Helping Japan

In the last week, news coverage everywhere has been covering the Japanese earthquake and the devastation left by the following tsunami. As I witnessed the devastation occurring on the other side of the planet, I thought of the International Baccalaureate concept of “think globally, act locally”. With this notion in mind, I began to think of different ways to raise money to alleviate the pain many Japanese people feel at this moment. Already at DCDS, a group of students have planned a bake sale (I don’t think the administration would allow a second baking event). However, after considering this option, my mind wandered back to charity tennis tournament which I have at different points in the year been planning. The conflict in Japan has inspired me once again to redouble my efforts on the tournament in hopes of raising a substantial amount of money to send to Japan.

At the current moment, I am trying to overcome the obstacle that has held me back in the past: finding sponsors to facilitate an affordable t-shirt give away and supply food at the event. My mom has already volunteered her OBGYN firm as a potential sponsor, but I seek to get other organizations in the company involved. I know that that my hometown, West Bloomfield, has a substantial Japanese population that would appreciate the gesture and would be interested in participating in the event.

Of all the IB learning outcomes, the one which best applies to my reinspiriation is #7: the consideration of the ethical implications of my actions. Though clichéd, the motto “treat others as you want to be treated” has inspired this latest effort to run the charity tennis tournament. Though the multi-cultural understanding fostered in the IB curriculum, I feel a connection to those people suffering in other countries despite the cultural disconnect between us. The pain of the Japanese people is my pain, and I seek to do my part in the recovery by raising money though local activities.

Culture Day 2011: A Learning Experience (Written 2/27/11)

As I have mentioned in my previous post, the planning of culture day was a daunting task to say the least. If I had to cook one more latke, I think my kitchen would have self-destructed. However, despite the stress leading up to the event, I am happy to say that the Jewish table had a strong showing. Between Margaux Hyman, Joe Juszak, my brother Alex, and me, we were able to wine and dine the many students as they sampled our matzoth ball and potato knishes (among many other dishes). Along the way we were hoisting people up in chairs (a tradition and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs) and singing in Hebrew the few songs we knew.

I think our group achieved learning outcome #6 to its full extent. The crowd seemed to be never ending; though we had a never ending supply of food, it took great effort to properly plate each sample for the full hour lunch period. Overall, I learned that within me is the ability to lead people and organize them into a successful operation. My leadership as captain of the tennis team called upon these skills in dealing with day to day conflicts, but I have had to make such a flurry of decisions that determined the success or failure of an event.

Overall, the most important part of Culture Day was that we had fun with it. I only wish that I knew how great this event was when I was a freshman; four years of participation would have been lovely. I learned a lot of things from the Culture Day experience, but more importantly, I discovered a pride in my Jewish culture that I thought I had lost long ago.

Representing My Culture (Written Feb. 20, 2011)

Since freshman year, I have always enjoyed Culture Day at DCDS. During one special lunch period every February, the many cultures represented within the DCDS community set up food tables during lunch to sample the edible parts of their cultural heritage. Although a relative minority at DCDS, the Jewish faith has always maintained a strong food table during culture day. Those who have participated in the past always had a smorgasbord of latkes, matzo ball soup, humantashins, and many other stables of the Jewish diet.

As a senior, I want to leave my stamp on the culture day activities. For this reason, I have decided to sign up as the head organizer for this year’s Jewish table. Though I am surely in over my head, I know this experience will help me learn organization skills which I have previously not developed. The success planning and implementation of this project will help me better my communication skills, especially with other Jewish students whom I haven’t previously met.

As I will need to have enough food for over 500- 600 students and faculty, the successful undertaking of this job will require that I would collaboratively with others. Already, I have discussed with other Jewish students the possibility of bringing in food. To make sure we do not forget any essential Jewish dishes, I have made a comprehensive list with each of the foods and the expected amount we will need. Even in the early stages of this project, I have surprised myself with the organizational skill I possess. As culture day approaches, I hope that this diligent planning will lead to a successful representation of the best parts of Jewish culture.