LOGO 2


April 4, 2013
 

What influences each of us to be involved in the  
Jewish community?
 
For Ari Moss there are a number of factors. Prominent among them is BJE's March of the Living.

It's been 17 years since Moss was a high school student participant on the 1996 journey to Poland and Israel. Since then he has been active in his university's Hillel and his law school's Jewish Law Student Association; LimmudLA; the Jewish Free Loan Association; and the Geller Leadership Project of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. Moss served as a past president and is a current board member of the Shalom Institute, and is a member of IKAR. 

 

Being involved in the Jewish community has given Moss "a sense of place and purpose."

 

"Jewish life is important because it provides for me a way to understand and approach the world," Moss said. "I deeply believe that experiencing Jewish life through living it is immensely beneficial for young Jews. I watch people who live full Jewish lives have good lives."
  

His March of the Living expedition remains vivid.  

 

"March of the Living gave me the opportunity to see firsthand, with my peer group, the deep tragedies that affected my people and go from that to something more positive which was the creation of the State of Israel," said Moss, who is the grandson of Hungarian Holocaust survivors. "It was a valuable, powerful experience." Today's BJE March of the Living program includes an emphasis on the vibrant pre-war Polish Jewish community and often includes meetings with Polish Jews and non-Jews as the participants think about the past, the present and the future.

 

The 2013 March of the Living has just commenced and continues through April 18 with a Los Angeles contingent of nearly 200 participants including students and 9 Holocaust survivors, the largest survivor group since the program's inception more than 20 years ago.

 

"The feedback from student participants is that the March is life changing, that it informs their decisions in their connection to intolerance, to the State of Israel, to defending Israel on college campuses, and the role of Judaism in their lives," said Monise Neumann, director of BJE March of the Living. "For every person it works out differently. I have hundreds of letters from kids and no two are the same."

 

For Moss, the March was a springboard to help him focus on the beauty and positive aspects of Jewish life.

 

"It helped me formulate my place in society and community in a meaningful way," Moss said.

 

Follow BJE's March of the Living in real time at http://bjemarchoftheliving2013la.shutterfly.com/
 

 

BJE 2013 March of the Living Delegation Departing from LAX on April 4

march of the living
Like us on Facebook   Follow us on Twitter   View our profile on LinkedIn   Find us on Pinterest
BJE programming inspires educators to share the Jewish educational landscapre of Los Angeles. Through your generosity, BJE makes a difference every day in nurturing and connecting children and families to Jewish learning and community. You are investing in the Jewish future! Make your tax-deductible

For more information about BJE programs and services, contact Rabbi Glenn Karonsky at [email protected]
6505 Wilshire Blvd, Suite #300, Los Angeles, CA 90024 - (323) 761-8605 - www.bjela.org