While many students used the winter break to relax and take time off from school, Moshe Cohen, mathematics graduate student, spent his winter break learning about global environmentalism in Israel and exploring Judaism. Cohen was part of a group of University students who spent their winter break on trips supported by various religious campus organizations. Cohen went to Israel on a trip sponsored by Hillel International. According to its Web site, Hillel is "the largest Jewish campus organization in the world." Cohen applied to and was accepted by Hillel's Green: Global Environmentalism and Israel trip. As part of the trip, Cohen spent Dec. 26 through Jan. 2 traveling throughout Israel with a group of students and discussing "how education on environmental issues helps to erase political boundaries, how the rethinking of community structure can defeat the need for urban sprawl and how activism at the grassroots level can shape national policy." Additionally, Cohen spent Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest, "exploring various spiritual activities reflecting the great pluralism of Judaism," he said. Cohen felt that the trip was a positive experience. "Not only did I receive the spiritual recharge I was looking for, but I learned of the global environmental issues affecting Israel," he said. Six other University students also went abroad with Living Waters Fellowship, a Christian organization on campus. The students spent Dec. 18 through Jan. 9 doing mission work in the mountains of Central-Western Mexico. Michael Campagna, an employee for Living Waters Fellowship who went on the trip, said the purpose of the trip was to reach out to the "four distinct tribes that make their homes in these mountains." Students worked with a church to teach the local people Christianity as an alternative to other religions practiced in the region. The old religions have "roots to the Aztecs," Campagna said. In addition to preaching to people in the area, the students helped to renovate a school kitchen. "Life there is very hard," Campagna said. "The people usually walk two or three days just to reach the church ... In fact, an 8-year-old boy died of exposure to the cold one night as he and his older brother were trying to reach the church." Another organization, the University Presbyterian Church, took three students to the Montreat College Conference in Montreat, North Carolina. Nolie Day, the Campus Ministry intern, said the conference was "a worship conference where we spent time in worship and had various seminars focusing on one's vocation." The students heard speeches by several speakers including key note speaker, Donald Miller. Miller is the author of several theology books including "Blue Like Jazz." Day said it was the first time for anyone from the University Presbyterian Church to attend the national conference.
----- Contact Rachael Moreau at rmoreau@lsureveille.com
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