Janet Kass, volunteer with Jewish Family Service of Orange County, spoke to Mount Saint Mary College freshmen about the concept of tikkun olam, or “repairing the world.”
From filmmakers to songwriters, five local leaders recently taught Mount Saint Mary College freshmen that service to one’s community can come in many forms.
The series of talks was offered by the college’s First Year Experience (FYE). The FYE program cultivates community-based learning, academic success, the personal development necessary for college life, and a connection to the Mount as first-year students become active members in our community of learners.
Colette Ruoff, founder and president of the SageArts, and songwriter Elizabeth Clark, discussed the “We Remember” project, in which musicians from SageArts partnered with Holocaust survivors to honor them through song. Their efforts culminated with a concert hosted at the Mount’s Aquinas Hall Theatre, where the survivors and songwriters were celebrated by friends, family, and the community.
Cook described her experience working with survivor Freide Gorewitz. A singer herself, Gorewitz performed with Cook at the “We Remember” concert. Gorewitz would pass away only a few months later, with Cook preforming soothing songs by her side.
Filmmakers Ilene Cutler and Tim Miller, inspired by the footage they captured at the SageArt concert, created PBS Holocaust documentary We Remember: Songs of Survivors. During their talk with the Mount freshmen, the pair discussed how they documented the relationships that developed between the survivors and the artist and the songwriting process over many months.
While filmmaking might not immediately come to mind when discussing service, Miller and Cutler’s efforts are an example of how one can use their talents to give back to their community.
Janet Kass, a retired educator and volunteer with Jewish Family Service (JFS) of Orange County, spoke with the Mount freshmen about how her Jewish faith has encouraged her to give back to the community. She explained an important concept of Judaism: tikkun olam, Hebrew for “repairing the world.”
“We have an obligation – all of us – to repair the world,” she said. “Let’s make the world a better place than the one we are living in now.”
This can be achieved, she added, through three principles prevalent in Judaism: study, charity, and loving kindness.
A screening of We Remember: Songs of Survivors will be held at Mount on Sunday, October 15 at 2:30 p.m. It will be followed by a panel featuring Cutler, Miller, Ruoff and others involved with the film, including Holocaust survivor Tibor Spitz. A post-event gathering outside the theatre, “Strength in Unity: Empowering Voices, Celebrating Resilience,” will feature artwork by students living in Orange County reflecting the theme “Survive and Thrive.” This event was spearheaded by Kass and JFS.
The screening and panel talk, part of the college’s Samuel D. Affron Memorial Lecture Series, is free with a suggested donation of $10 to benefit JFS. The Mount is located at 330 Powell Avenue, Newburgh, N.Y.
Jerome S. Affron, a former Mount Saint Mary College trustee, established the Samuel D. Affron Memorial Lecture Series in honor of his father in 1982. A native of Kingston, Samuel D. Affron was deeply interested in education and served on the Board of Education in Beacon, N.Y. for many years. He was a man of many talents and interests. He pursued a variety of careers, including an automobile dealership, and served bravely in the armed forces during World War I.
The film’s website is www.weremembersongsofsurvivors.com. SageArts can be found on the web at sagearts.org. Jewish Family Services of Orange County’s website is jfsorange.org.