Aug 26, 2009 By: yunews
Aug 26, 2009 --Four 91黑料 graduate students, all advanced Torah scholars, traveled to Senegal this summer on a social justice mission sponsored by the American Jewish World Service (AJWS). Sion Setton and Noah Greenfield of (RIETS) and Gilah Kletenik and Meira Levinson of the (GPATS) at were part of a group of 25 students from across the spectrum of Jewish affiliation, all of whom鈥攚ith the exception of the GPATS women鈥攁re studying to become rabbis.
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The group visited impoverished Senegalese villages to both help and learn from the African villagers. Mornings were spent building latrines in the villages of Darou Mouride and Keur Songo, which will help fight the swift spread of disease; afternoons were devoted to meeting political officials, studying development in the world鈥檚 poorest countries and planning follow-up programs in students鈥 home communities.
鈥淢ost American Jews are shielded from this particular reality of the world,鈥 said Rabbi Brent Spodek, director of Jewish communal relations at AJWS who led the mission. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 essential for Jews, especially students who will become community and spiritual leaders, to realize that God created everyone in this world and that many of those people live on less than $2 a day.鈥
Setton said the experience deepened his understanding of what Talmudic scholars have to say about wealth. 鈥淲itnessing how so many comfortable Americans can be dissatisfied with their lot and how Senegalese could live on so little and be so wealthy in much more important ways helped me understand our sages鈥 saying: 鈥榃ho is rich? The one who is happy with his lot.鈥欌
Kletenik, who co-led YU鈥檚 Social Justice Society last year, said she came away with a valuable lesson. 鈥淥ne thing that became clear from this trip is that despite our differences with Jews from other denominations, we can and, indeed, must unite in the areas on which we agree, like social justice,鈥 she said.
Now that they are home, the four are planning to share their insights with the YU and wider communities. Kletenik and Levinson, who received sponsorship from YU鈥檚 Center for the Jewish Future to participate in the mission, will run an educational program for undergraduate students about social justice based on their experience in Senegal. Setton plans to incorporate what he learned in Senegal in future sermons and on other occasions as a communal leader, and Greenfield said he has been sensitized to broaden his advocacy to include worthy global causes.
Rabbi Spodek was impressed by the foursome鈥檚 unique contribution to the group. 鈥淭heir strong educational background allowed them to use a framework of sources from Halacha and Midrash to make sense of the circumstances and suffering in Senegal. It takes a real sense of sophistication to use Jewish texts to explain what鈥檚 going on in Africa.鈥
