WHEN I received my acceptance letter to participate in a service trip with the JDC ( American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee ) Entwine to the Philippines , I had no idea that Manila , its capital city , had a modern and magnificent shul , a passionate Rabbi and Rabbanit , delicious kosher food and , most amazingly , a small yet thriving Jewish community .
GIVING BACK SAVING THE WORLD AND GIVING BACK IN THE PHILIPPINES
“ WHOEVER DESTROYS A SOUL , IT IS CONSIDERED AS IF HE DESTROYED AN ENTIRE WORLD . AND WHOEVER SAVES A LIFE , IT IS CONSIDERED AS IF HE SAVED AN ENTIRE WORLD .” – BABYLONIAN TALMUD , SANHEDRIN 37A
RYAN DAVIS by Typhoon Haiyan ( referred to as ‘ Yolanda ’ in the Philippines ).
We spent a week visiting the JDC ’ s projects established in areas that were not necessarily being prioritised by other organisations .
In a newly rebuilt school , we danced with and taught ‘ Shosholoza ’ to excited children with the largest smiles I ’ ve ever seen ; we met farmers who had received livestock , seedlings and learnt skills to build a better life ; we planted mangrove swamps to replace those washed away ; we saw world-class yet modest storm warning systems that will caution communities during future typhoons ; we travelled by sea to a small village that was washed away , had been rebuilt and received new fishing boats to help support the village for many years to come . The powerful moments go on and on .
WHEN I received my acceptance letter to participate in a service trip with the JDC ( American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee ) Entwine to the Philippines , I had no idea that Manila , its capital city , had a modern and magnificent shul , a passionate Rabbi and Rabbanit , delicious kosher food and , most amazingly , a small yet thriving Jewish community .
Our time in the Philippines consisted of meeting up with , being inspired by and giving a little of our time and energy to the JDC partners ’ life-saving and lifechanging projects , which were set up to re-establish livelihoods and rebuild communities devastated
A highlight of the trip was spending a memorable Shabbat with the unique Filipino Jewish community , made up of immigrants and local Filipino families , many of whom have converted over the years . We met more than 100 Jews with phenomenal stories , taught the kids songs and games from our youth movement days , and showed our Filipino brethren that they are an important part of our interconnected Jewish world . After Shabbat and a powerful Havdallah ceremony , members of the community gave us a taste of the phenomenal history of this community .
Historians differ on when Jews first settled on the islands of the Philippines . While under Spanish rule during the 1800s , though , a Jewish population grew which was made up of immigrants from Europe and other countries . They were escaping persecution
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