Name: Brittany Musaffi

Age: 20

Major: Psychology

Why you want to do ASB: I love taking part in community service and feel a strong connection with both the culture and religious aspects of Judaism so this trip is perfect for me. I also love traveling and have not been to Europe yet so I am looking forward to visiting an area I have never seen before. I am interested in seeing what Jewish life is like in Lithuania and Estonia.

Hobbies/Interesting facts: I am a member of the Penn Sate Hillel student board and currently hold the position of THON chair. THON is a student run philanthropy that helps to raise money for pediatric cancer. Aside from my involvement with Hillel and THON I enjoy hiking, camping, swimming, listening to music and spending time with friends.

Name: Jen Recant

Age: 20

Studies: Elementary Education

Why a JDC Short-Term Service program? My family has been active with the JDC since I was young and I have always wanted to be an active participant in this program so I brought it to Penn State! I am so excited to travel to countries I have never been, meet new people and have new experiences.

Hobbies/Interesting Facts: I love to cook, play sports, travel and spend time with my friends and family.  An interesting fact about me is that next year I will be studying for the first half of the year in England and the second half in Sweden.

Name: Jackie Ligorski

Age: 19

Studies: Nursing

Why a JDC Short-Term Service program? I want to make an impact in some way on the world and if i can do that by helping to improve Jewish communities throughout the world, then that’s where i’ll start!  I want also want to feel more connected to my Jewish culture ans find “my Judaism”

Hobbies/Interesting Facts: I love hanging out with friends and family, I love to play and watch sports, i love to go to the gym and run outside.  Interesting fact: My sisters and i (there are 3 of us- two of us twins and one is olders) were born at 4:10 am, 4:11 am, and 4:12 am- weird huh?

Name: Brittany Sykes

Age: 22

Studies: Public Relations Major and Psychology Minor

Why a JDC Short-Term Service Program? I want to explore the world and help to improve Jewish communities throughout the world.  Plus, I wouldn’t be doing anything meaningful over spring break and it’s nice to help make a difference.

Hobbies/Interesting Facts: I love hanging out with friends and family, watching movies and Hillel.  As for an interesting fact, I did ASB to New Orleans last year with Hillel!

Name: Rachel Michelle Cetlin

Age: 21 (Birthday: September 18^th)

Studies: Business Marketing major and Spanish minor

Why a JDC Short-Term Service Program? I am ecstatic about traveling to Eastern Europe and taking advantage of a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience personally helping the Jewish community in need of help and support.

Hobbies/Interesting facts: I have a huge passion for traveling and learning about different cultures throughout the world. I love to sing and dance and basically just try to enjoy everything that comes my way, as each experience provides the chance to discover and grow.

Our second JDC Short-Term Service program orientation was amazing! Pizza, soda, and Hershey chocolate kisses greeted us when we came in the door. After we were settled and had sorted out our paperwork, we began re-introducing ourselves. We engaged in an icebreaker, and then immersed ourselves in trip details.

There was such excitement in the room after discussing our tentative flight plans!  A brief overview of our flight itinerary looks like this: We’re leaving March 7^th at night from JFK Airport in New York. After a layover in Frankfurt, Germany, we are heading to Estonia’s capital city, where we plan on beginning our adventures! On Wednesday of that week, we will pack our bags and drive through the night to Vilnius, Lithuania. After our week abroad, we will deport from Lithuania and get back to New York on Sunday (3/14) night. With school the next day, we’ll drive back to Penn State, recounting the time we spent abroad. Although it will be tiring, we can’t wait for our trip to begin!

After the logistical information was sorted out, we jumped into fundraising strategies. We made plans to reach out to local bars and restaurants in the hopes of raising money for the Jewish communities in Estonia and Lithuania. Some ideas we decided on were writing letters to our synagogues describing our efforts overseas, partnering with a restaurant to gain proceeds from the service we bring them, and having an 18+ night at one of the local bars. Lots of work ahead of us, but more information is soon to come!

Then, we discussed ways in which to really connect with our Jewish family abroad. We broke into committees, in which we worked together in smaller groups planning various aspects of our overseas experience. The committees we formed were Shabbat, gifts, and communications. With so many ideas popping up, we tried to come up with activities and projects that would really be meaningful to us and to the Jewish communities we were serving. During the next few weeks, we are going to work on the details of our plans.

With two more orientation sessions ahead of us, we are so eager to take on more responsibility in our service experience abroad. The time will fly, and before we know it, March 7^th will be here. We can’t wait to meet all the Estonian and Lithuanian families we’ll be helping. Stay tuned for more updates from us here at Penn State Hillel!

~ Nancy

Name: Nancy Londin

Age: 21 (Birthday: March 25^th)

Major: Speech pathology major, Sociology minor

Why a JDC Short-Term Service program? I am excited to go on this trip to help rebuild Jewish communities abroad, connect with people of another culture, travel somewhere totally different, and continue to build relationships with PSU students!!

Hobbies/Interesting facts: I love to test my knowledge of geography on the website sporcle.com. In doing so, I can name and locate every country in the world! Dancing is one of my favorite activities. My music interests are quite eclectic, but I really enjoy listening to anything by Pink Floyd. If I had an unlimited amount of money, I’d build a school in every impoverished town/city in the world, and I’d also purchase a life’s supply worth of double-stuf Oreos. My goal is to learn how to speak Russian, Hebrew, and French fluently.

Name: Ian Weissman

Age: 19

Major: History major, anthropology minor

Why a JDC Short-Term Service program? I wanted to go on this trip to experience Jewish life in another part of the world and have the chance to help those less fortunate.

Hobbies/Interesting facts: I play a few instruments (guitar, ukulele, mandolin, banjo, harmonica, drums, bongos, and I dabble in a few others), I’m a blackbelt in Shaolin Kempo, my favorite band is the Grateful Dead, and I’m a big rugby fan.

Tonight was the launch of our JDC Short-Term Service Program with Penn State Hillel ‘10 to the Baltics! After attending this two hour meeting with the other students, the student coordinator, and one staff advisor, we are beginning our adventure of bonding with each other and helping the Jewish communities in Lithuania and Estonia.

The night began with some food – pizza, soda, and home-made cookies – while we started to get to know each other. We first went around the room and introduced ourselves then played some ice-breakers.

After, we began discussing the logistics of the trip. We talked about the flights, the countries of Lithuania and Estonia, and what the trip was going to consist of. We learned how Estonia and Lithuania were once home to many Jews, but after the Holocaust, many left these countries and never came back. Today, there are approximately 10,000 Jews altogether between the two countries.

We then divided into three groups to talk about fundraising ideas for the Baltics. We plan on raising money for one or more of these needs: food for children, heating for families, medical and therapeutic assistance for children, emergency assistance for children, and/or material needs for children. All of this money will be donated to the Baltics.

Even though it has only been one meeting, the orientations coming up are going to be very exciting and very informative! As for the trip to Lithuania and Estonia itself, from March 7 – 14, it is going to be an experience of a lifetime!

Information about the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, the organization that is arranging this fantastic service trip to Lithuania and Estonia, can be found at www.jdc.org.

- Brittany