Deb's teaching the children with GPM

GPM-JDC Entwine Fall 2014 volunteer Debra Feinberg writes this poignant account about her experiences teaching children in the slums.

For weeks I haven't been able to quiet my mind enough to sit and write about my experience here in India [as a GPM volunteer], but suddenly, I'm ready. Sure, I've jotted the occasional story about the madness of Mumbai, but I haven't shared what I'm really doing here...I haven't told you about my everyday routine where I wake up, catch a cab to the train station, take a 45 minute ride to a place so far off the beaten tourist path that when I step off the platform at my stop, everyone around looks in awe wondering, “What is she doing here?” More than once, a motherly figure has placed a hand on my shoulder to say, "Are you sure this is your stop?" Really, she is saying, "I don't think you want to be getting off here." ...I do.

“Here,” is Kalwa, the slum where I'm teaching. The people here are starting to expect us now...Us, being me and the other GPM fellows. Each day, we get off the train amidst a sea of brown faces...it's hard not to stand out. Somehow, word has spread that we are the teachers and in knowing our role, people accept our presence. The young rickshaw drivers outside the station eye us up and down and nudge one another, sharing comments that would probably leave me blushing if my Hindi was up to par; locals study us as we pass by, curiosity burning in their eyes. Many are quick to smile and say 'hello,' or 'good morning' and some even stick their hand out for a handshake or jump the gun with, "Hello, I am fine," before I've even had a chance to pose the question, "How are you?"

Always, I make my way to the small shed at the station entrance and look for my two familiar faces: Haley and Jacob. I suppose the best way to describe seeing them is to compare it to when I turn onto my childhood street and see the tunnel of trees that leads to my home; there's a comfort in the familiarity of the sight, and I know when I see those trees I'm back where I belong. When the crowd parts and I see Jacob and Haley, it's the same feeling, that this is where I'm meant to be. Haley is our on-site coordinator and translator while Jacob, a former consulate guard, serves as our security. Though I've yet to feel any discomfort in Kalwa, Jacob's broad shouldered frame serves as a comfort that, should a situation arise, he's got our backs.

After a big hug for Haley and a few minutes of silly gossip, we split into our teams to head to our respective classrooms. David, our other translator and security joins my team, while Haley and Jacob head off with Elana's. David is a jokester best compared to the naughty kid on the playground who likes to see how many people he can provoke before someone scolds him. According to him, I look like a Bollywood superstar Bipasha Basu, Bips for short. David also thinks of himself as a Bollywood star and even introduces himself to people as the famous Salman Khan...he's ridiculous, but the kids love him, and admittedly, when he starts busting out dance moves, it's pretty epic.

A ten minute walk with David along a busy dirt road leads us to what should be a walking path but also serves as a garbage dump, open air restroom, makeshift playground for the local children and game park filled with donkeys, wild pigs, goats, cows, chickens and hungry dogs. As we walk, the girls and I hash out the final details of our lesson plan, dodge fresh fecal matter - human and animal - turn our heads away from men dropping their drawers mere feet from us - though as soon as I turn away from one, my eyes happen upon another - and stop every few feet to shake hands with local children who have peeked in our classrooms and know we are the teachers.

As we head deeper into the slum, we pass naked children playing in garbage, sari'd women carrying baskets of food on their heads (often with a baby also in their arms), young men who, in the absence of owning workhorses or oxen, pull and push heavy loads on makeshift carts - manual labor in its purest form - and well groomed men in nice collared shirts and pressed pants heading to work for the day...You see, poverty is subjective, and the people who live in the slums include many hardworking individuals with real jobs, limited by their salaries, not their ambition.

When we walk past a shopkeeper I've dubbed "Buddha" (for his meditative posture and oversized belly) and the cluster of hormone driven teenage boys who linger just past his stand, I know we are almost there. One last turn past a group of kids sorting plastics brings us to our classroom, a metal shack only distinct from the surrounding slum homes because of the large number of beat up children’s shoes resting outside the classroom door. I slip off my sandals and add them to the pile.

Our "classroom" is actually the one room home of one of my students, Suresh. Education is a priority to his parents, so each day they open their home as a pop up classroom to provide a learning space for Suresh and thirty plus children from the neighboring homes. Think about the trust, commitment and love for community they must have to do that...to everyday vacate their home with all their worldly possessions, invite in a teacher and enough students to fill every open space on the floor and just have faith that their home won't be a wreck when they return. The depth of my admiration and respect for this young couple is beyond words...
My students span in age from four to thirteen and have a range of ability levels. Each student in this little room has all the potential in the world, but here in Kalwa, survival takes precedence to potential. If a student's family is out of water, the child isn't coming to school, he's spending the day carrying buckets of water to his home. If a younger sibling needs to be cared for and mommy and daddy are out hustling, the baby needs watching... Essentially, when push comes to shove, if the foundations of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs aren't being met, education takes a backseat, and in the slums, many kids are losing out on critical learning years.

To counter this, the project I am here with incentivized families to send their children to school by offering students who attend class with a nutritious meal. Not only does food motivate students to learn, it creates new jobs and revenue for the community, from which eighteen women were hired and given a kitchen where they prepare the meals for the kids - now, these women are becoming entrepreneurs, cooking for the students by day, and running a catering business by night. Once a week I join these women in their kitchen before class and they allow me a glimpse into the effort put forth to prepare daily meals for over six hundred children in a rustic slum kitchen - between the heat from their primitive burners and the lack of prep space, what they accomplish is a miracle!

These meals help draw the brightest of personalities into my room...kids who are not only hungry for food, but anything I can teach. Sure, there are still the 'naughty kids' and teacher's pet types of every classroom, but here, it's not each kid for his/her self...every child wants every other child to succeed...and that's pretty special.

Laxmi, Manita, Suresh, Pawan, Krishna, Srinivas (Babu), Arif, Muskan, Preeti, Rahul...the kids are as unique as their names. Each morning as I slip my shoes off outside the classroom door, I listen to them finish up their morning national anthem, excitedly eying me and speeding up the words as they register my presence, just so the second they are done they can jump to attention to greet me with a spirited chorus of, "Good morning Teacher!" It gets me smiling every time :-)

Once the kids settle back onto their mats on the floor - no seats or desks in here - it's time to begin. The lessons range in topic, but we try to make mini units each week that build on a certain concept, skill or idea: Telling Time, Verbalizing Feelings, Inventions and Creative Thinking, The Experimental Process... anything to break these kids away from their daily lessons in rote memorization. Something like creative thinking may sound abstract, but for a kid who has previously been taught every lesson with,"mire peeche bolo" (Hindi, for: "Repeat after me"), skills like learning to find the answers in oneself, think outside the box and dare to be wrong are hard to come by. When children are taught to learn by repetition only, they come to believe that there is only one right answer for everything...when they are actually challenged to think for themselves, the answers are suddenly endless - and that's not something that can be taught in one day - it's like rewiring a robot - until eventually, something clicks into place.

Over the past two months, I've had the pleasure of watching some of these transformations begin...there's a light that comes on in kids' eyes and I can see the wheels churning in their minds as they create answers, rather than spit back something they were told. It's true that there are also days when the kids don't get something - with language and culture barriers, such moments are inevitable - but those days push me to become a better teacher, to figure out where the lack of understanding begins and what needs to be said or done to take a kid from confusion to clarity. Sometimes, I can figure out the issue in the moment and find a new way to teach the material, other times the girls and I spend the walk between our first class and second class reflecting on what went wrong. The thing is, teaching isn't about doing the lesson on the agenda, it's about doing a lesson that actually results in learning, and these bumps in the road have forced me to become a teacher capable of adapting to the situation at hand.

The day isn't done with my first class though, and as soon as I've slipped my sandals on, it's back to the walkway to head to my next group of kids. Along the ten minute route I pass another cast of characters...The old lady who stands in her doorway watching the world as she brushes her teeth...with her finger; the sugarcane man prepping his stalks for juicing; the 'wall kids' behind him who use a broken wall as their personal jungle gym and always pause to shout, "Teacher! Teacher!" ; Fat, hairy pigs bathing in garbage, feces and mud; Mothers washing their screaming children with a cloth and pail of cold water; Boys playing cricket in a field of garbage...the list goes on and on. Here, my second group of students live along the railroad tracks, and as I follow the path to the shack that is my classroom, my eyes dance from person to person going about their routines....this is life for them.

When I reach my class, my favorite student steps out the room to greet me - and yes, teachers have favorites! Manish (see above) is special, a born leader. One of the oldest in my class, I dream for Manish because here is a kid who, with the right mentorship, could take on the world; but, I also fear for Manish, because when he gets too old for this classroom, what will happen to him? It kills me to think that this kid who emanates, even radiates, potential, will lose the light within him because of the circumstances into which he was born, robbed of the opportunity to thrive out of a need to survive. This is the injustice of the slums.

Forty other children also await me inside that small classroom, and each of them has something incredibly special to offer the world as well. These children emit an energy like a magnetic force that pulls me into the classroom. "Teacher! Teacher! "Good morning Debbie Teacher!" "Teacher, me!" Their hunger to learn is palpable.

Never in my life have I felt such joy in arriving to 'work,' which begs the question: What makes this experience different from all others? It's not that I haven't loved my past jobs (or at least aspects of them)- in fact, I miss my students from Charlotte everyday, and rarely does a time pass when I'm not reminded of a beloved patient in Miami - but here, not a day goes by that I don't feel I get back as much - if not more - as I'm giving...and because these children with so little to give fill my heart with so much, everyday I am challenged to push myself to give everything I can, not because I have to, but because I want to. For that reason, teaching in the slums is not hard work, but heart work. Sure, lesson planning takes time, teaching takes energy and a non-air conditioned classroom can leave anyone drained, but from the moment I enter the room to a chorus of "Good morning teacher!" to the last hug and handshake I get walking out the door, my heart is full, and there's no paycheck that can give the same feeling.

Prior to embarking on this journey, I had moments of fear that, somehow, by giving up my apartment, my job, my car, time with friends and family and all my possessions except what fits in my backpack, I might miss out on "real life;" that in pursuing this idealistic whim of mine, I'd somehow lose out on a crucial year in my life - lord knows my mother would love me to meet a nice Jewish boy, get a ring and pop out a grandchild, and how does that happen when bouncing to a new country every few months!?-...But instead, this year has shown me what 'real life' is in its purest and most beautiful form, and I find myself with the fullest heart and happier than I've ever been.

Each day, I come to Kalwa, supposedly the teacher, bearing lesson plans, hopes, dreams and wishes for the children I teach, but what that will ultimately get my students, I'm not sure... On the other hand, unknowingly, Kalwa and it's beautiful cast of characters have become my teachers, showing me what selflessness looks like, leadership in the face of adversity, ingenuity in spite of resources and above all, contentedness for what one has, not what one doesn't. These lessons will leave Kalwa with me - irrespective of the room in my backpack- allowing me to experience the world going forward through a new and brighter lens. Though I can't put Manish or any of my other students on a fast track path to a life beyond the slums, I'll leave them knowing the impact a fresh pair of lenses is having on my life, and hope that maybe, just maybe, something I said or did throughout my time in the slums will allow them to see the world differently going forward as well...even if that is simply the ability to think beyond the idea of only one 'right answer.'

"The rest," as it's said, "is still unwritten..."

Taking a break from teaching

It reminded me of the scene in “The Life of Brian” when preachers standing in the town square attempted to convince passersby about their ideologies.  Okay, so this was no town square two thousand years ago, the preachers were not fanatical men with long white beards and this was definitely not downtown ancient Jerusalem. These “preachers” were five young women, volunteers and staff of our program, standing in the garbage strewn field in the middle  of a Mumbai slum. And although the scene was a little unorthodox, their message was anything but amusing: they were trying to convince children to come to class instead of being involved in child labor.

The event was an impromptu and heartfelt attempt to address the heart of the problems that children face in the slums of Mumbai. Day after day, GPM staff and volunteers walk through the slums on their way to teach informal education to the children in the slums who attend school at REAP. On their journeys, they invariably pass by hundreds of children outside of class. And many of them, sadly, are working. Even children as young as four or five years old can be seen sifting through garbage for discarded “merchandise” – pieces of plastic or metal that someone might buy for a few rupees. (Anyone who has read Behind the Beautiful Forevers is familiar with this tragedy.) Last week, during a one-hour break between the classes they taught, volunteers and staff decided that they wanted to do something about this: they took it upon themselves to spend the break to try and persuade these children to join the classes and receive an education. They marched out into the center of the slums during the heat of the day and began their real hard work of convincing children to go to school.

Leya, Rose, Bassie and Debra talking with the children in the slums

The women approached children, the ones sifting through garbage, and told them that by going to school they would receive a hot nutritious meal every day. The woman approached children who were working as rag pickers and sewage cleaners, and stressed how valuable a good education was for their futures. They approached children who were sitting down on the street, and emphasized how much fun they would have in class.

Dozens of children listened and joked with the GPM staff and volunteers, but the work was not easy. The women had some doubts. Can they really convince children involved in child labor who bring a few cents a month to their starving families to sacrifice all that for the long term ideal of an education? Can they convince a group of kids that society has continuously designated as beyond hope that they indeed do have a chance at a brighter future? Was this one hour dedicated to recruiting children in the slums to come to school just an act of futility? These were some of the questions asked by staff members and volunteers later in the day.

After the weekend staff and volunteers returned to teaching. They were told that four new students enrolled over the weekend.

One hour, four futures… 

asking questions about school

Welcome to class

275,000 reasons to say Thank You for an amazing 2014!

As 2014 comes to an end, I would like to personally thank you for being such a great supporter of our work. Thanks to you, we at Gabriel Project Mumbai (GPM) have been able to achieve some absolutely incredible things, making a real difference in the lives of ONE THOUSAND children in the slums of Mumbai, and help change the trajectory of their lives.

Thanks to you, we were able to deliver 275,000 hot, nutritious, fresh meals to children in schools as part of

our special “Eat to Learn” program. Yes, that’s right. We delivered 275,000 meals to children in schools, made fresh every day by the REAP women’s cooperative with the support of GPM volunteers, meals specifically suited to the nutritional, developmental and educational needs of the children, ages 3-14. That’s a lot of meals. When the children receive hot meals in school, they go to learn instead of going to work. We are so proud of this accomplishment, and we could not have done it without you.

Here are a few more snapshots of our work in 2014:

•    1,000 children. That’s how many children received hot, nutritious meals in school thanks to the GPM “Eat to Learn” program. Read more about it here.

•     140 women. That’s how many women in the food cooperative now have a growing business and increasing economic stability, enabling them to support their families and strengthen the slum community. Read more about it here.

•     50 international volunteers. That’s how many young Jewish adults from around the world participated in the GPM-JDC-Entwine program in the slums in 2014 – over 100 altogether to date. Read more about it here.

•     20 Indian Jewish interns. That’s how many young Jewish adults from Mumbai worked with GPM in the slums. Read more about it here.

•    50% attendance increase. That’s how the “Eat to Learn” program affected children’s ability to come to school instead of going to work. As Bill Clinton said, when there is hot food in school, children learn to read. Read more about it here.

•     825,000 learning hours. That’s how many hours of learning took place because children are attending school at higher rates.

•     600 volunteer hours. That’s how many hours GPM volunteers added to the children’s learning program at the classes of our partner organization REAP, delivering informal classes in subjects such as English, Math, Science, Geography and Hygiene. Read more about it here.

•     1,000 sets of clean teeth. The GPM H.E.A.L. Hygiene Program that was launched in 2014 – a volunteer-led innovation and initiative – ensured that 1000 children received toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, and lessons in health and oral hygiene. Read more about it here.

•    4,000 pieces of fruit. That’s how many fruits GPM now delivers each month to the children in school, thanks to a special Fruit for Kids campaign, supported by the Good People Fund. The nutrients and health benefits of fruit are invaluable.  Read more about it here.

We could not have done all this without you! THANK YOU!

As 2014 comes to a close and you plan your end-of-year giving, please think of GPM. We are counting on your support to continue to do our vital work.

One thousand children and 140 women in the slums of Mumbai are counting on your support.

THANK YOU and best wishes for a wonderful and fruitful 2015

Best,
Jacob Sztokman
Founding Director
Gabriel Project Mumbai

'Fruit for Kids' launched for the children in the Mumbai slums

Bananas ready for delivery to the children

Gabriel Project Mumbai (GPM) is excited to have started providing a weekly diet of fruit to 1000 children learning in school and part of the GPM Nutrition Program in the slums of Mumbai.  Since 2012, GPM has been providing daily hot nutritious meals to vulnerable children in the Mumbai slums which gives basic tools for good health, cognition and development, and is enabling children to stay in school. GPM’s 'Fruit for Kids' campaign  provides a comprehensive nutritional impact, ensuring that the children receive all the nutrients that their beautiful growing bodies need and deserve.

GPM would like to thank the Good People Fund for allocating a matching grant for “Fruit for Kids” campaign, our friends at Modern Trousseau for their generous gift to the program, the support of our grassroots partner REAP and to the many friends and volunteer alumni of GPM who pitched in to make the

Going bananas!

'Fruit for Kids' campaign a reality for the children living in the slums.

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Here are three great reasons why children need fruit:

• Fresh fiber. Fruit is an important source of fiber, which improves digestion while decreasing the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
• Vitamins and minerals. Fruit is vital for potassium, which helps keep children's blood pressure balanced; for vitamin C, which boosts immune systems and helps prevent infection; and vitamin A for healthy eyes and folate for normal DNA production. The vitamins and minerals in fruit  also keep children's kidneys working normally, which decreases his risk of kidney stones, and helps build bone mass. Fruit also reduces the risk of certain types of cancer such as throat, esophageal and stomach. 
• Cognitive development. Fruit improves brain development, and research shows that a diet rich in fruit actually results in higher test scores. A healthy diet that includes fruit can also increase children's focus in the classroom.

  

  Oranges-a great source of vitamin C!

  
  

  

  Lots of organges

Handing out bananas

GPM Educational Director, Hayley, attempting to deliver fruit on her head...

Slum Senses: Experiences working with some grade 'A' cuties in the slums of Mumbai

Elana Winchester is a GPM-Entwine Spring 2014 Fellow. Nearing the end of her last full week working in the slums, she shares some thoughts on her experiences working with 'some grade A cuties.'

Rickshaw. Garbage. Goat. Pig. Garbage. Another pig. Banana stand. Children. Donkey. Little boy's butt. Garbage. Dog. Huge pig. Another butt! Donkey. Garbage. Garbage. Pig in garbage.

Nothing gives you a morning wake up, and makes sure your five senses are in check, quite like the walk

Seen on walk from train to slums

from the Kalwa train station into the slums. The smell and taste of burning garbage, the sight of children running around half-naked and barefoot, the sound of pigs squealing and the feeling of rocky, trash laden pathways beneath your feet are enough to make you feel shocked, overwhelmed and extremely fortunate for what you have.

But as India has proven time and time again, this country is one of contrasts.

Past the garbage, poverty and chaos, are a second set of senses more striking than the first. The smell and taste of the nutritious food we help cook and deliver to the classrooms, the sight of children with the biggest, whitest smiles, the sound of "good morning, teacher!" every time I enter the classroom and the feeling of being bombarded by children asking for high fives and handshakes. "Amjad, just ek (one) high five this time, okay?" It's never just ek.

Marketing Manager, Social Media Coordinator and Hillel Board Member are a few of the hats I've worn over the past few years. In October, as part of The Gabriel Project Mumbai, I was privileged to add one more to my repertoire. To 60 children, 5 days a week, I am known as "Elana Teacher". the English speaking white girl who came all the way to India via airplane (a machine these kids are fascinated by) to teach, sing and play games with them.

As the children learn math and reading during their regularly scheduled classes, our job is to provide lessons on informal education, touching on topics they are rarely exposed to, such as art, music, science and

Elana Teacher

geography. The freedom to teach these children whatever we want gives us an immense amount of power. But it also comes with a host of challenges and responsibilities...What if we teach them something that will go over their heads? WHAT will go over their heads? What would they appreciate? What do they already know? What don't they know? How can we teach and build connections if we don't speak Hindi? Are we actually making an impact on their lives?

There was no guide book that could give us the answers to these questions so we relied on the old fashioned trial and error method. And with the help of our translators, David and Haley, we have been able to communicate with our students and put together some amazing lessons that we feel are truly making a difference. And even with the frustrating language barrier, my experience in the slums has reinforced the notion that relationships have the ability to transcend verbal communication. I've made best friends out of Sunil and Poonam just by putting my foot in their laps every day and leaving it there as they giggle and try to push it away. They think it's hilarious, but guys...it's gross. These feet have been in dark, terrible places.

Because our classrooms have students ranging from ages 4 to 12, it's hard to organize lessons that won't be too challenging for the littluns while not being too simple for the older kids. And through our scientifically tested trial and error method, we seem to have found a decent balance through the combination of educational information, games, children's songs and experiments.

During the first week of class, we focused on teaching the kids about emotions, showing them that they can express themselves beyond being just "happy" or "sad." The kids took turns sharing what makes them scared, excited, embarrassed, surprised, angry, etc. and it was interesting to hear their responses. (An upsetting number of students said "I am scared/angry when my father beats me.")

Put your hands in the ayer

My favorite lesson thus far has been teaching the kids about inventions and inspiring the kids to think creatively and out of the box. We introduced the invention of the airplane (which the kids loved), telephone, stethoscope, bicycle, etc. and we challenged the kids to create inventions of their own. We had creative workshops in which we gave the kids an object and told them to pretend it was something it was not. (This pen is a microphone! This pen is a rocket! This pen is a snake!) From this week, it was very clear to us that these kids are rarely pushed to think creatively. Fingers crossed that our lesson lit some sort of creative spark in those cute little heads of theirs.

For our science week, we taught the kids about static electricity, energy, and why some things sink while others float. We brought in a bucket of water and a bunch of objects, challenging the kids to guess whether the objects would float/upar or sink/niche. It was such a fun lesson and, when I saw how engaged and excited the kids were, I was even more proud to be part of this project.

The kids freak out over duck, duck, goose, powerpoint presentations, coloring, music and limbo - such simple things that we take for granted. And even while sitting in a hot, dark, 10x10 classroom, their eagerness to learn is palpable and I am floored by how well behaved and appreciative they are.

But some students are not so lucky. About one month into the program, one of my students, Anand, stopped coming to class. It wasn't until I bumped into him carrying two jugs of water in the alleyways of the slums that I learned he had stopped attending because it was his responsibility to make sure his house had water. Since when do kids take on adult responsibilities? Since when do small children take care of their, even smaller, siblings? This is the reality within the slums and it's really hard to grasp.

Despite the differences between the reality of the slums and the reality which I am familiar with, it's important to note that life within the slums is not sad. In fact, it's the opposite - people seem really happy. Children play, women gossip and goats frolic, just like in the rest of India. It just takes a bit of effort, and a different perspective, to notice that life within the slums is not defined by its garbage, chaos and poverty.

Before coming to India, my knowledge of the slums (and India, in general) was limited to that which I learned from the film, Slumdog Millionaire (which taught me about rupees, the train system, and chai wallahs - success!). But most kids don't have Jamal Malik's luck and will never transition from slumdog to millionaire and live happily ever after with a choreographed Jai Ho dance sequence. While it's extremely difficult for a slumdog to make his or her way out of the slums, my hope is that, through the Gabriel Project Mumbai, we are inspiring children to explore the world around them, ask questions and ultimately fulfill their dreams.

Elana Teacher in the class

GPM's Fruit campaign: 'Banana Day!'

The high five master himself, Amjad

My precious little Poonam

That time when Thanksgiving came to the slums of Mumbai

This week for the first time in their lives, the children in the slums of Mumbai learned what a turkey is.
GPM volunteers and staff introduced the children to the American holiday of Thanksgiving, offering a special lesson comparing it to the recent Indian festival of Dawali. The classes discussed the histories that formed each holiday – gratitude for bounty among the Americans and gratitude for light over darkness for the Indians – and then explored some of the traditions of each. When the teachers explained that Americans have the custom of eating turkey on Thanksgiving, the children were perplexed. “What is a turkey?” they asked.
“Well,” GPM Haley Dsouza Educational Director said, “it’s like a very big chicken.” The children were amazed. “Think of it like four or five chickens stuck together,” she added, and the children burst out in
laughter.

The lesson was part of the informal education program that GPM brings to children studying in the REAP schools in the slums of Mumbai. GPM volunteers teach the children, ages 4-14, subjects such as astronomy, geography, hygiene, English, and more. In a program on life-skills, the volunteers have recently taught classes on a variety of topics such as inventions, body language, and telling time. “We learned about inventions like old telephones, telescopes, and The Wright Brothers,” Haley said. The children also play games and learn songs, which help them with English language acquisition.

 “The children learn so much from the volunteers,” Haley said. “So do I,” she added with a smile.

Cleaning up the Jewish Cemetery in Mumbai-connection with the past; commitment to the future

Working together to clean the cemetery

The Jewish Cemetery of the Worli Bene Israel Jewish Community in Mumbai received some unexpected visitors last week: The volunteers of Gabriel Project Mumbai (GMP).

Several dozen volunteers, including GPM-JDC Entwine international volunteers, representatives of the Indian Jewish Youth Pioneers (JYP) and members of the local Jewish community spent the morning last Sunday cleaning up the Jewish cemetery. Braving the mid-morning Mumbai heat, they spent hours clearing away vegetation, garbage and rubble from the centuries’ old Jewish cemetery that is in disrepair.

A group picture of the international and local volunteers

The activity was coordinated by Herzel Simon head of The Jewish Cemeteries Trust, India, Salome Abraham of JDC India and Sigalith Isaac Kurulkar of GPM. 

“It was so moving to see Jewish Peoplehood in action - different generations of Indian Jews, international Jews and others join hands in respecting and honoring our ancestors,” said Sigalith Isaac Kurulkar.  

Clearing away debris

“Indian Jews are a religious minority of India and one of the first foreign religions to have arrived here. The Bene Israel are a historic community of Jews in India who have migrated from villages in the Konkan area, where they lived for two thousand years,  to the nearby cities like Mumbai. In Mumbai, their history dates back to the 18th century when the first member of the Bene Israel community arrived,” Mr. Simon explained.  A cemetery for Bene Israelis is on E Moses Road with the first grave dating back to 1927. The cemetery has graves of several famous Jews including Bollywood choreographer Herman Ezra Kolarkar, Dr. E Moses the ex. Mayor of Mumbai, architect Simon Reuben of the Jehangir Art Gallery, film historian Bunny Reuben and Judah Reuben Nowgaonkar, the first umpire of a Test match between India and England,  amongst others. Till date 6555 burials have taken place at this cemetery.”

Removing weeds covering the graves

This was the first time the community has come together and physically helped clean the cemetery! 

The cemetery was in disrepair, with garbage seeping in, broken walkways, old drainage lines, and more. The volunteers helped with cleaning weeds from around and on the graves, on the pathways and the fence. The Jewish Cemeteries Trust previously repaired one wall, and added a grill to stop the garbage, tiled the walkways, added three water tanks, drainage line, and more. 

Half of the cost of the cemetery clean-up was covered by donations from a cemetery fundraiser that took place in August this year, and the rest came from the cemetery reserve fund. “We now need to raise money to cover the upkeep of the cemetery,” Mr. Simon added. 

JDC fellow Kimberly, leading a session after the clean-up

Following the clean-up, JDC Fellow Kimberly  conducted a though-provoking session on the meaning of working in the cemetery, responsibility to the past and how it effects our future. 

To make an online donation to the repair and restoration of this and other Jewish cemeteries in India via The Jewish Cemeteries Trust, India, please press HERE, 

TAKUM classes on Jewish social justice for GPM volunteers

GPM has introduced an exciting new learning component to the volunteer program in collaboration with the internationally renowned Jewish social justice organization TAKUM. Teachers from TAKUM, the learning center founded by Rabbi Levi Lauer and the ATZUM organization, dedicated to bringing classic and contemporary Jewish texts to the grounds of social activism and social activism to the beit midrash, have begun a course that explores social justice in biblical and classic hassidic texts. The GPM volunteers are studying a wide range of Jewish texts with world-renowned Jewish teachers of TAKUM who communicate from around the world via group Skype sessions. This cohort of volunteers is the first GPM group to benefit from the new collaboration with Takum.

GPM volunteers discussing Jewish aspects of social justice -- "tikkun olam" -- following a TAKUM class.

"The speaker tonight was wonderful!" wrote GPM volunteer Leyla Sandler following the first class. "I really enjoyed him, the way he presented, and his motivations. He was quite inspirational". 

“It was truly inspiring to teach the GPM volunteers, who brought extraordinary depth of thought to our session", remarked Rabbi Levi Lauer after one class. "Their engagement with the texts learned brought Mumbai and Yerushalayim far closer than one would imagine Skype might bridge. It was a privilege to be even smallest part of their work moving Torah to the streets of urgent human need.”

"The rabbi was incredibly insightful and reflective," added GPM volunteer Debra Feinberg. "I'm looking forward to learning with him again." 

GPM comes to Limmud India

GPM founding director Jacob Sztokman gave a riveting talk at the second annual Limmud India. His talk, which focused on social activism with vulnerable populations as a core Jewish value, generated lively discussions among participants. GPM volunteers attended the Jewish conference – a model of Jewish learning that takes place in dozens of communities around the world – and particularly enjoyed classes such as Indian Jewish history, explorations in community-development, insights from the deputy Israeli ambassador to India, Jewish yoga, and even Israeli belly dancing.


"Who would have ever thought that of all places in the world, India would be the place where I most get in touch with my Jewish identity!" said GPM volunteer Debra Feinberg. "Life is full of surprises."

Some GPM fellows with newly made friends at Limmud India

Nissim Pingle, head of the JCC Mumbai makes the opening remarks

Shayna Penkar, an award wining belly-dancer teaches the group to move at Limmud India 2014

Relaxing between sessions at Limmud

Jacob Sztokman talking about Tikkun Olam

Indian yoga with a Jewish flavor at Limmud India

Sharon Galsulkar teaching about what does it mean to be the chosen people?