Kara Zucker, a Phoenix resident and sophomore at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and Jonathan Feller, a Scottsdale resident and sophomore at the University of Washington, are spending their summer in Washington, D.C., with approximately 25 other college students from around the country. They are participating in a six-week program called the Jewish Social Justice Summer, run by the Religious Action Center (RAC) of Reform Judaism, lasting from mid-June to late July.
Students in the program, which is competitive, are placed in internships at various companies across the city. Zucker is working at Therapeutic Communities of America, a health-care organization, while Feller keeps busy at the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. They are also enrolled in two classes through the RAC - one is "The Exploration of Contemporary Issues and Jewish Values," in which students take field trips around Washington to learn about the Jewish culture. The other class focuses on professional development, which helps to improve the students' business and political skills, The RAC also offers Shabbat services on Friday evenings and Havdalah on Saturdays.
"The goals are to provide an opportunity for young Jewish college students who have an interest in combining their Jewish beliefs with social justice," said Barbara Weinstein, the RAC's legislative director. "We want to encourage and help create a generation of Jewish social justice leaders who really see themselves changing the world through their connections to Judaism and social action."
Both Feller and Zucker were excited to embark on what Zucker referred to as "The Washington, D.C., experience," where they could learn about government, politics and lobbying firsthand. However, they both said that one of the big draws to the Jewish Social Justice Summer was that they would be able to share that experience with a diverse group of students.
"There is a support group here," said Feller. "Instead of just (individually) having internships in D.C., we get together and we talk about it."
Zucker agreed, sounding overwhelmingly satisfied with her brief exposure to the nation's capital.
"To be honest, I'm really glad I chose this project," she said. "I wanted to be in D.C., and there's 25 kids from all over the country. ... This has been the experience of a lifetime."
