While other students head to Mexico or Florida for a carefree spring break, a group of Jewish UA students will join peers from around the country to help rebuild homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. These 10 students will be selected to participate in Hillel’s Alternative Spring Break, travelling to the city of Sidell, La., which lies outside of New Orleans, for one week.
They will wake up at dawn each day to work with the National Relief Network gutting houses damaged by flooding. They will also meet representatives from various organizations participating in the rebuilding process, such as FEMA and the Red Cross, which will help students better understand the infrastructure behind hurricane relief.
Trip co-organizer Shira Weinstein says that even though over a year has passed since Katrina, “The devastation still looks like it happened last week.” By dedicating themselves to helping repair the damage from a natural disaster that has since left the public eye, the group of students will gain the opportunity to learn firsthand the Jewish principle of tzedek, or social justice.
During their stay on the Gulf Coast, students will stay at a church campsite provided by the organization Operation Blessing, which was formed in response to the hurricane. According to Weinstein, life at Operation Blessing will be simple and communal, “like living on a kibbutz in Israel.” Each day of work will end at 4 p.m., and the group will have opportunities during that time to participate in activities such as city tours and sightseeing. At the end of the trip, the group will attend a music festival in New Orleans.
Thanks to a grant from the Barness Foundation, organizers say that the cost to each student will not exceed $150, including transportation, food, and lodging. Registration for Alternative Spring Break ends January 15, and prospective participants will complete interviews with the trip organizers between now and then.