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Southeast Civil Rights Journey
Theme: “Ki Garim Anachnu – For We Were Once Strangers in a Strange Land”
Students will learn about the struggles of African Americans to gain equality in the 1950s & 60s as well as discover how Jews were involved in Civil Rights struggle. We will also delve into the creation of rock and roll and how this helped break down the walls of segregation. The students will walk away understanding why Jews, as a people who have known oppression, must care and act when others are oppressed. The journey can include Atlanta, Montgomery, Selma, Birmingham and Memphis. Visits include the site where Leo Frank was lynched, the Rosa Parks Museum, the Voter Rights Museum, the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the Southern Poverty Law Center, Freedom Park, The Civil Rights Institute, seeing a performance at a legendary Blues Club, Sun Studios, The Smithsonian Rock and Soul Museum. |
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New Orleans Journey
Theme: “Al Ta’amod – Don’t be a bystander… Bear Witness”
Help rebuild the city of New Orleans as well as learn about the political issues of class in America that were exposed by Hurricane Katrina. Your group will also experience the culture that makes New Orleans one of the most unique cities in America. We will meet with Jewish and non Jewish residents to hear first hand accounts of the devastation of the hurricane, experience the various cultures that create New Orleans by taking a voodoo walking tour of famous cemeteries and the French Quarter, learn about Jazz and hear live Dixieland Jazz where it was created, and walk through the Lower Ninth Ward and the infamous leevees to see where and how the floods occurred and help the city recover by getting involved in a hands on clean up project. |
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Cradle of Democracy – Washington, DC
Theme: “A More Perfect Union”
How to create change as an American and a Jew. By visiting the monuments as well as meeting with congressional leaders, AIPAC, the National Holocaust Museum, and other organizations, the students will begin to bring their Jewish and American identities into a whole unified teen and feel empowered to create change. |
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California Dreaming
Theme: “Al Tefros Min Hatzibor – Do Not Separate Yourself from Your Community: Power in America”
Explore California and see how the diversity of the state is a microcosm of the country. You will travel through San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco (or just focus on one city or any combination of cities) as well as taking time to see the natural beauty of the coastline. Understand how power is distributed in America, learn why the students need to care about the disparity of power in America and why our Jewish past commands us to care about the less fortunate, discover how we have the power to create change. |
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Pacific Northwest
Theme: “Mishaneh Habriyot – Respect for Life”
Explore the majestic beauty of the Pacific Northwest corner of our country. Understand how we must care about how we treat the environment as well as how we deal with each other through business. We will visit Seattle and examine one of the biggest environmental issues facing us today, over population. We will also discuss corporate responsibility at the original Starbucks. Witness the awesome destructiveness of a volcano at Mount St. Helens. See why Portland is one of the most successful planned cities as we roam her many green spaces and gardens. Get your hands dirty with exploring organic farming in Eugene. |
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New York
Theme: “Vahavtah L’reyacha Kamocha – Love Your Neighbor as Yourself”
Welcome to America. Trace our ancestors past as they made their way in America, the new homeland. Discuss assimilation, meet with major organizations that impact our lives as Americans and Jews, and experience the vastness that makes New York the most unique city in America. Visit Ellis Island, the diverse communities of Little Italy, Chinatown and Ellis Island, compare and contrast the Jewish living in the Upper Westside and Borough Park/Crown Heights, see a Broadway show, pay our respects at Ground Zero, stop at the wealthiest intersection in the world on Wall Street, and just experience New York. |
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Boston
Theme: “Hishtadel Lihyot Ish – In the Absence of a Leader, Strive to Be the Leader”
Jewish views on leadership. We will look at the leadership that helped create America during the Revolutionary War time as well as how the youth got inspired to be leaders during the Kennedy administration. Time will be spent discussing, comparing and contrasting Jewish views on leadership. We will truly understand the line of Pirkei Avot that advises us “to say little, do much” by seeing how community and relationships are built in silence during a performance of Blueman Group. |
