Welcome four amazing GPM-JDC Entwine Global Jewish Service Corps fellows!

Gabriel Project Mumbai is excited to welcome four amazing GPM-JDC Entwine Global Jewish Service Corps fellows for GPM’s 12th session! GPM would like to give a hearty welcome to Tanya, Ethan, Ben and Emily who are spending the next two months providing literacy, nutrition and hygiene support to many hundreds of children in the slums of India.  The international participants join local Indian Jewish volunteers who are also working with vulnerable cildren in the slums of Mumbai.

This is a ‘first’ for GPM in that this cohort is gender equal (all our past sessions had more female than male participants). Like many of the over 100 alumni of Gabriel Project Mumbai, Tanya, Ethan, Ben and Emily come to GPM with varied and interesting life skills and training. What they do have in common is a passion for international development, working with the vulnerable in society, giving back to their own communities and devoting their lives to the better good.

Here is a glimpse into the participants of the current GPM-JDC Entwine volunteer session:

Tanya Barth
Tanya was born and raised in London. She participated in Shnat Netzer, a Gap Year program in Israel and went on to earn a degree in Middle Eastern Studies at Manchester University. Following graduation, she began working for a national charity called Mitzvah Day, coordinating social action projects for offices, schools and universities.

Tanya has been hugely involved in the youth movement RSY Netzer and was a group leader for one of their summer Israel Tours. For the past six years, she has been involved in running children’s summer camp, with the exception of one summer where she volunteered in Ghana with the organization ‘Tzedek.’ For the past year, Tanya has been involved in setting up a Social Justice themed Jewish Learning course called Takum Progressivi in London. She is passionate about Social Justice, exploring the world and spending time with friends.

Ethan Litvin
Ethan Litvin is a graduate of Randolph-Macon College and holds a B.A. in Psychology. After giving a presentation to one of his college classes about Anti-Semitism, Ethan was inspired to establish his own Jewish community at his small liberal arts college and founded the university’s Hillel. Since then, he has served as a Hillel Director at Virginia Commonwealth University, Assistant Director of Youth and Family services at the Weinstein JCC in Richmond VA, as well as a MASA Israel participant where he recently spent 6 months working, studying Hebrew, and volunteering in Israeli society.

Ethan has been very active in Young Adult Leadership at the Jewish Federation of Greater Richmond, as well as Relay for Life. Ethan hopes that his passion for non-profit management and Jewish communal work, will lead him to a bright future in helping to strengthen Jewish communities around the world.

Emily Weinstein

Emily is a Fordham University graduate with degrees in Anthropology, International Humanitarian Affairs and Visual Arts. For many years, Emily has worked in the sectors of humanitarian assistance, human rights protection and socioeconomic development in countries such as Ghana, Nicaragua and the United States. In Ghana, Emily facilitated an intestacy outreach program, implemented human rights clubs in local high schools and assisted the development of an English-assessment curriculum for child trafficking rescues.

Emily has also worked to develop programs at leading New York City based nonprofits dedicated to promoting international dialogue and education. This includes utilizing an art advocacy campaign promoting solidarity with survivors of the conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia, as well as managing several projects dedicated to furthering the transformation of Ethiopia. Most recently, Emily worked as a consultant for a renowned humanitarian training institution.

Ben Scheiner

Originally from Boca Raton Florida, and now living in New York City, Ben Scheiner, graduated from Yeshiva University this past September with a BA in Philosophy and Political Science. Since then, Ben has worked at the Rapaport Diamond Auction and as a marketing intern for the off Broadway musical "Soul Doctor". 

In 2012, Ben traveled with JDC Entwine to Kharkov, Ukraine to connect with and volunteer in the local Jewish community. He also spent two summers in Dimona, Israel creating and facilitating summer camps for vulnerable and at-risk youth in Israel. Ben enjoys comedy and music in all forms and is an aspiring hiking and fitness buff during his free time. He is still determining his long term career goals and believes exploration will bring some answers

A project of love in Tamil Nadu - The Jared Scott Miller Library

GPM is honored to be involved and assist in the creation of the The Jared Scott Miller Library - a project of love in living memory of Jared Scott Miller, while providing a central educational resource for children of all ages and their families living in the villages of Tamil Nadu, India.

When Cheryl and Paul Miller of Cleveland, Ohio were considering ways to honor their son Jared, who tragically died in 2013 at age of 34, they knew that the project must involve helping the children in Tamil

Nadu, India. Jared loved the Tamil language, he loved books, and he loved working with children of all ages. Jared’s parents, with the help of Gabriel Project Mumbai and the special people at the New Colors Children Educational Center in Tamil Nadu, brought Jared’s interests and loves together in establishing a new children’s library. The Jared Scott Miller Library, stocked with Tamil and English language books was opened in August 2014 on the New Color campus in Edayanchavady (population 5,000+), a local village in Auroville, Tamil Nadu, India. Currently, this is a very small intermediate library with major plans to build a permanent structure in the very near future so more children in the surrounding villages will be able to enjoy the library. People from all walks of life are helping the Millers fulfill their dream to build this library. Members of their synagogue, family and friends, Tamil expats living in Ohio and even strangers, all  are contributing to this wonderful educational project. The Jared Scott Miller Library, when built, will be a dominant and vibrant educational center for thousands of children - a wonderful tribute to Jared.

Read more about the project and Paul & Cheryl Miller’s moving testimony of their son, Jared’s life HERE

To donate to the library, click HERE.

New GPM-JDC Indian Jewish internship cohort with a twist!

GPM welcomes the new cohort of six GPM-JDC Indian Jewish interns – with a twist. Three of the interns are from the Jewish Youth Pioneers, ages 18-23, just like all the past Jewish Indian interns. However, the other three volunteers are from an unexpected demographic: adult, mid-career , over the age of 40, Indian Jewish women  who have all developed a passion and burning interest in changing direction in the lives by helping children in the slums in various ways. The GPM-JDC internship gives them that opportunity and aims to support them in every way possible.

And there is one more unprecedented aspect of this cohort: One of the women is doing the internship with her son.  Annie Jacob, who has had a successful career as an HR professional and is active in the Jewish community, is now an intern along with her 20-year-old son, Ronel Jacob. “This is a great opportunity for us to give back to society,” Ms. Jacob said.

The cohort, which also includes Seema Dhokarkar, Shulamith Ashton, Meir Killekar, and Ivan Kasookar, began their internship in the beginning of January. In the context of the three-month internship, the interns dedicate 10-15 hours per week providing educational support to the children in the slums via informal education, hygiene programs, fun days, outings to museums, and more.

This week, for example, the interns took 31 children from the Suman Nagar slum to the Nehru Science Center to study the human body. The learned about healthy habits and hygiene, watched a movie, conducted experiments, all in a fun and educational atmosphere. The previous week, the topic of the week was courtesy and manners. The interns took 30 children from the slum to a public park in Hiranandani Gardens, Powai, where they conducted activities and games in nature teaching social skills and culture. 

Nikita Worlikar, a former intern who was so enthralled by the program that has taken on the volunteer role of internship coordinator, is thrilled about the new cohort. “This is an incredible group of people,” she said, “who bring a wealth of life experience and perspective to the important work that we’re doing. I’m so happy to have everyone on board.”

Interview with Leya Elias, new co-Program Coordinator at Gabriel Project Mumbai

Leya Elias, the new co-Program Coordinator at Gabriel Project Mumbai (GPM) has achieved some

remarkable accomplishments – and she is only 23 years old. She brings not only a Master’s Degree in Public Relations and Corporate Communication, professional experience in the world of PR, fluency in four languages, and a host of different volunteer experiences around India, but also a warm eloquence and deep sense of care and commitment for the children of India. We spoke to her about her ideas coming into this new job.

Welcome to GPM! How is it going so far?

I’m having lots and lots of fun at GPM! While getting aquinted with our work at GPM, I’m spending my days teaching the kids not only in the Kalwa slum but elsewhere in Mumbai as well. I sit with the children every day. I work with them as classroom support, as an intern. We conduct sessions so that everyone gets a chance to interact one-on-one.  They are excited, and very eager to learn. Whatever we teach them, they absorb very quickly. It’s such a great experience, and I’m very happy to be doing something really productive with them and they are enjoying it.

Yesterday, for example, we went to a science museum, learning about the human body. There was a working model of a body that they could touch and feel. They were very engaged, and they also knew a lot about the topic, and were eager to share with us what they already knew. They were very impressive and it was a lot of fun. They ask lots of questions, and are very active and enthusiastic. When I was in school, I never asked questions, I just listened and took notes. This is a much more quality education that they can be alive and active and engaged It’s a great experience.

What is the best part of this experience with the children?

It’s great to see how much the children gain from being with the volunteers. In Kalwa, where we go daily, children want to come to class just to be with the volunteers. They get pretty excited when volunteers say, ‘I’m from England’ or ‘I’m from Australia’. They ask tons of questions, like, ‘What holidays do you have?’ or ‘What foods do you eat?’. They gain so much from these interactions. By the end of the volunteer period, the children are begging the volunteers to come back.

It’s actually amazing that they connect so deeply despite the language barrier. There are people from different part of the country, so we talk in Hindi and some Maharashtra. I speak Marathi, Hindi, English, Malayalam, and now Hebrew.

The children develop a huge emotional connection with the volunteers that helps motivate them to want to learn and grow and engage with the world. It’s not just the food that GPM gives, or the information that we transmit. It’s the emotional connection that they need in their lives. That’s what a lot of the kids come back to school for.  The volunteers give them a lot of attention and care, which is a great thing. The volunteers are very calm and loving. They are all so happy to see smiling faces. Every day, we go for the smiles. 

Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from?

I am 23 years old. I was born in Kerala, in Cochin. I did my undergrad studies there, but for my master’s degree in Public Relations and Corporate Communications, I came to Mumbai. I was working for year in PR. I did the GPM internship that year, and I was introduced to what GPM does and this job came along and I was just thrilled. I used to volunteer in another organization teaching English to children twice a week. I wanted to do something that – like my father always tells me – shares a little bit of information with the children and makes a big difference in their lives.  That’s what I’m doing and I couldn’t be happier. Now I’m a full-time here, which is like a big blessing for me and I feel really proud.

What is your long-term vision for the kids?

I want to see more and more kids to go to school, have an education that will help them I the future, that will help them live a better life, to give them a better understanding of the world. Education is such an important part of life, and will make a difference for them.

What are some of the challenges?

They need the push from their parents. But sometimes the parents are stuck in survival mode and think that school a waste of time, they should just get a job. But there is so much more to the education than just learning. It’s also hygiene and social issues

It’s especially hard for the daughters because parents often think that girls’ education is a waste of time. That’s a big mistake. In Mumbai, you can see a lot of girls working on the street or not going to school, and that’s really a problem. Girls can impact the entire society. There’s a Chinese saying, “When you teach something to a woman, you teach the whole family, the whole society.” It’s so important for girls to stay in school. I want to see more girls coming to school.  

What’s the Jewish community in Mumbai like?

I was born in a Jewish family – my mother is from Mumbai and my father is from Kerala (Cochin). There are very few Jews left in Cochin – only 29 left, most over the age of 50, and nobody to marry. When my father was ready to get married, he went to Mumbai to learn Mechanical Draftsmanship in ORT. He met my mother who was about to go to Israel, but then he proposed to her and they decided to get married and stay in India. My mother moved to Kerala. The Cochin Jewish community is very small, and is in a very bad state. The past two years it’s been hard to get a minyan for the festivals, so we bring in a rabbi and get some foreigners to get a minyan. In Mumbai it’s different – there are 4,500 Jews here and lots of synagogues and activities. But still, it could get to have problems like Cochin because people are moving away from the religion. The JCC and JDC in India are working really hard for the community with events and activities and bringing the Jewish community together. JDC really helps me meet other Jews in Mumbai and now I have lots of friends and peers. I’m also in the Jewish Youth Pioneers Program (JYP) where we have youth activities all year round – sports activities and holidays and also Khai Fest where we raise money for the Jewish youth activities and kids’ education. We also have talent shows and it’s a lot of fun. It’s fun and my father is happy that I’m getting involved in the community – even though he wants me to make Aliyah! But I really like my job right now. Maybe after this job we’ll see, maybe I will make Aliyah. But my father tells me that I would have a much better future in Israel. But I have to see, I’m not sure.

What message would you like to send to potential volunteers around the world?

They should put their hearts into sharing themselves with these children, not just their knowledge but their whole selves, their passion. The kids need that connection. They need to hear about you. If you have that passion, you’ll own the class. It will be great.