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Focus on Volunteering
Jewish Press
December, 2007
As part of a middle school community
volunteer day, 6th grade students at the Hillel School of
Tampa went to help clean Gan Shalom cemetery. “It was very moving,”
said Yoni Wasser, a student, “we raked leaves and cleared beds, and
got to clean the gravestones. Several of us had family members that
are buried there, and that made it special.”
For the past several years Hillel
School students have all been volunteering at different places in
the Tampa Bay community, from the Spring, a women’s shelter, to
Horses for the Handicapped which provides horse riding lessons to
children with physical disabilities, and this is the second time at
Gan Shalom.
“I thought that working in a cemetery
would be scary and creepy,” said Austin Freedman, 6th
grade student at the Hillel school of Tampa, “but it was very nice
and peaceful.”
Sarah Yaffe had a chance to visit her
grandmother’s grave for the first time since her funeral. “There
isn’t a stone there yet,” said Sarah, “but it was very nice to visit
my grandmother. It was sad and good at the same time.”
Stephen Goldman also visited his
grandmother’s grave. “ I had a chance to clean her grave stone.
Afterwards I just sat there for a while and thought about her.
Rabbi Wasser was there and led us in prayer, which was very
meaningful.”
The students all found this to be a
rewarding experience, much more so than they expected. When they
returned to class they wrote a collective poem that reflected their
feelings.
We approached the gates
Scared
To enter…
As we walked into the cemetery
We could feel sadness in the air
It troubles us
As we enter…
Our eyes wandered to the familiar named
gravestones
Feeling as if the deceased were
Still alive, standing there
Then rising up to G-d
To be treasured forever
Visiting old friends who are no longer
with us
Quiet as a silent wind
Death – Peace - Silence
Graves sit still
Tombstones stand like soldiers
Tall and straight
You feel bad for the soldiers
Hoping they had a good life
Clouds gray and dull float in the sky
Bird’s chirp – filling the air with
sound
The still air hushes us
Each remembering times shared with
family and friends
Who now lay still beneath – the earth
The Rabbi said a prayer
To show that we care
I saw my grandmother
I felt the connection
Her grave spoke to me
Connecting me to my past
The wind felt like her hugs
Warm and welcoming
It brought back memories of others
close to me
That had died
A mitzvah
One stands – alone
Neglected
Make her feel like those around her
We came to accomplish a task
Gardening tools, gloves
We began
Shining sheets of stones
Washing, weeding
Grass and trees
A life-filled cemetery
Make them beautiful
We picked the weeds -
Seeds floating
Now gone
Tombstones
Cleaned, scrubbed
Clothed in colors
Pretty as flowers
Trees swaying back and forth
Swish, swish music
We were feeling glad
Not sad – a beautiful summer day
We did a mitzvah
This being my first time at a cemetery
I was thankful I was only there to rake
…
The leaves
And not to grieve.
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