A recent event titled “Wii are the World,” run by the Center for the Jewish Future, highlighted the various opportunities in social activism. The event was well attended by participants of the CJF’s winter break alternative programs, and featured a panel of speakers who were all involved in social action within and without the Jewish community. Many of the projects applied Jewish themes and ideas to needs apparent in general society. Says Mijal Bitton, a staff member at the CJF, “The program … was meant to show YU students how there are many young and idealistic people who are actively pursuing lives and careers centered around social activism and community work. We chose the panelists based on their stage(s) in life, involvement with the Jewish and general community, and whether their message would inspire our students.” She adds, “We have gotten wonderful feedback–from both the students and panelists–who are excited about the emerging student movement towards service and communal involvement.” It seems from her statements that YU students are enthusiastic about social action and are pursuing opportunities to involve themselves in the greater community.

This year has seen many programs run to educate and involve students in social justice.  Past projects include the recent trip just four blocks away from YC, to a low-income housing project in the heights.  The group heard some encouraging words from Rabbi Yosef Blau and then walked to the site a few bocks away. There, in coordination with the CJF, students helped repaint the building to cover up the chipped walls marred by patches of graffiti. The manager of the building explained that a cleaner, brighter building encourages a safer environment for residents. The building had previously been home to drugs and crime, but through various efforts had been cleaned up and developed as a safe, healthy home for residents who cannot afford regular housing. Rose Snyder, a junior at Stern College commented that she was “really inspired by seeing the ways we can help out in our neighborhoods close by, and by the gratitude of the people who we were helping. I also liked that Rav Blau gave a shiur before hand in which he emphasized the need to do chessed.” Adam Weiss, a junior at Yeshiva College explained why he attended the event and commented, “I came to help out because I feel that it is highly important that YU makes a connection with the local population in Washington Heights. There needs to be this sense of community and mutual respect between the two distinct populations. I feel that activities such as these, provide an excellent forum in which the gap is able to be breached.” Though this program was geared towards students who had participated on the alternative winter break trips, many other students joined in as well.

The Social Justice Society on the Stern campus has had a few recent programs, such as the “Plus One” initiative that encouraged students to help those in need with a simple swipe of a caf card. By adding one item to their usual meals, their “plus one” was able to provide nutrition to those in need. The Society also started an initiative of raising money for genocide prevention by participating in the program “Triangles for Truth”. The program’s mission is to commemorate a holocaust victim by inscribing their name on a triangle, and then donating a dollar for that triangle to organizations helping to alleviate the suffering of current genocide victims of people in places like Darfur, such as the Save Darfur Coalition and the Genocide Intervention Network. “We’re building the new global anti-genocide movement,” Simon Goldberg, a YC student who runs the triangles for truth initiative explains. “With thousands of participating students in 40 schools across 4 continents, we’re now galvanizing enough momentum to fight mass atrocities with pen and paper — all in the name of Holocaust victims. We refer to this as active commemoration, a process which not only honors the past by building a better future, but also empowers young change-makers to think about the breadth of moral responsibility in today’s world.”

“Heights Initiative” is another example of a social activism program that was recently started at Yeshiva University. Started in Fall 2010 by Adam Berman and other Yeshiva College students, the initiative was created with the aim to unite various student run community service organizations under one larger umbrella. As a consolidated program, the “Heights Initiative’s” purpose is to garner further student interest in social action within the Washington Heights community. The “Heights Initiative” has a plethora of ways to involve Yeshiva University students in its mission. Furthermore, the program has many branches through which students can volunteer and connect to the community. A few of these branches include: an arts branch where students are connected to the organization Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance; a community enhancement branch where students can volunteer with The YU Bridgers; and an education branch where students can volunteer with The YU Literacy program, President’s Circle Tutoring Program, College edge, FUTURE, and Project START, all of which are tutoring programs.

These various social activism organizations and programs, are proving to assume an important place in Yeshiva University. These initiatives give students the opportunity to feel that they are a part of a broader community, one that transcends religious and socio-economic boundaries, all the while forming their own community, and a new generation of Jewish social activists.