Friday, February 10, 2012
Thanks for a GREAT Day on the Hill!
Thursday, 01 April 2010 09:50
The JRLC Staff would like to thank everyone who participated, volunteered, sponsored, promoted or spoke at our 2010 Day on the Hill, it was a HUGE success! This year about 750 people participated in the event. This year we heard from Rabbi Harold Kravitz, we awarded the Social Justice Awards to some awesome community leaders and activists, we learned about current and pressing social issues, and hundreds of citizens and people of faith were able to discuss their concerns with their legislators.
We began the day with a speech from Rabbi Harold Kravitz that set the tone for our policy debriefing and legislative visits. It was a faithful reminder that as a community, our well being should not be measured by the people who are the most well off, but rather by how we care for those with the least. In these troubled time, it is especially important to remember this message.
If once we could delude ourselves into thinking that poverty was something for others, we have seen the harshness of the economy strike in the very hearts of our communities. I have a member of my congregation, a woman named Joan who decided to take her granddaughter Abby to assist her when she volunteered at ICA- the Interfaith Congregation Association, a neighboring food shelf we support. As Joan and Abby were on their way, Joan saw that her granddaughter was somewhat hesitant. The grandmother sensed that the child was a little nervous about what it would be like to deal with people who are poor. What would they look like? Who would they be? As they left the foodshelf, after volunteering, the girl commented to her, “Grammy, those people look just like us.” Her grandmother responded, “they are just like us, they are just a little down on their luck.”
Read the full text of Rabbi Kravitz's speech here. In case you missed the day, or would like additional copies of the materials, you can find more information on our Day on the Hill Materials section of the website.
Thank you again for a wonderful day!
Rachel Herzfeldt-Kamprath
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