were answered by OU-JLIC educators, and 1,331 of these questions were related to COVID-19.
EREV SHABBOS INSPIRATION – Rabbi Benny and Sara Berlin (OU-JLIC educators at Queens College) organized an incredible OU-JLIC Virtual Kabbalat Shabbat on Zoom with singer Simcha Leiner. Over 10,000 people watched the Kabbalat Shabbat. You can experience it for yourself at: https://www.instagram.com/tv/B9vBuzzlvlZ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link.
MAZAL TOV! – When Alison and Akiva got engaged this past Fall and asked Rabbi Mati Kahn (OU-JLIC educator at Princeton University) to serve as their Mesader Kiddushin in March, they had no idea under what unusual circumstances the wedding would take place. On March 15th, Alison and Akiva got married at a wedding much smaller than they had expected with Rabbi Mati serving as the Mesader Kiddushin. Rav Mati lifted the spirits of the small group present at the wedding as well as everyone who watched on youtube. Rav Mati and Shira Kahn were also involved in planning Sheva Brachot for this newlywed couple who had all of their Sheva Brachot cancelled at the last minute.
Rabbi Aaron Greenberg (OU-JLIC educator for Greater Toronto) officiated at Pearl Kraft and Nadav Gasner’s wedding on April 19. As you can see if you watch this video, an abundance of caution, social distancing and Zoom were used in conducting this celebration. Nadav and Pearl are very active on their campuses with OU-JLIC and Rabbi Greenberg and his wife Miriam, having hosted both for many Shabbat meals, were the ones to set them up.
STUDENT VOLUNTEERS – Rabbi Aaron and Miriam Greenberg (OU-JLIC educators for Greater Toronto) organized an ‘army’ of OU-JLIC students to deliver groceries to members of the community who are not allowed to leave the house. This was advertised and done in conjunction with the BAYT and was sent out as a service to all of their congregants. One congregant was so moved by the gesture and Chesed that they sent in an unsolicited $5,000 donation to OU-JLIC!
Rabbi Joe Wolfson (OU-JLIC educator at NYU) with help from other OU-JLIC educators, spearheaded an international project for OU-JLIC college students: Killing Covid with Kindness. The mission of the project is to facilitate chesed opportunities for college students during this fragile time when so many people are needy. Volunteers call or write to the elderly, Yachad members and others that are immuno-compromised or otherwise isolated. Volunteers are also helping package and deliver meals and/or go grocery shopping for those in need of food, while maintaining safe, government social distancing guidelines. Rabbi Joe believes it is about more than just all the good volunteers are doing, “It’s about agency, it’s about giving people a sense that they can do something in this moment. It really helps to have something productive to do.”
Rabbi Joe Wolfson and Corinne Shmuel’s (OU-JLIC educators at NYU) student volunteers provided for the Passover needs of the 110 Jewish COVID-19 patients in the emergency Javits Center Hospital, including providing patients with Matzah, kosher for Pesach food, and haggadot.
VIRTUAL CHALLAH BAKE – Avital Hischhorn (OU-JLIC educator at the University of Maryland) and Sarah Kasdan (OU-JLIC educator at Cornell University) organized a virtual challah bake. They shared words of inspiration, four students from different campuses said chapters of Tehillim and the bracha of hafrashat Challah was recited. There were 40 participants who joined via Zoom and an additional 334 views on Facebook live.
PESACH MEALS – Many international students at Bar-Ilan University were alone for Leil haSeder this year. Rabbi Yehuda and Chagit Peles (OU-JLIC educators at Bar-Ilan University) prepared more than 100 seder packages for these students including a home cooked meal and haggadah.
Rabbi Bryan and Sondra Borenstein (OU-JLIC educators at CSUN) raised approximately $11,000 for Maot Chitim and distributed it to needy students and their families.
Rabbi David and Sarah Kasdan (OU-JLIC educators at Cornell University) gave away 50 seder plate kits, along with matzah and grape juice for students still in Ithaca. Pickup was on their front porch and they also arranged delivery for students unable to leave their homes.
Rabbi Shlomo Schachter and Ahava Schachter-Zarembski (OU-JLIC educators at the University of Illinois) cooked an incredible amount of food for students over Pesach because the Campus University kosher kitchen was closed. They packaged 18 seders to go and cooked a total of 144 Passover Meals to go. This involved kashering their kitchen early, securing funding for everything, buying a lamb to shecht (Rabbi Shlomo is a certified shochet), and sourcing food from Chicago, St. Louis and Baltimore.
COOKING TUTORIAL – Rabbi Josh and Margot Botwinick (OU-JLIC educators at IDC Herzliya) posted a Facebook video with 8 easy Pesach recipes for students that never cooked for Pesach before. The video has almost 5,000 views: https://www.facebook.com/1505952096150246/posts/2875196675892441/?vh=e&d=n
YOM HASHOAH – Jehuda Lindenblatt, a Holocaust survivor from Budapest, told his story to nearly 300 Brooklyn College Students and their families. After Rabbi Reuven and Shira Boshnack (Brooklyn College) thanked him for speaking, he said to all of the students on the call, “You are the generation who takes it over…show the world the Jews didn’t die. And they won’t. And they will be proud to be a Jew.”