February 22, 2008
Copyright The Rhode Island Jewish Voice and Herald
FOR ONE WEEK over winter break I spent my time in Mississippi and Louisiana to help rebuild New Orleans. I stayed at what they call, “The Kiln,” otherwise known as Camp Coastal, located in Kiln, Miss. When I first arrived at Camp Costal I thought we must have been pulling into a rundown, abandoned trailer park to turn around. But no, this is where my new home for a week would be.
Although the living conditions weren’t ideal, I had come to New Orleans on a mission. A mission to rebuild homes – as well as the spirit of the community in New Orleans.
Knowing these people lost everything they ever owned in the blink of an eye was heartbreaking. No more pictures of friends and family; no home videos of a child’s first word or step; birth certificates, tax papers, everything that this person ever owned and valued, gone forever. How could I relax in my warm house with all my belongings safe and sound while there are people, after over two years, still don’t have a place to call home?
– Kendra Rosenberg, URI Freshman
I HAD THE PRIVILEGE of staffing URI Hillel’s Alternative Winter Break Trip to New Orleans to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina. Thirteen URI Hillel students joined about 100 other students from Hillels all over the country from Jan. 6-13.
We worked with a group called Rebuilding Together, which is a national organization that, unlike Habitat for Humanity, restores houses instead of building them from scratch. Rebuilding Together helps those who fit into two categories: those who are over the age of 65, and those who are mentally or physically disabled. We ended up working on two different houses across the street from each other, and we were very lucky to be able to meet one of the families that owned the house.
I think one of the defining moments of our trip was when the owner of one of the houses came by with her brother, who has Down’s syndrome. She told us that her parents had owned the house, and when they passed on, the house went to her brother.
I don’t think we realized how much just five days of work can mean to a community who feels like they have already been forgotten. It made me feel a sense of accomplishment for what I was doing, but I also realized that I felt a sense of responsibility. The first day I stepped onto my work site, I became part of something bigger than I could ever imagine. I saw it, I heard it, I felt it, and it’s in me now.
– Lisa Friedman, URI Hillel Jewish Student Life Coordinator
