Friday, April 9, 2010

Program Reflection Question #3

What was the most interesting thing you learned from this program so far?

20 comments:

  1. The most interesting thing I learned from the program was the amount of diversity in the world and the extent of people's differences even within the "seemingly" same group. First, although our own group is comprised of only Jews, the differences that we have in terms of religion and other outlooks go across the spectrum and beyond. Yet I found it most interesting that we were all able to get along and even form friendships from just working with each other.
    I found the same thing to be true with our Latino friends. Although they seemingly are all the same Latino's- their backgrounds, their lifestyles, and their opinions also all differ, based on my conversations with many of them. This has shown me that an important thing to know about life is that everybody is different, no matter how similar they seem. Thus, we cannot expect people to be the same as us or see the same as us. We need to respect other people, their opinions, and work together in embracing our differences, because, as cheesy as it sounds, it really does make the world go 'round (and yes, it rhymes).
    - Josh N

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  2. The most interesting part of this experience was meeting new people. I really enjoyed meeting the other Jewish high school/college students and hearing about their perspectives on different issues both in and outside of the Jewish community. It was great to hear different religious and non-religious ideas. It would have been nice to have more time to get to know the Latino students from Roosevelt High School, but I enjoyed the time that we were given.

    Mara L.

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  3. The most interesting things that I have learned from the program are the many similarities that Jewish culture and Latino culture share. Traditionally when thinking of similar cultures, I do not think that Jewish and Latin cultures would enter one’s mind, but now, at least for myself, they do.
    I learned that both cultures emphasize family values and respect, the significant role that food plays, both cultures include prevalent religious beliefs, and many individuals within each culture have nationalist feelings about their respective countries. In terms of history, both peoples have been persecuted, gone though major migrations, and continue to have to fight for their identities.

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  4. The most interesting thing that I learned from the program was that Latino and Jewish cultures are similar in respect to some of their ideologies. In addition to learning the commonalities between Jewish and Latino cultures, learning about multiculturalism at the programs beginning was also very interesting. Also, learning about Israel and its history, as well as the history of the Holocaust was very interesting because it opened my mind to the richness of Jewish culture.
    With a solid background in Jewish culture, I was able to appreciate the richness of the Latino culture, and therefore, better connect to our Latino counterparts from Roosevelt High School.

    -Jonathan S.

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  5. I have learned how to approach others and start conversations. We worked elaborately on how to make other interested, and continuing the conversation. Going through the steps helped me have a slight understanding of why people act the way they do and how I can make them comfortable with their identities.

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  6. The variety of different cultures and people out there and the uniqueness of each. I come from a very diverse background in which I have friends from many cultures: Russian, Arab, Latino, Bedouins, Israeli, Druze and more. Some sessions made me really focus my thinking on how their behavior which I viewed as different and sometimes strange was probably completely normal to them.
    During one session in which we learned about different groups in just the Jewish community the diversity was huge. To me the take home message is that when dealing with people who view things or do things totally different than myself, I need to try and understand their background better before commenting or think I understand their actions.

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  7. The most interesting thing I learned from the program is about the Zionist movement and the battle over it. Coming from a different perspective than most, it was interesting to see the arguments and criticisms of the movement and the state of Israel from different perspectives. I didn't understand how large a role it played in the Jewish religion for some.

    To me it always seemed as an issue between nations and citizens of the nations. I didn't realize that religion played a large part in the conflict. It really made me more aware of the issues and conflicts and helped me to understand exactly how I feel about the issue.

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  8. The most interesting thing I learned from the program is the diversity of views amongst Jews and their thoughts on Israel. I found the new perspectives enlightening, and challenged my thoughts on such controversial topics.
    It gave more of a perspective in my other Jewish connections such as YAD and UJF, and I look forward to continue the learning experience through out the program and later in life.

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  9. From this experience, the most interesting I have learned was about the diversity within Latino culture. It was fascinating and simultaneously frustrating to see how Latino culture is often conflated with Mexican culture when in fact, there are many other Latino populations that often go underrepresented. I did not realize their was a significant El Salvadoran population in Los Angeles.

    After becoming aware of my own ignorance, I also learned how it is only too easy to claim awareness on one's own side and thus, ignorance on the other part. Of course people are ignorant about Judaism and Jewish culture. But being able to step out of that mentality, I was able to focus much more on learning about Latino culture which has only made people more receptive to learn about my heritage. Most importantly, I discovered pupusas in the process and they are amazing!

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  10. The most interesting thing that I have learned in this program was about the similarities that the Jewish and Latino culture have. When we first met the students from Roosevelt I felt that the situation was going to be an awkward experience. I felt that there were many difference between our communities and that t would prevent us from creating a genuine relationship with them. However, when we got to go one on one and talk with students in a less controlled environment I learned about similarities that we shared as well as similarities that our culture and religion shared. A very meaningful experience for me was getting the opportunity to talk about the struggles that both our families went through in order to in america. It gave me a very unique perspective of a situation I had thought I understood.

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  11. The thing I can think of first when asked what was most interesting from MOT, was the fact that I have become so aware of the differences in the world even within the Jewish community. I live in a bubble of my orthodox Judaism, and was never fully aware of how other Jews see the world. In addition, I havent ever realized until now how so many differences in culture and society can live amongst one another and never get inter - connected. It is fascinating once you think about it.

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  12. The most interesting thing I learned in this program is how there are such a wide variety of Jews. When Loolwa Khazzoom came to one of our sessions I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the different types cultural differences that we have within the Jewish community. Learning about our own culture first, made finding similarities with other cultures easier to do.

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  13. the most interesting thing that i have learned so far was more than just diversity in this world but that the world functions because of the diversity. each person is different in their own way, and each race is unique yet the only the way the world is able to continue is because this diversity and we all play off the diversity. some people would be embarrassed to work a job that others see as a high occupation. we can all work off of each others differences and together make a better world, but of course, that could only happen after we accept everyones differences.

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  14. i feel that the most interesting things i have learned so far are from the holocaust group’s latino partners at hamilton high. since I went to hamilton for high school, i can discuss both the similarities and differences in our experiences there. this connection points to the larger goal of the community project phase to consider and confront areas in which the jewish and latino communities both intersect and deviate.

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  15. The most interesting thing I learned in this program so far is about the connections and similarities we share with the Latino community. For example, Gilberto Bosques, a Mexican diplomat to France, issued thousands of visas to Jews during the time of the the Holocaust. He saved thousands of lives and it is unfortunate that I had never heard of him before. There are so many hidden heros at the time of the Holocaust, and learning about him really helped me establish a foundation in which to connect with the students.

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  16. The most interesting thing I learned about the program is the ability to accept the world as it is. It was amazing to see how much we have in common with the people surrounding us everyday, most of us just are not aware of that and tend to judge and push aside people that do not "fit in" with them.
    I learned that our history is very much similar to that of our Latino counterparts and it was shocking to find another striving nation.
    Lastly, the program taught me how to be proud of who I am, where I come from, and who my nation is.

    Doreen Gal

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  17. Gabriela BeroukhimApril 22, 2010 at 8:52 PM

    The most interesting thing I learned from this program was how both Jews and Latinos create special cuisines and customs to distinguish different holidays. In both cultures, we make dishes to evoke memories and feelings associated with that holiday, such as matzo for Passover.

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  18. The most interesting think I have learned thus far is the likeness between Jewish and Latino Culture. I am beginning to see that most cultures are very similar and that the same ideas simply manifest themselves in different ways across the world. Ultimately, culture develops from societal values; most human values are innate and therefore necessarily universal.

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  19. I think the most interesting thing I learned from this program is that there are so many people who dont even know about the holocaust. I never thought that kids my age who live a few miles away never even heard of the holocaust. This shocked me a lot and motivated me to help teach others about it, which is why i joined the holocaust group.

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  20. The most interesting thing I learned from this program was learning about the many similarities Jews share with the Latino culture even though we seem to be so different. Both the Jewish and Latino culture are very diverse within themselves, value family and traditions, and share a unique history.
    -Daniella Golbari

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