Seventh Graders Give Back to San Francisco Community

As part of the Brandeis Tzedek Program, seventh graders participate in three days of service learning. This year the seventh graders are taking part in the Tenderloin Walking Tour, serving lunch at Glide Memorial, and volunteering at the Jewish Home and the Raphael House. Two weeks ago and then again today, students spent the day taking part in the Tenderloin Walking Tour and serving lunch at Glide Memorial. Reflecting on the experience, Brandeis Tzedek Program manager and teacher Jody Bloom said, "Overall, it was very eye-opening for students to see firsthand how much of a difference a meal can make for a person without a home. It's an experience I believe will stay with them for a long time."

In the morning, students participated in a workshop with Rabbi Michael Lezak (staff rabbi of Glide Memorial) centered around the Kiddush. "The Kiddush reminds us that we were once slaves in Egypt," explains Ms. Bloom. "We talked about our obligation to not only help our community members, but to remember that everyone is created B'tzelem Elohim, in the image of God." Following the workshop, seventh graders were split into two groups, with one group participating in the Tenderloin Walking Tour and the other serving lunch at Glide Memorial (the groups switched roles today so that all students participated in both activities). On the Tenderloin Walking Tour, "We learned many new things that can only be learned by true experience, and because of that we are now so much more knowledgeable about our city of San Francisco," says Ms. Bloom. In the main cafeteria at Glide, students helped assemble lunch trays and then brought them to the hungry, waiting crowd. Adds Ms. Bloom, "The students shared that it feels great to be able to serve people who would not have food otherwise. They left knowing that serving at Glide is a great way to help the community and support your fellow citizens." MORE PHOTOS