hosted Professor Ted Merwin (Dickinson College) at Risley for a talk on the history of the Jewish Delicatessen. First of all, let me say that it never ceases to amaze me just how specific research in academia can be. Like honestly this is a cool topic but I just can't imagine being so focused on something so very specialized! Second of all, I will say that this was a very charming talk, about something I never knew would be interesting, and has a lot to do not only with Jewish culture but also pop culture. We listened to music clips, watched bits of Annie Hall and When Harry Met Sally, and talked about New York City through the ages.
Although I was born in upstate NY in 1990, I still feel a sense of nostalgia inside me for interwar New York City, and I feel a connection to the Jews of NYC. I don't eat meat, I don't spend money at restaurants, I don't speak yiddish, I don't live in New York City, I don't want to do any of those things...and yet, there it is. The feeling that in a past life, I did all of those things, and I was a middle aged Jewish man, and I hung out at a deli with all my middle aged Jewish men friends.
So it goes.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Today I
participated in a food packing event called Feed My Starving Children. We packed over 25,000 meals in two hours, and the volunteers ranged from 5 years old to 70, and all religions and races. I signed up with Hillel, and I am proud to say that the Cornell Jewish Community had a strong showing!
The meals are packed like this: a scoop of chicken flavoring, a scoop of dehydrated vegetables, a cup of soy protein, and a cup of rice. This all goes through a funnel and into a bag, which is then weighed and sealed. We box up 36 bags at a time (each bag makes 6 meals of about 250 calories each). There are about 8 volunteers at each station.
Feed My Starving Children is a Christian organization, and the bags of food are called "Manna Packs." We said a prayer as we loaded up the truck with boxes, and much of the distribution work is done by missionaries. Service is a beautiful way for religions to intersect, and this was no exception. I felt very spiritually fulfilled as I walked back to campus from the church.
This was my second year participating, and I'm sure I will participate again next year and hopefully in the future. If you ever hear of a Feed My Starving Children event in your area, please volunteer and/or donate!
The picture shows me with my friends Adina and Meredith, other Hillel Student Board members!
The meals are packed like this: a scoop of chicken flavoring, a scoop of dehydrated vegetables, a cup of soy protein, and a cup of rice. This all goes through a funnel and into a bag, which is then weighed and sealed. We box up 36 bags at a time (each bag makes 6 meals of about 250 calories each). There are about 8 volunteers at each station.
Feed My Starving Children is a Christian organization, and the bags of food are called "Manna Packs." We said a prayer as we loaded up the truck with boxes, and much of the distribution work is done by missionaries. Service is a beautiful way for religions to intersect, and this was no exception. I felt very spiritually fulfilled as I walked back to campus from the church.
The picture shows me with my friends Adina and Meredith, other Hillel Student Board members!
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