My Street Torah Experience

Today I had the opportunity, along with a few other JAMers and staff members, to walk to a nearby park during our block of free time to visit the homeless. With us, we brought bagged lunches and clothing to distribute. We approached a homeless man on a park bench, who welcomed us with a big smile. My friends and I offered him the items we brought along, but he kindly responded with, "No thank you." It turned out, all he was interested in was a friend to talk to. For twenty minutes, we engaged in a wonderful discussion. He was originally from Ethiopia. He was sent to America by the Ethiopian army with the promise of three full years of education and housing. Instead of his promised three years, he was only educated for one month. Stuck in the country with no place to live or a background of education, our new friend had to turn to the streets. After discovering he was speaking to members of a Jewish organization, he excitedly began to tell us the history of Ethiopian Jews and how they came to be. He began to tell us the stories of the Bible that I haven't heard since I was in 3rd grade Hebrew school. The whole time he was telling us the stories, the smile that he welcomed us with didn't leave his face. Unfortunately, we had to leave shortly after we met. He politely apologized for talking too much, but thanked us for listening. We waved goodbye and wished him luck and a wonderful day. I will never ever forget this experience! =)


Arielle W, JAM '08
Summit, NJ