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11/14/2020
Andrea Avilés is an International Student from Tegucigalpa, Honduras. From borders closing in March to Hurricane Eta causing catastrophic damage, Andrea shares about how she copes, stays connected to her family, and above all, positive through such difficult times.
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2020-11-18
I graduated high school in 2020 and decided to attend Northeastern University in Boston, MA. For my first semester I planned on traveling to London to study there through the NU.in program (program offered by Northeastern for alternate admission). Unforuntaly, once COVID ravaged through the world, we were no longer allowed to go to London. Instead, I decided to start my college career as a normal Northeastern student living in Boston. I think this experience is important to share because it gives one insight on what college life is like in a city school. Northeastern has very strict rules for obvious reasons, testing every 2-3 days, limited indoor gatherings, mask mandate on campus and much more. This is the safest way to go about this semester and it has allowed us to stay open, but if does hinder the college experience for students. It can be very hard to make friends in college and then on top of that, there is a pandemic which makes it hard to meet people under normal circumstances. Students voiced their concerns over this and got some rules to change (allowing a single guest per room, opening more meeting spaces, indoor dining etc). The school aspect is also very interesting, I think the majority of kids have 75% of their classes online, meaning learning through a zoom call/recorded video. Although it gets old quickly, learning online is a really good skill because it forced me to start taking learning into my own hands and be more independent with my work. However, I feel like this skill is a skill all college students learn early on in order to pass classes but I think that it was accelerated this semester due to the lessened student-to-teacher interactions. Overall, the experience has been an interesting one; there has been many highlights including exploring Boston and living in a hotel, but there have been lowlights as well, including, harder to be motivated during class, may be harder for some to meet people.
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2020-11-17
The FDA has approved an at-home, self-test for COVID-19.
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2020-11-14
This was a short paper assignment from a professor for an English class and we had free range with it so I decided to write my feelings and experiences during COVID times and this was the result.
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2020-09-03
St. Mary's has gathered a group of students ( the mask squad) with the purpose to promote Covid-19 safety procedures. Typically St. Marys' campus is full of smiling faces and it always busy with students running to classes or to meet with friends. Since Covid-19 St.Mary’s students have had to adjust to not seeing the campus so lively. The mask squad is currently on campus to not only remind students to wear their masks but to give the campus some life. Wearing our masks is a crucial part of keeping all those on campus safe. This email shows the efforts that the university is taking to try and promote safety and community.
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2020-04
I wanted to use this collection of photos to highlight the change of attitude and environment for friendships pre-Covid and during Covid: In the first three photos my college friends and I are out and about a major city and public transportation, giving no second thoughts on sanitary factors. For us, an adventure meant exploring the city limits and beyond.
In the next photos, taken after most of us returned from our respective universities and finished a serious quarantine. We finally reunited, though barely leaving our home limits, after being locked inside for weeks, it felt like an adventure; Despite the need for much caution and unfamiliar form of socializing. We cherished each other’s company in this new way of hanging out.
Finally, the last photos were taken later in the summer. Out of quarantine but still amid a pandemic, we found adventure were found in something as ordinary as grocery shopping or trying something different like eating fast food in the trunk of a car.
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2020-11-16
This story, which also appears on NPR, talks about how smaller cities like Burlington, Vermont are experiencing an increase of new "remote workers". They're escaping the big cities for multiple factors, many exacerbated due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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2020-11-15
My friend Sarah who currently lives as St. Mary's University sent me pictures of the way she gets through her anxiety which is with music. The pictures that she provided show that the Healing Power of Music is a way to escape all the chaos that is happening in our lives around us. This shows when there is no where else to turn music always seem to have your back by providing comfort.
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2020-05-10
This picture is a picture of my friend, Linda, orienteering. Now if you're confused about what orienteering is, you are not alone. When I first reached out to her to see if she had picked up any new hobbies while in quarantine, I was also very confused by her response. It turns out, orienteering is the sport of navigation; you are given a compass and a map and are tasked with trying to find your way. I had never heard of orienteering before I asked Linda about it, but it turns out it is not exclusive to Finland and is also a competitive sport in some places in the United States. Linda told me that she picked up orienteering as a way to get outside and enjoy nature while fulfilling her competitive drive. If it weren't for the pandemic, she wouldn't have been inspired to try out this new favorite hobby of hers and now new favorite competition. Covid-19 has introduced not only her, but me as well to the sport of orienteering.
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2020-07-14
The article is titled "In reversal, federal government will allow international students to stay in the U.S. while taking only online classes," published by The Texas Tribune and written by Raga Justin. The article covers a huge issue that impacted international students as U.S. universities were making final decisions having whether they were conducting virtual or in-person classes in response to the pandemic. In the summer of 2020, the Trump administration had announced that international college and university students would be deported if they were enrolled in only online classes for the fall 2020 semester. The potential for international students to be deported for the fall semester was frightening as many students faced uncertainty about how the upcoming semester would go. This terrifying for schools like St. Mary's, with a large international student population from all over the world. Fortunately, in early July, Federal officials reversed the policy so international students could stay in the U.S. while taking online courses for safety.
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2020-04-10
This photograph was taken during the first virtual reunion that several friends and I had during the very early months of the pandemic, just before Easter 2020. We hadn't seen in other in several months, and although we had become used to this after graduating from Fordham University in 2018 and moving to different parts of the country, it was becoming clear that we wouldn't be able to see each other in-person for longer than we had expected. We decided to try using Zoom to have a movie night and had a great time watching Moonstruck together. We were all feeling the weight of the uncertainty and fear that was hanging over so many at this point during the pandemic. Yet, as can be seen from the smiles on our faces, finding ways to stay in touch with those closest to us helped to ease that anxiety and allowed us to find something of a sense of normalcy. We didn't know how pervasive Zoom would become as the pandemic continued: this would be the first of many reunions held in this way.
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2020-03
This is an important submission to me, because it was a weird way for me to feel like more than just a simple grocery clerk, but also I felt more heavily the weight of the whole COVID pandemic. I was given this letter by my store manager at Kroger, back in late March I believe, when the city was placed under a lockdown. It was in the event any employee, on their way to work, was pulled over and asked why they were out driving during a lockdown. It makes me proud, in a way, to ensure that people still are able to shop, but it's also scary because, well people still come to shop for groceries. I haven't kept it in my car since the lockdown lifted, but I am concerned I will need it again, with the rise of cases.
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2020-11
Between working in a grocery store, and doing class work, I find myself busy and often stressed. I am lucky enough to have a partner, two cats and other luxuries that help me relax and relieve my anxieties. I included an older picture of myself and my partner, my switch, and my cats Wobbles (grey) and Jade (black). Having these distractions in my life have definitely made the pandemic a little more manageable. These things, along with my partner, help me count my blessings and appreciate what I have and have been able to hold on to during these anxious and stressful times.
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2020-11-17
In preparation for the holiday break, St. Mary's University is now offering its community free COVID-19 testing on campus. The test is a self-performed saliva test and it yields results within 36 to 48 hours. Located in front of the Alumni Athletics & Convocation Center, it is in a central campus location and easily accessible.
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2020-11-17
A Tik Tok video covering so many changes that have happened with the pandemic, an original sound by Nina Nesbitt. The video makes fun of zoom calls, not wearing makeup, and ordering food and other items online. It definitely captures how challenging it is to stay home, the struggle of interacting with other people, and the tendency to give into vices as a coping strategy.
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2020-03-30
There was a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) at the start of the pandemic. I was anxious for my family and friends, especially for the nurses in my life who didn’t have any face masks. Once my mom and I saw on the news that cloth masks were an acceptable form of PPE, we knew exactly what to do. We busted out our library of fabric that we had collected over the years and dusted off our sewing machines. My grandma taught my mom to sew, and my mom passed the skill down to me.
We started off making free masks for my friend’s sister and her fellow nurses. None of our other friends or relatives knew how to sew and when word got out that we were making masks, the orders started pouring in. My mom, brother, and I relied heavily on our crafting skills in order to fill custom orders. During the first month of the mask making craze, it was difficult to buy fabric that our friends were requesting. Solid black, Spurs, Cowboys, and dark colored fabrics as well as elastic were hard to find. Furthermore, Joann’s had limited hours and their best fabrics were sold out online and in-stores. My brother printed custom images on heat transfer vinyl that I would then press onto the fabric, and I bought bedsheets and dyed fabric to create colors that we didn’t have in stock.
My mom and I already had a bad habit of buying fabric for no reason, and now that we have an actual purpose our collection has grown even more. I look for fabric that suits the personality of my friends and try to find prints that are cute and festive for each season. My friends and family will own wear masks that my mom and I have made. I think they take comfort in knowing each mask was made especially for them. As for my mom and I, we are relieved in knowing that our loved ones are protected with masks that fit their personalities.
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2020-10-27
Together we can protect St. Mary's University! Signs like these are in place to remind students at St. Mary's University to remember the new COVID19 safety guidelines put in place to protect the university and the St. Mary's Community. The signs remind students to wear their masks, keep their social distance (about six feet), to wash their hands, to use hand sanitizing stations placed around campus for their health and safety, and to mind the direction they walk in public areas like dorm hallways or large public spaces.
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10/16/2020
In this interview Valeria Rodriguez shares about her experience as a St. Mary's University Freshman studying virtually from her home in Honduras. She highlights the ways in which she has overcome challenges and continues to look at the bright side of things. I believe that Valeria's perspective is powerful because her story shows her resilience and can inspire many other International students going through a similar situation.
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11/17/2020
An oral history interview with CJ Richardson the Head Sports Performance Coach at StMU discussing COVID-19 protocols and life during the pandemic.
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2020-11-07
COVID has absolutely been a challenge time for everyone and has required patience, flexibility and resiliency. Personally, I had to make room for multiple adjustments during my transition to Northeastern. First semester I was supposed to study abroad, however, was unable to due to the current circumstances. Now, once in Boston I had to continue my studies via Zoom. While I did experience this briefly last spring, it was to a much smaller extent. Currently, I am learning how to balance this transition to a new city and new life with academics and learning how to fully interact with a class virtually. While difficult, it also has taught me many valuable skills that I otherwise would have disregarded. The biggest struggle for me has been cultivating relationships with teachers and peers without being in the same room or even city as them. Additionally, keeping track of assignments, class times and zoom links has been a difficult process that has sometimes caused me to submit a paper after its due date or miss a lesson entirely. However, office hours have been a incredible way to connect with my professors and clarify any questions or issues I may have. Although my experience with COVID has been anything but easy, I have been able to gain some valuable skills and lessons from this event. I now feel more adequately prepared to potentially face any issues I face both virtually and in-person during my time at Northeastern and beyond. The attached photo is from a trip I took to Seaport with a friend and reminds me that although much of my life takes place online, I am in a new city with new friends and still have tons of things to experience and learn.
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2020-11-12
This oral history interview was conducted on Thursday, November 12, 2020, with Chris Vazquez, a student and Residential Assistant at St. Mary's University. In the interview, the narrator discusses how life on campus has changed during the pandemic, how he has adapted to virtual learning and his hopes for campus life after the pandemic.
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2020-11-17
This oral history features the athletic training team and their experiences in their positions at St. Mary's University since the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
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2020-09-09
The first semester of college can be an extremely challenging time for incoming freshman students in a "normal year," nevertheless during a pandemic. The first semester of college holds so many changes- living on your own, financing money, attending more rigorous classes, making new friends, exploring a new city, and so much more. In a regular year, students can easily adapt to these changes, especially making new friends and exploring a new city, as there are not many gathering restrictions. This year, freshman have had to determine new ways to meet people and how to have as normal of a freshman experience as one could. These adaptations can be seen in many shapes and forms. For me, I decided that I needed to be even more social than I normally would be in a year without a pandemic, leading me to foster resilience. I decided to start conversations with people who I rode the elevator with, people walking around campus and people in the hallways/lobby/common spaces of the Westin. These forms of communication led me to meeting many new people and finding a solid group of friends of whom I enjoy spending time with. After meeting people that I truly connected with and who the conversations flowed naturally with, I would make further plans with them to meet up again. At the beginning of the semester, this was a difficult task because Northeastern prohibited us from entering any room other than our own, so we needed to find new places to hang out. Oftentimes I found my friends and I exploring the city, watching TV in the common rooms, shopping on Newbury Street, and going out to dinner together. This proved to be quite expensive. The many challenges in which incoming freshmen faced this semester have led to many freshmen, including myself, fostering resilience. We have seamlessly adapted to the overwhelming hurdles in which we faced with positive mindsets and optimism. Overall, this unique semester has given me some of the best moments of my life, despite the ongoing pandemic! My story of my first semester of college proves that the one can make the most of their time throughout the pandemic if they respond with optimism and adaptability! The photo included in this archive pictures my new friends and me exploring the city on a warm fall night!
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2020-11-15
The San Diego Union-Tribune has published a short series chronicling local musician's experiences and struggles during COVID-19. This story is about drummer Nathan Hubbard and how he has gone from performing almost every day to having very little work.
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2020-11-17
Arriving as a freshman at Northeastern University, I found myself allured to the urban beauty of Boston. In these times it can be observed that the inhabitants of Boston are fewer, mostly at home, wear masks, and have totally changed their way of life. However, despite the pandemic, Boston's urban scape and landscape remain unhindered in its growth, development, and display. The backdrop beauty of the city is appreciated in these difficult times and keep its inhabitants - including myself - resilient and to press on.
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2020-10-31
I refused to let Covid-19 ruin my favorite day of the year—Halloween. It only took a little extra work to ensure I could enjoy it safely with my friends and neighbors. First, I went on Amazon and found an inflatable dinosaur costume which covered my entire body and face. Next, I prepackaged all the Halloween candy into little baggies while wearing a mask and gloves. I set up a six foot table in my front yard where I set out a few treats at a time.
The evening started off slow with only a handful of trick-or-treaters stopping by before heading out to local socially distanced Halloween events. However, when the sun went down more trick-or-treaters emerged. From adults to small children, everyone was masked up. During a normal Halloween in my neighborhood, multiple families would pile into one car and cruise the neighborhood together. This time the groups were much smaller. The kids were younger too. Many parents didn’t want their little ones to miss out on the festivities.
Overall, Halloween turned out much better than I expected this year. My costume provided much needed laughter at work, and my neighbors enjoyed taking pictures of their kids with a giant blue dinosaur.
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2020-03-30
For my friends and I, Thai Dee is our most cherished gathering spot. It is a local San Antonio restaurant that is tucked away in a small building next to a convenience store. The restaurant is centrally located and 15 minutes away from where we all live and work. Thai Dee is the community dining room for my family and friends. We celebrate all our special occasions here in addition to frequenting the restaurant on a weekly basis. It is both a treat and a part of our daily lives to eat at Thai Dee as it is for hundreds of other customers. These last few months have felt strange not being able to eat inside their restaurant.
The pandemic hit Thai Dee hard at first. In March they had to lay off all their waitstaff and close their busy dining room. I was laid off from my full-time job too, but I continued to support them with the little money I earned from my part-time job. I turned my weekly dine-in visits to takeout orders. I did my best to support them, but instead I found that they wanted to support me.
The family who owns the restaurant has always treated me like a member of their family. When they found out that I had been laid off, the owner sweetly yet sternly told me not to leave them tips anymore. She advised me to save up all the money I had and assured me that they were okay. She would not process any tips I tried to leave on my card. Her son then told me that if I ever got to a point where I was hungry and had no money that I should call him. He would never let me go hungry. I thanked them and started crying as soon as I exited the building. I felt so loved and cared for in that moment. When I opened my bag of food, I found a complimentary order of mango and sweet sticky rice—my favorite dessert. They have since done this for me several times. Back in March I didn’t know if I would be able to return to my job, or if the company was just going to fold. I never shared these anxieties with them, and yet they helped ease them with their kind gestures.
The closure of Thai Dee’s dining room saw business slow down at first. When this happened, I sent a text to my friends who immediately went and ordered food. My friends and other regular customers are now back in the habit of ordering Thai Dee’s on a regular basis. Thai Dee has many other loyal customers who love the restaurant and family as much as I do. The walls are adorned with Christmas cards, postcards, and photographs of newborn babies all given to them by devoted patrons. Even former San Antonio Spur, Sean Elliot, has several photos with the Thai Dee crew on the wall.
For myself and other regulars, not a week goes by where I don’t go to Thai Dee. My visits give me a sense of normalcy. Even though I miss the social gathering space their dining room provided, I still get to eat the best Thai food in San Antonio and check in with my dear friends who own the restaurant. If I did not have regular access to them my pandemic experience would be miserable. Thai Dee is an icon of San Antonio and they have helped me through this time more than they know. Although Covid-19 disrupted my dining experience, it only strengthened my patronage and bond with the Thai Dee family.
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11/15/2020
This is an interview with a recent college graduate that started her career at the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic. She describes pre-covid conditions to COVID-19 rules in the kindergarten classroom.
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11/16/2020
This is a audio interview with a active Air Force Reservist, describing how the Covid pandemic has impacted his work environment and personal livelihood.
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2020-11-16
College can be very difficult, and it is very common for it to be harder for freshmen. Now add the stress of a freshmen along with a global pandemic; it can be very difficult for freshmen to stay on track. St. Mary’s University, however, is combating this by mailing and handing out graduation plans booklets to all freshmen. These booklets contain a handy graduation plan along with a planner and schedule imbedded inside the pages. Personally, I’ve found the book to be extremely useful in my studies and greatly encourage others to use it during these difficult times. Over all, I thought it was very comforting for the university to do this when the pandemic has left a lot of freshmen feeling unsure and lost.
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2020-11-15
According to Vancouver Island Mother, a man purposefully coughed on her and her 4-month-old baby while at the hospital. This comes as BC Covid-19 cases have been at an all time high.
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2020-11-17
We had a beautiful celebration for my daughter's Batmitzvah that was not how we imagined or planned it to be. Despite the restrictions, we were blessed with a simcha that was overflowing with yiddishkeit, connection, Jewish history, music, family, love and tradition.
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2020-11-16
Going to college is very difficult. I think anyone can agree with that especially if someone's never been to college. When I started, I was immediately caught off guard. I never knew when my assignments were, and I occasionally missed assignments. There was something about this online experience that really made it difficult, so I went in search of something to help. The screenshot is of my schedule early in the year when I finally decided to utilize Google Calendar. It was by far the best decision I made this semester, and it is my best advice for anyone (especially freshmen) looking to get more organized. Covid may have changed what college would normally look like, but it has taught me to adapt during this hard time. Google calendars was just a new way of me doing it.
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2020-11-16
My roommate Vanessa decided to take advantage of the online classes available at our university and decided this was the year that she would learn piano. She had always wanted to learn how to play piano, but had never had the time to drive out to lessons. St. Mary's University this year was offering all music classes online and she decided to take advantage of this opportunity. Piano has become her new hobby, her new way to relax. As her roommate, I have had the unique opportunity to listen to her skills grow from the beginning of August to now. She said if it hadn't been for Covid-19, she would have never thought to have taken piano or had the opportunity to learn a new skill. There are some silver linings in this pandemic and some of them have come in the form of new hobbies and talents.
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2020-11-16
My roommate Vanessa decided to take advantage of the online classes available at our university and decided this was the year that she would learn piano. She had always wanted to learn how to play piano, but had never had the time to drive out to lessons. St. Mary's University this year was offering all music classes online and she decided to take advantage of this opportunity. Piano has become her new hobby, her new way to relax. As her roommate, I have had the unique opportunity to listen to her skills grow from the beginning of August to now. She said if it hadn't been for Covid-19, she would have never thought to have taken piano or had the opportunity to learn a new skill. There are some silver linings in this pandemic and some of them have come in the form of new hobbies and talents.
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2020-09-18
My friend Aslak, from Norway, has always stayed in shape. It wasn't until the pandemic hit that he started to do it competitively. Weightlifting competitively gave him a new edge and something to bring focus into his life. While this isn't exactly a new hobby, it is a new form of one of his favorite hobbies and has allowed him to meet new people (while staying at a safe distance). During this pandemic, people all around the world have had to find new ways to adjust, to cope. While Aslak is all the way over in Norway, his life right now is not too different from mine. While Finland was able to handle the pandemic differently than the United States, they also had to quarantine and wear masks. The pandemic has become divisive, but it also has untied us in ways that we haven't been before. Everyone has had to adjust and some have done so through new hobbies, like Aslak.
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2020-11-10
A FB friend shared this spoof on Keith Sweat’s song “Nobody” talking about the 2020 election of Joe Biden. The video was shared by Jody Hawes Jr. with the hashtag #NobodyRemix.
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2020-11-22
Temple Beth Israel is hosting their 2020 AGM online
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2020
Sunday through Thursday, Temple Beth Israel hosts a 'virtual daily daven' online at 6.15pm.
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2020
" We join together with the youngest members of our community for music and engaging interactions designed to help families get ready for Shabbat.
Join us at 10.30am every Friday Morning or if you prefer, you can view past episodes via our YouTube channel"
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2020
During the year, Cantor David Laloum at Temple Beth Israel hosted a Thursday Lunch and Learn on zoom, for people to learn Amidah together
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2020
Throughout the year, Temple Beth Israel hosted a weekly "Coffee and Conversation" on Wednesday afternoons, via zoom, with one of their rabbis.
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2020-05-20
This post advertises a webinar that took place, providing a link to the recording on youtube, of a 'Leadership in a Crisis' conversation with Ronni Kahn AO and Josh Burns MP, facilitated by Stand Up CEO Gideon Reisner
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2020-06-17
"In March, Stand Up founded the Jewish response | Coronavirus (VIC) group, a place to connect people who needed help because of COVID-19 to those who could offer it. After just a few days, hundreds of incredible volunteers sprung into action, helping coordinate food deliveries, delivering care packages, assisting other charities and so much more.
One highlight was the creation of an informal 'buddy' system, pairing up people who were feeling isolated because of COVID-19 with volunteers who they could just have a chat and shoot the breeze with."
This facebook post provides feedback from the program from people who participated in it.
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2020-08-06
"Yesterday, students at Mount Scopus Memorial College had the first of two opportunities to meet with (over zoom, of course) Hosna Hamouda and hear her story.
Hosna was born in Sudan, her family fled when she was just one and arrived in Australia at the age of 5 after being in transit in Egypt. Hosna spoke to students about the challenges of beginning school without any knowledge of English and her experiences growing up in Melbourne coming from a Sudanese background.
In the next session, kids learn more about the Sudanese community in Melbourne and will brainstorm ways to make a contribution! #StandUpStandOut"
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2020-09-17
"Yesterday we zoomed with Year 5 students at King David, exploring the connections between social justice challenges and Rosh Hashana. 🙏
What an inspiring way to bring in 5781! Here's hoping we can run this program again next year, but in real life this time!
Shana Tova!"
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2020
Stand Up coordinated a community response to Covid in Victoria and NSW, connecting people and working to try to ensure that people had the assistance they needed, and that people were identified who could provide support.
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2020-09-14
"Last Friday, the Grade 6s welcomed Bronia Koperszmidt as their latest ‘Gast Oyf Shabes’.
Bronia, who is a former Sholem Aleichem College parent and current SACCEC student, taught the children how to make the traditional Sholem Aleichem College honey cake recipe in Yiddish. This recipe, which Bronia has been using since her children attending the school, is the recipe of Mira Zylberman (the former directress of the Sholem Aleichem Preschool and bobe of Lererin Reyzl Zylberman and Lererin Dvora Zylberman).
The students were also taken on a photographic trip down memory lane to see how Bronia’s family connections to the College related back to the students themselves and their own journeys. We hope this will instill in them the understanding that our Sholem Aleichem College families remain a part of our community well-after leaving our college."
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2020-09-10
"Last Friday, the Grade 6s welcomed vegan chef Michal Dawid Lachur all the way from Warsaw, Poland as their latest ‘Gast Oyf Shabes’.
Michal taught the Grade 6s about vegetarian chef, Fania Lewando (1887-1941). Lewando ran a vegetarian restaurant in pre-WWII Vilna. The restaurant attracted figures such as Marc Chagall and Itzik Manger. She also had a cookery school, where she taught about vegetarian nutrition.
Fania Lewando published the Vilna Vegetarian Cookbook (Vegetarish-Dietisher Kokhbukh) in 1938 in Yiddish. Many years later, it was translated into English and is available online.
Michal led our students in a cooking workshop, where they learned to make a rice kugl and a prune tsimes.
The students had a great time cooking with Michal and enjoyed learning to make Lewando’s take on these traditional dishes.
A sheynem dank to Michal for joining us in the early hours of the morning to work with our students."
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2020-09
The staff at Sholem Aleichem College recorded a video celebrating Rosh Hashone
