"I grew up in a family where Judaism was really a central part of our lives, and I think that’s why when I came to Brown, Hillel was one of the first places that I felt comfortable even without knowing people. There was an immediate welcoming feeling here that I appreciated and that’s continued, because Hillel’s always there. I personally care a lot about taking care of the world (tikkun olam) and I think that’s a really important Jewish value that I integrate into both my academic work and outside my classes. I get frustrated when Jewish values get siloed as religious values, and I think that often causes agitation. Tikkun olam is a great example of a value that needs to infiltrate everything that we do and other aspects of life, not just our religious pursuits. From fighting climate change to reducing waste in my personal life, I’ve also been able to integrate my Jewish background into academic work. For instance, when I took a class on food sustainability, I wrote a research paper about how kosher guidelines interact with a sustainable lifestyle. Another way that these intersect is in the wonderful experience I've had volunteering with the Brown Market Shares Program, which coincidentally is housed in Hillel every week. It's a great example of people coming together around good food and local business values. The fact that Hillel has been able to open it’s doors to programs like Market Shares shows the priority this community puts on supporting different projects, especially those that relate to foundations of Jewish life like tikkun olam. I also work on Green Events at Brown in order to make campus events more sustainable - and that often means bringing composting bins or working with planners to think about ways to reduce waste. That’s been a really easy partnership to have with Hillel because of the care already taken with food-sourcing and planning menus. It’s been wonderful to be at Shabbat dinners and know that the composting that happens at Hillel is a priority. From the sustainability standpoint I’ve been really appreciative of Hillel’s commitment and involvement. As a Jew and member of this community, I’m also appreciative because it makes the experience of coming here much more meaningful to me."
Next year Ali will be the Climate and Energy Program Assistant with the Rainforest Action Network in San Francisco.
Next year Ali will be the Climate and Energy Program Assistant with the Rainforest Action Network in San Francisco.
