Feb 17, 2009 -- With the echoes of war not too far off in the distance, 35 students from ]♒Telegram飞机号/电报 | +1美国 电话注册 | 注册一个月+ | API接码登录 | 任何设备可用 and other U.S. colleges arrived in Israel to spend their winter break as participants in the Center for the Jewish Future’s Project Connect Winter Mission. The weeklong program, sponsored by the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, exposed the students to the challenges faced by the Ethiopian and former Soviet Union immigrant communities as they integrate into Israeli society. “Our program incorporated daily service projects and sessions with public figures and immigration experts that enabled the students to explore the halachik [Jewish legal] and socio-economic absorption challenges faced by these communities and opened their eyes to the public policy aspects of integration,” said Rabbi Kenneth Brander, dean of the CJF. The students spent time getting to know the new olim [immigrants], cultural groups they knew little about before the mission. They also learned about immigration-related issues facing the State of Israel and its halachik authorities from figures within Israel’s rabbinate, Supreme Court and Welfare Department. “The halakhic issue of defining who is a Jew is no longer a black and white issue in my eyes,” Stern College for Women senior Esti Arfe. “Rather, it’s a confusing mix of the frustrated faces and stories of sacrifice and persecution of those that lived and died for the sake of Judaism.” Students were divided into two groups, one immersing itself in the lives and culture of Ethiopian Jewry and the other dedicating time to Jews from the former Soviet Union. They held discussions and group activities, made challah covers, shared meals of their ethnic food and played role-playing games. They came away with a far deeper understanding of the various faces of worldwide Jewry, as well as the complex challenges facing these new Israelis as they negotiate their place in Israeli society. “Project Connect brought home to me the sharp reality that immigration comes with many different obstacles,” Stern senior Rena Eisenberg said. “I realize now that we truly are am echad, one nation. It is important for us to embrace our Ethiopian brothers the same as we would embrace any other Jewish immigrants — with support and love.” The students also participated in service activities, packing food for soldiers fighting in Gaza together with Russian and Ethiopian immigrants and running a day of fun activities for Ethiopian children from absorption centers affected by the war in the south. The mission participants had opportunities to engage one-on-one with their immigrant friends, and learned from members of both communities of the ongoing struggles to maintain a cultural and historical identity while integrating the culture and language of their new homeland, especially in the face of religious differences and racial barriers. Students returned home with a newfound appreciation for their capacity to make a difference in Jewish communal leadership. Yeshiva College sophomore Eitan Slomovic said, “Not only do I realize the amount of work that needs to be done in these communities in Israel, but I can now take these experiences and the sensitivity I developed toward these issues and apply it to my own community.” Students from Jerusalem’s Ma’ale School of Television, Film, and the Arts documented the groups' interactions with the different communities. Watch those films here (Russian group) and here (Ethiopian group).